Crewmember Injured In Freefall Lifeboat Accident – Incident Report

A British crewmember of a Maltese-flagged geared bulk carrier was seriously injured earlier this month after the ship’s freefall lifeboat was unintentionally released with the man inside, according to an incident report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

China’s EximBank Lends $1.2 Billion To Fund New Shipbuilding Program

Export-Import Bank of China (EximBank) will lend $1.2 billion to German shipping firms Peter Dohle Shiffahrts-KG and Bernhard Schulte for the purchase of Chinese ships, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

 Suspicious Approaches Put Red Sea on Heightened Piracy Alert

Ships in the Red Sea and areas of the Gulf of Aden are on high alert for pirate activity following suspicious approaches this week on two tankers in three days.

Official: At Least 10,000 Feared Killed in Philippines

An aerial view shows ships washed ashore into a coastal community after Typhoon Haiyan hit the province of Leyte central Philippines November 10, 2013. REUTERS/Ryan Lim/Malacanang Photo Bureau/Handout

One of the most powerful storms ever recorded killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines, a senior police official said on Sunday, with huge waves sweeping away coastal villages and devastating one of the main cities in the region.

U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Aircraft Carrier, Gerald R. Ford, Set for Saturday Christening

Less than 24 hours to go until the christening of the U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

Pirates Hijack Product Tanker Off Malaysia, Steal Cargo

IMB’s Live Piracy Map shows the location of Thursday hijacking, along with other boardings (orange) and hijackings (red) in the area. Image courtesy IMB/Google.

The International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre reports that 10 armed pirates boarded and hijacked a product tanker Thursday while underway approximately 7 miles west of Pulau Kukup, Malaysia.

Google Reveals “Mystery Barge” As…

A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Search giant Google on Wednesday finally broke its silence over the so-called “Google Mystery Barge” docked at San Francisco Bay’s Treasure Island, which for the past month has peaked everyone’s interest from maritime to tech buffs alike.    

Ukrainian Warship Fights Off Pirate Attack in Gulf of Aden

Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy (U130) in this 2011 file photo.

A Ukrainian warship has thwarted a pirate attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Aden, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Tuesday.

Viking Launches New Mass Evacuation System for Large Cruise Ships

Image (c) Viking Life-Saving Equipment

With the largest cruise ships of today now carrying upwards of 8,000 passengers and crew, it is easy to question just how safe these enormous vessels really are. A loss of power or even an engine room fire such as the one experienced by the Carnival Triumph earlier this year is one thing, but what about a Costa Concordia-type event that calls for the rapid evacuation of thousands of passengers at sea?