Italy’s short-sea transportation company Grimaldi Group is accelerating investments in a younger and more efficient fleet of eco-friendly ro-pax carriers, committing $1.3 billion for nine newbuilds at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai).

The company says that the nine pioneering vessels, which are part of its fleet expansion and renewal program, will be equipped with engines capable of running on methanol and will be designed to move rolling cargo and passengers in the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.

The newbuilds will be delivered between 2028 and 2030, and will be used by the group’s three brands – Grimaldi Lines, Minoan Lines and Finnlines. Four will be operated under the Grimaldi Lines brand sailing under the Italian flag, while two will be for Minoan Lines, under the Greek flag. These six, belonging to the “Next Generation Med” class, will serve routes in the Mediterranean. The other three, which debuts as the “Hansa Superstar” class, will be delivered to Finnlines to serve routes in the Baltic Sea.

At a length of 229 meters, the Mediterranean ro-pax vessels will have a cargo capacity of 3,300 lane meters for rolling freight and over 300 cars and up to 2,500 passengers. The Baltic Sea newbuilds will be 240 meters long with a cargo capacity of 5,100 lane meters for rolling freight plus 90 cars and up to 1,100 passengers.

Grimaldi has a long relationship with China Merchants, and the new orders extend that partnership with the introduction of fuel-efficient technology. The new vessels will have optimized hull and propeller designs, energy-efficient onboard power management systems, shore power readiness and the application of silicon-based hull coatings. They will reduce CO? emissions per transported cargo unit by more than 50 percent compared to vessels currently operating on the same routes, Grimaldi says.

“The new Next Generation Med and Hansa Superstar classes are the result of a thorough study of our customers’ needs and, more broadly, those of shipping. Today more than ever, the latter requires quality, efficiency and environmental sustainability to remain a key mode of national and international freight and passenger transport,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, Grimaldi Group Managing Director.

He added that the performance in CO? emission reduction and the use of methanol are critical components in the company’s net zero goals. Grimaldi is working to achieve zero emissions by 2050.

The new order comes just weeks after the company took delivery of the last of 14 hybrid ro-ro ships of its “fifth generation” class, built at China Merchants Jinling shipyard in Nanjing. This year and next year, the company also expects to start taking delivery of five new pure car and truck carriers from China Merchants.

[By: Saildrone]

Saildrone, the global leader in maritime autonomy, today announced it is establishing a European subsidiary in Denmark, to address the urgent need for maritime domain awareness in European waters.

Announced at the Maritime Industry Symposium at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC, Saildrone Denmark will be a European entity, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. This strategic expansion reflects Saildrone’s commitment to supporting European allies in enhancing maritime situational awareness through advanced autonomous technologies.

“Given the recent sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, the need for permanent maritime domain awareness has never been greater,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO. “I am delighted to announce the establishment of Saildrone Denmark to facilitate our European operations and support allied nations, at this critical time for regional maritime security.”

With increasing geopolitical tensions and rising activity in the Baltic Sea, the need for persistent maritime intelligence is paramount. Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) offer unmatched endurance and resilience, capable of operating autonomously for extended durations in the world’s harshest maritime environments. Equipped with a suite of advanced sensors, these systems deliver real-time ISR above and below the surface—enabling the detection of anomalous behavior, monitoring of vessel traffic, and the protection of national interests in strategically sensitive waters.

In addition to surface surveillance, Saildrone vehicles will conduct detailed ocean floor mapping, delivering a critical advantage in monitoring and securing subsea infrastructure such as pipelines, communication cables, and offshore energy platforms. Pairing high-resolution seafloor imagery with proprietary machine learning algorithms enables early detection of potential threats or anomalies, enhancing Europe’s ability to safeguard its undersea assets against both conventional and hybrid threats.

Denmark is uniquely situated in the center of the European maritime environment, with coastlines on both the Baltic and North Seas. Saildrone Denmark will be the hub for all European operations, employing local staff to provide support, training, and mission planning capabilities to regional customers and partners.

The transfer of jet fuel cargo from the damaged tanker Stena Immaculate has been completed, according to HM Coastguard, and salvors are now preparing to bring the vessel into a port of refuge in the UK.

On March 10, the Portuguese-flagged feeder Solong was on a routine coastal voyage off Hull, UK, making 16 knots on a steady southbound course. Without slowing or maneuvering, Solong rammed the port side of the anchored product tanker Stena Immaculate, penetrating two tanks. Both vessels caught fire, and the crew of the Immaculate abandoned ship after an initial attempt to fight the blaze.

