Stay updated with the latest global maritime news, including shipping industry trends, international port developments, crew updates, and key events affecting the world of shipping and seafaring. Your source for timely and reliable maritime industry information.
The containership Safeen Prestige has reportedly sunk in the Strait of Hormuz after a missile strike triggered a severe onboard fire, according to The Maritime Telegraph. A safety warning issued by NAVAREA IX on April 1 confirmed the vessel’s loss, marking the first reported total ship loss linked to the current security escalation affecting commercial shipping in the region.
A Taiwanese court has ordered a Chinese captain to pay about $560,000 to Chunghwa Telecom after his vessel damaged the Tai-Peng No. 3 subsea cable in the Taiwan Strait, NextShip reports. The ruling follows a three-year prison sentence issued in June 2025, underlining Taiwan’s tougher enforcement measures to protect critical offshore communications infrastructure.
A French court has sentenced the Chinese captain of a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker to one year in prison and issued an international arrest warrant after he refused to stop his vessel for a naval inspection off western France, Splash247 reports. The ruling marks a major escalation in Europe’s enforcement campaign against ships suspected of moving Russian crude outside Western sanctions frameworks.
More than 200 passengers were evacuated after the river cruise ship A‑Rosa Sena struck the Amsterdamsebrug on the outskirts of Amsterdam late Wednesday, The Maritime Telegraph reported, citing local media. The helmsman suffered minor injuries, while passengers remained unharmed.
Libya has initiated an emergency maritime response to secure the damaged LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz, which continues drifting in the Mediterranean and poses rising environmental and navigation risks, according to NextShip. The country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) is coordinating recovery efforts with international specialists and national authorities to stabilize the vessel and prepare it for towing to a safe port.
China has reached another milestone in cruise ship construction after floating out its second domestically built large cruise vessel, Adora Flora City, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The ship will undergo sea trials in late May and is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026, with Guangzhou planned as its homeport.
South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured a contract worth about $553 million to build ten 2,800 TEU feeder containerships connected to fleet development plans by HMM, according to The Maritime Telegraph.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has formalized joint control of South Korea’s Sinokor Maritime, confirming its entry into the crude tanker segment, GCaptain reports.
A March 11 filing in Cyprus shows MSC, via its subsidiary SAS Shipping Agencies Services, will share ownership with Sinokor’s founder, Ga-Hyun Chung. The move puts an official structure behind a relationship that had drawn strong market attention.
French shipping giant CMA CGM has taken delivery of its new dual-fuel containership CMA CGM Grand Palais, strengthening its position in high-capacity, low-emission shipping, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The 24,000 TEU vessel marks the final unit in a four-ship series ordered in 2022.
A captain with the Canadian Coast Guard has been dismissed after investigators concluded he intentionally ignored a distress call from a fishing vessel in trouble near Prince Edward Island. The case, reported by The Maritime Telegraph, has raised serious concerns about emergency response procedures at sea.
Australia has banned the bulk carrier Ocean Bright from entering its ports for six months after investigators confirmed the crew had not received wages for two months. The decision highlights strict enforcement of seafarer welfare rules under the Maritime Labour Convention. The Maritime Telegraph reported on the case.
Greek container ship owner Costamare has expanded its newbuilding programme, increasing its series of 3,100 TEU containerships to ten vessels, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The company placed an additional order with Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard, targeting demand for mid-sized ships used in regional and feeder container trades.
Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and South Korea’s HD Hyundai have launched a joint project to study nuclear propulsion for a 16,000-TEU containership, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The initiative reflects the shipping industry’s growing search for zero-carbon propulsion technologies.
Spanish maritime authorities in the Canary Islands chased down a detained tug that attempted to leave the port of Las Palmas without permission. The tug Sylvia M, which was towing the offshore vessel K-Marine IV, tried to depart despite a standing detention order, reported by Maritime Executive.
A major search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of South Africa after a tugboat sank in rough seas, leaving five crewmembers missing. Two merchant vessels and a fishing boat are assisting the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) in the operation.
Opposition is mounting against Hapag-Lloyd’s $4.2bn takeover offer for ZIM. The proposed acquisition of Israel’s ZIM by Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd now faces union resistance and political scrutiny, reports The Maritime Telegraph.
A fatal cruise ship fire off Singapore claimed the life of one crew member on February 20, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The blaze broke out around 04:00 on deck nine of the Liberia-flagged MV World Legacy, prompting a full-scale emergency response and evacuation.
LNG is no longer a theoretical bridge fuel but a central pillar of shipping’s energy transition, writes Peter Keller, Chairman of Sea-LNG, in an author’s column published by Maritime Executive. For CEOs navigating decarbonization, LNG now represents scale, compliance certainty, and commercial flexibility.
The container fleet of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has surpassed 7.2m TEU in operated capacity, reinforcing its position as the world’s largest liner operator, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The milestone reflects MSC’s sustained fleet expansion and growing influence in global container shipping.
Maersk has placed an order for eight large container vessels with a capacity of around 18,600 TEU each, reinforcing its ongoing fleet renewal strategy and focus on deployment flexibility, The Maritime Telegraph reports.
A commercial chemical tanker has rescued 27 seafarers after a tuna fishing vessel caught fire and sank in the Eastern Pacific, highlighting the lifesaving role of merchant ships in open-ocean rescues, The Maritime Telegraph reports.
The United States has detained one Ukrainian crewmember from the oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella1, following the vessel’s seizure in the North Atlantic, The Maritime Telegraph reports.
A fire in the engine room of the Ro-Ro ferry Maria Felisa injured three crew members while the vessel was sailing through the Surigao Strait in the southern Philippines, reports The Maritime Telegraph. The incident forced the ferry to stop mid-voyage and rely on external assistance, highlighting once again the risks faced by seafarers during onboard emergencies.
Two crew members are still missing after the bulk carrier Changxin 198 capsized and sank off the western coast of Hainan Island, underscoring ongoing safety risks for bulk carriers operating in severe weather. The Maritime Telegraph reports that the incident occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin on 31 January 2026.