One crewmember from Solong is missing and presumed dead, and the boxship suffered extensive fire damage; debris from Solong’s cargo, including pelletized plastic, has washed up along nearby beaches in the UK. The boxship’s master has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

After the casualty, salvors for Stena Immaculate’s owner stabilized the situation on board the tanker and brought another vessel – Fure Vyl – alongside for an STS transfer. The fuel has now been pumped off the Immaculate, preparing her for a safe entry into the port of Great Yarmouth later this week.

“HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities in their response to onshore pollution from the Solong as a result of the collision [sic] . . . in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. The clean-up operation has now moved from a proactive to reactive response. HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review,” said Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan in a statement.

HM Coastguard has asked the public to keep an open eye for nurdle pollution and to report it via the agency’s online tip portal.

[By Alexus Cazares-Nuesser]

Picture an ocean world so deep and dark it feels like another planet – where creatures glow and life survives under crushing pressure.

This is the midwater zone, a hidden ecosystem that begins 650 feet (200 meters) below the ocean surface and sustains life across our planet. It includes the twilight zone and the midnight zone, where strange and delicate animals thrive in the near absence of sunlight. Whales and commercially valuable fish such as tuna rely on animals in this zone for food. But this unique ecosystem faces an unprecedented threat.

As the demand for electric car batteries and smartphones grows, mining companies are turning their attention to the deep sea, where precious metals such as nickel and cobalt can be found in potato-size nodules sitting on the ocean floor.

Images of marine life spotted in the midwater zone. Bucklin, et al., Marine Biology, 2021. Photos by R.R. Hopcroft and C. Clarke (University of Alaska Fairbanks) and L.P. Madin (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), CC BY

Deep-sea mining research and experiments over the past 40 years have shown how the removal of nodules can put seafloor creatures at risk by disrupting their habitats. However, the process can also pose a danger to what lives above it, in the midwater ecosystem. If future deep-sea mining operations release sediment plumes into the water column, as proposed, the debris could interfere with animals’ feeding, disrupt food webs and alter animals’ behaviors.

As an oceanographer studying marine life in an area of the Pacific rich in these nodules, I believe that before countries and companies rush to mine, we need to understand the risks. Is humanity willing to risk collapsing parts of an ecosystem we barely understand for resources that are important for our future?

Mining the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

Beneath the Pacific Ocean southeast of Hawaii, a hidden treasure trove of polymetallic nodules can be found scattered across the seafloor. These nodules form as metals in seawater or sediment collect around a nucleus, such as a piece of shell or shark’s tooth. They grow at an incredibly slow rate of a few millimeters per million years. The nodules are rich in metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese – key ingredients for batteries, smartphones, wind turbines and military hardware.

As demand for these technologies increases, mining companies are targeting this remote area, known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, as well as a few other zones with similar nodules around the world.

A map shows mining targets in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, southeast of Hawaii, upper left. APEIs are protected areas. McQuaid KA, Attrill MJ, Clark MR, Cobley A, Glover AG, Smith CR and Howell KL, 2020, CC BY

So far, only test mining has been carried out. However, plans for full-scale commercial mining are rapidly advancing.

Exploratory deep-sea mining began in the 1970s, and the International Seabed Authority was established in 1994 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to regulate it. But it was not until 2022 that The Metals Company and Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. fully tested the first integrated nodule collection system in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

The companies are now planning full-scale mining operations in the region. They originally said they expected to submit their application to the ISA by June 27, 2025, but The Metals Company’s CEO announced on March 27 that he was frustrated with the pace of ISA action and was negotiating with the Trump administration for approval to mine. The U.S. is one of a handful of countries that never ratified the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which authorizes the ISA.

The ISA will convene again in July 2025 to discuss critical issues such as mining regulations, guidelines and benefit-sharing mechanisms. Several countries have called for a moratorium on seabed mining until the risks are better understood.

A visualization of a deep-sea mining operation shows two sediment plumes. Source: MIT Mechanical Engineering.

The proposed mining process is invasive. Collector vehicles scrape along the ocean floor as they scoop up nodules and stir up sediments. This removes habitats used by marine organisms and threatens biodiversity, potentially causing irreversible damage to seafloor ecosystems. Once collected, the nodules are brought up with seawater and sediments through a pipe to a ship, where they’re separated from the waste.

The leftover slurry of water, sediment and crushed nodules is then dumped back into the middle of the water column, creating plumes. While the discharge depth is still under discussion, some mining operators propose releasing the waste at midwater depths, around 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).

However, there is a critical unknown: The ocean is dynamic, constantly shifting with currents, and scientists don’t fully understand how these mining plumes will behave once released into the midwater zone.

These clouds of debris could disperse over large areas, potentially harming marine life and disrupting ecosystems. Picture a volcanic eruption – not of lava, but of fine, murky sediments expanding throughout the water column, affecting everything in its path.

The midwater ecosystem at risk

As an oceanographer studying zooplankton in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, I am concerned about the impact of deep-sea mining on this ecologically important midwater zone. This ecosystem is home to zooplankton – tiny animals that drift with ocean currents – and micronekton, which includes small fish, squid and crustaceans that rely on zooplankton for food.

Sediment plumes in the water column could harm these animals. Fine sediments could clog respiratory structures in fish and feeding structures of filter feeders. For animals that feed on suspended particles, the plumes could dilute food resources with nutritionally poor material. Additionally, by blocking light, plumes might interfere with visual cues essential for bioluminescent organisms and visual predators.

For delicate creatures such as jellyfish and siphonophores – gelatinous animals that can grow over 100 feet long – sediment accumulation can interfere with buoyancy and survival. A recent study found that jellies exposed to sediments increased their mucous production, a common stress response that is energetically expensive, and their expression of genes related to wound repair.

Additionally, noise pollution from machinery can interfere with how species communicate and navigate.

Disturbances like these have the potential to disrupt ecosystems, extending far beyond the discharge depth. Declines in zooplankton populations can harm fish and other marine animal populations that rely on them for food.

The midwater zone also plays a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate. Phytoplankton at the ocean’s surface capture atmospheric carbon, which zooplankton consume and transfer through the food chain. When zooplankton and fish respire, excrete waste, or sink after death, they contribute to carbon export to the deep ocean, where it can be sequestered for centuries. The process naturally removes planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

More research is needed

Despite growing interest in deep-sea mining, much of the deep ocean, particularly the midwater zone, remains poorly understood. A 2023 study in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone found that 88% to 92% of species in the region are new to science.

Current mining regulations focus primarily on the seafloor, overlooking broader ecosystem impacts. The International Seabed Authority is preparing to discuss key decisions on future seabed mining in July 2025, including rules and guidelines relating to mining waste, discharge depths and environmental protection.

These decisions could set the framework for large-scale commercial mining in ecologically important areas such as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Yet the consequences for marine life are not clear. Without comprehensive studies on the impact of seafloor mining techniques, the world risks making irreversible choices that could harm these fragile ecosystems.

Alexus Cazares-Nuesser is a Ph.D. candidate in biological oceanography at the University of Hawaii Manoa who studies zooplankton ecology in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region of the Pacific considered for deep-sea mining for polymetallic nodules.

This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and may be found in its original form here.

The Conversation

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order containing new measures to support U.S. shipbuilding, centered on a new “Maritime Action Plan.”

The order was prepared primarily by the National Security Council staff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, a White House aide said at the event. A copy of the final order was obtained by TME, and it includes the following measures:

– Directs the creation of a Maritime Action Plan (MAP) to revitalize U.S. maritime industries.

– Directs the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to make recommendations about China’s anticompetitive shipbuilding policies, and to consider tariffs on Chinese-built cargo cranes.

– Directs Customs and Border Protection to charge the U.S. Harbor Maintenance Fee on all foreign cargoes that arrive in ports in Mexico or Canada and then enter the United States via land, plus a 10 percent service charge.

– Directs the Department of Transportation and Office of Management and Budget to propose a Maritime Security Trust Fund for U.S. shipping, funded by tariffs, fines, fees or other dedicated revenue streams.

– Directs the Department of Transportation to write a legislative proposal for a Shipbuilding Financial Incentives Program, which would supplement or replace the Small Shipyard Grant Program and the Federal Ship Financing (Title XI) Program.

– Directs multiple agencies to draft a legislative proposal for “national maritime scholarships” to send maritime experts abroad to learn “cutting edge techniques and subjects.”

– Directs multiple agencies to propose a Maritime Prosperity Zone system to incentivize investment in waterfront communities.

– Directs the Department of Transportation to take action on U.S. Merchant Marine Academy repairs and long-range infrastructure budgeting, in conjunction with the Department of Government Efficiency.

– Directs a review of federal shipbuilding procurement, aiming to “identify for elimination excessive requirements, including the number of government reviews and onerous regulations.”

– Directs a review of cargo preference rates and whether they could be increased to support U.S.-flagged shipping.

– Directs the Departments of Defense, Transportation (MARAD) and Homeland Security (Coast Guard) to identify maritime regulations for elimination.

“We used to build a ship a day, and now we don’t do a ship a year, practically,” Trump said. “We’re going to be spending a lot of money on shipbuilding, we’re way, way behind.”

American shipyards and shipbuilders welcomed the news of the order.

“With this executive order, it is clear that President Trump and his administration is deeply committed to reenergizing and investing in our nation’s shipyards and we are eager to begin this important work alongside policymakers and industry partners to restore America’s shipbuilding strength,” said Matthew Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA).

“We thank President Trump and the White House for taking historic steps to revitalize American shipbuilding,” said the Florida-based shipyard Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) in a statement. “As a multi-generation, American-owned shipyard, we know firsthand how important our industry is to America’s economic prosperity and security. With the world’s most skilled craftsmen, we can strengthen our industrial capacity and uphold our dominance on the seas. Let’s get it done!”

“Today, President Trump delivered a major step towards resurrecting America’s maritime industry and ushering in a golden age in American shipbuilding,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy in a statement. “We will ensure the United States remains the premier maritime power and an economic powerhouse. And to the young Americans from all over the country who are interested in a maritime career – know that this administration has your back and believes you are a worthwhile investment in the prosperity of America.”

Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) Navy (Nedsa) has seized another small tanker suspected of smuggling fuel within the Gulf, Nedsa reported on April 8.

The vessel was not identified, but would have been a small tanker, as it had a crew of six and was carrying 100,000 liters of fuel. The ship was apprehended by patrol craft from the Nedsa’s Second Naval District, and was then taken to the district’s home port of Bushehr.

Two other small tankers, with a total of 25 crew and carrying three million liters of diesel, were also seized and taken to Bushehr on March 31, also by patrol craft from the Nedsa Second Naval District.

Iranian seizures of small tankers carrying refined fuels, whether petrol or diesel, have been commonplace in the Gulf for years. This smuggling occurs to exploit the arbitrage between heavily subsidized refined fuels sold in Iran, and higher fuel prices prevailing elsewhere in the Gulf.

The principal smuggling route is from Iran to Iraq, an attractive destination for smugglers because of endemic corruption amongst coastguard, police and customs personnel. The biggest differential between Iranian selling prices and pump prices for fuel are in the Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, where subsidies have been largely removed and the price of fuel is fixed monthly depending on market movements. Customs interceptions in Bahrain and the UAE are relatively efficient, so smugglers often have to resort to transshipment to smaller craft at sea in order to avoid detection. Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia still subsidies fuel prices, making these countries of lesser attraction to smugglers.

Seizures of such tankers are often portrayed as being part of Iran’s campaign to expand its regional influence, or a reprisal for some form of anti-Iranian action. But the reality is that this is a local issue, with Iran and the GCC having common cause in clamping down on the smuggling carried out by these small tankers. Subsidies paid out in Iran are a huge drain on the government budget. Within the GCC, VAT, sales and corporation taxes, depending on the country concerned, are effectively avoided by purchasing smuggled fuels sold on the black market.

Many of the smuggling operations are bankrolled by Gulf businessmen, just as pirate expeditions were centuries ago. The enterprises often employ stateless captains and crews, and vessels that are incorrectly registered or were apparently scrapped years ago. When Iran seizes an unregistered tanker that previously called in a GCC port, the GCC country concerned is often keen not to be identified and is reluctant to intervene on behalf of those detained.

Beyond fuel, there is a thriving industry of small-boat smuggling across the Gulf. The flow of goods is determined by subsidy arbitrage, but also by the fluctuations in seasonal supply and demand, all determined by market forces. In one month, trader boats from Iran can be bringing out pistachio nuts and returning with appliances. In the next month it will be live sheep being taken south and cigarettes heading north.

On Wednesday, the European Union finalized a new regulation aimed at reducing microplastic pollution caused by plastic pellets. Representatives from the European Parliament and the EU Council agreed to provisional terms on measures designed to improve handling practices across the entire plastic pellet supply chain, both on land and at sea.

“Microplastics, including plastic pellets are now found everywhere — in our oceans, seas and even in the food we eat. Each year, the equivalent of up to 7,300 truckloads of plastic pellets are lost to the environment. Today, the EU has taken a landmark step toward reducing pellet pollution by adopting measures to tackle losses and ensure correct handling, including in maritime transport,” said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Poland’s Minister for Climate and Environment.

The legislation lays out mandatory requirements for both European and non-European operators. The framework outlines clear responsibilities in cases of accidental spills, emphasizing immediate cleanup operations. Every facility handling plastic pellets will be required to develop a risk management strategy addressing packaging methods, loading and unloading procedures, employee training programs, and essential equipment specifications.

To ensure equal standards apply to all parties involved in pellet transportation, non-EU carriers must designate an authorized representative within European Union borders, promoting accountability and operational transparency.

The agreement takes a tiered approach. Large companies processing over 1,500 tonnes of pellets per year must obtain verification from independent third-party auditors. Smaller operations exceeding the same volume threshold will benefit from simplified requirements, including a one-time certification valid for five years following implementation. Microenterprises and those handling under 1,500 tonnes yearly will only need to provide a self-declaration of compliance.

The environmental impact of pellet contamination in aquatic ecosystems can last decade, since these materials resist natural biodegradation processes. With maritime shipping accounting for nearly 38% of all pellet transportation within the EU in 2022, the agreement also establishes specific maritime protocols. These include packaging requirements and mandatory disclosure of transport and cargo information, aligning with International Maritime Organisation guidelines.

Before final adoption, both the Council and Parliament must formally endorse the provisional agreement. Following legal and linguistic refinement, the regulation will be published in the EU’s Official Journal, coming into force two years afterward. Maritime-specific provisions will receive an additional year for implementation to allow for industry adjustment.

According to the EU, between 52,140 and 184,290 tonnes of plastic pellets entered Europe’s environment in 2019 alone. Leakage occurs at multiple points throughout the production and distribution chain. Currently, no specific EU legislation addresses plastic pellet pollution, despite their ranking as the third largest source of unintentional microplastic releases after paint particles and tire fragments.

A recent incident highlighted the ongoing threat. In March, half-burned plastic nurdles washed ashore along England’s east coast after the allision of the boxship Solong with the tanker Stena Immaculate. While not directly toxic, these plastic resin balls pose risks to wildlife if ingested, according to HM Coastguard.

Research has shown that pellets comprise about 70 percent of the plastic eaten by seabirds, with small plastic particles being found in the stomachs of 63 of the world’s approximately 250 species of seabirds.

At the final hour, the Trump administration has struck out against IMO plans for a global carbon tax on shipping, threatening to retaliate against an “unfair” standard that would treat all maritime carbon emissions equally around the world. The U.S. has also reportedly withdrawn its delegation from the talks, effective Wednesday.

The response is in line with the administration’s combative rhetoric towards carbon regulations and other international agreements, but it is a stark departure from the neutral tone that U.S. negotiators previously maintained. It is unclear whether senior White House leadership was involved in formulating the more accommodating U.S. negotiating position that American representatives projected in the runup to this week’s MEPC meeting in London, which ends Friday.

“Should such a blatantly unfair measure go forward, our government will consider reciprocal measures so as to offset any fees charged to U.S. ships and compensate the American people for any other economic harm from any adopted GHG emissions measures,” the White House wrote in a last-minute warning to other national delegations. “We must be clear the U.S. rejects any and all efforts to impose economic measures against its ships based on GHG emissions or fuel choice.”

Any participation in a tax on shipping’s GHG emissions – the first global carbon levy of any kind – would have been in deep conflict with White House policy on climate change. President Donald Trump campaigned against climate action and withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement on the first day of his second term, and he has promoted the production and use of all fossil fuels – including the renewed use of coal, the most carbon-intensive fuel.

An IMO bunker levy would also boost shipbuilding activity in East Asia, which would undercut White House policy goals. The Trump administration wants to reduce the power of Chinese shipyards, which lead the market and would stand to benefit from any IMO incentives for green retrofits and newbuilds. China’s state-owned CSSC is the world’s largest commercial shipbuilder, and any additional merchant vessel orders would cross-subsidize its warship deliveries for the PLA Navy, the U.S. Navy’s pacing threat.

Some environmental advocates have suggested that action at MEPC is still possible, despite U.S. threats of retaliation (and rumored opposition from certain oil-producing member states).

“Let’s not get dazzled by the drama — this isn’t the United States of Shipping,” Seas at Risk shipping policy officer Anais Rios told Politico. “There are 175 countries in the room, and delegates are rolling up their sleeves to find the best path forward. One country trying to play the disruptor doesn’t change the fact that global cooperation is the real headline here.”

Grimaldi Orders Nine Methanol-Ready Ropaxes for Med and Baltic Routes