▶ Medium-sized containerships to be built by 2028, supported by design, procurement, equipment, and strategic technology investment

HD Hyundai launched a strategic shipbuilding collaboration in the United States, signing with U.S.-based Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) to establish a strategic and comprehensive partnership for the construction of U.S. commercial vessels.

The signing ceremony was held on Friday, June 20, at ECO’s headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

The event was attended by Hannae Choi, Head of Planning at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Gary Chouest, Chairman of ECO. 

During the ceremony, the two companies agreed to cooperate on the construction of LNG dual-fuel containerships.

ECO is a U.S.-based shipbuilding group that operates five commercial shipyards across the country. The company has built and currently operates a fleet of 300 Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs), demonstrating world-class competitiveness in the OSV sector. Notably, ECO has recently formed the United Shipbuilding Alliance (USA) in partnership with Bollinger Shipyard, the largest privately owned shipbuilding group in the United States, to further strengthen the nation’s shipbuilding capabilities.

According to global shipbuilding and…

In the early hours of Friday, June 20, Great Lakes Towing tugs conducted an  efficient refloating operation of the foreign-flagged freighter SUNNANVIK, which had become lodged in the narrow mouth of the Cuyahoga River near the East Bank of the Flats.

At approximately 12:43 a.m., the 9,000-ton SUNNANVIK became wedged in the canal, temporarily disrupting traffic. 

The Great Lakes Towing Company responded, dispatching two tugs. NEW YORK navigated by Captain Tim Herrle, arrived on scene around 2:30 a.m., followed by the WISCONSIN, piloted by Captain Brad Sheppard, who arrived at approximately 4:50 a.m. to provide additional assistance.

Tapping their extensive experience navigating the complexities of the Cuyahoga River and the powerful capabilities of the tugs, the team coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard and the SUNNANVIK was successfully freed just before 6 a.m., allowing river traffic to resume and enabling the vessel to continue safely to its destination.

A U.S Coast Guard official praised the operation, remarking that the tugboats were “like mini muscle machines” — a testament to the incredible power and precision our tugboats bring to high-stakes maritime scenarios.

“This is why we’re here,” said Gregg Thauvette, Executive Vice…

Jack Tanner Towing Company added the newbuild1368-HP Super Tiger workboat, M/V Miss Hazel, to its fleet. Built by Serodino, Inc. in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the vessel is powered by twin Mitsubishi S6R engines, each delivering 684 horsepower at 1800 RPM. The Miss Hazel will operate primarily around Havana, Illinois, supporting the company’s regional towing operations.

The propulsion system includes Twin-Disc MG-5222 gears from Great Lakes Power, 5-inch sleeved shafts, and 52-inch Rice Propulsion four-blade propellers — delivering reliable thrust, maneuverability, and minimal vibration.

“Supporting Serodino, Inc. and Jack Tanner Towing Company on the Miss Hazel has been a meaningful project for our team,” said Brian Laborde, President & CEO of Laborde Products. “We’re grateful for the opportunity and proud to play a role in keeping their operations running strong.”

Evan Houghton owner of Jack Tanner Towing Company reflected on the experience, saying, “Working with Laborde Products throughout the process made things easy. We got the engines we trusted and the support to go with them. We always knew we wanted Mitsubishi engines in our vessel, and Serodino Inc. and I are proud that the Miss Hazel is the first of many in our fleet powered by…

Iran could shut the Strait of Hormuz as a way of hitting back against its enemies, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday, though a second member of parliament said this would only happen if Tehran’s vital interests were endangered.

Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure, and shipping sources said on Wednesday that commercial ships were avoiding Iran’s waters around the strait.

“Iran has numerous options to respond to its enemies and uses such options based on what the situation is,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Behnam Saeedi, a member of the parliament’s National Security Committee presidium as saying.

“Closing the Strait of Hormuz is one of the potential options for Iran,” he said.

Mehr later quoted another lawmaker, Ali Yazdikhah, as saying Iran would continue to allow free shipping in the Strait and in the Gulf so long as its vital national interests were not at risk.

“If the United States officially and operationally enters the war in support of the Zionists (Israel), it is the legitimate right of Iran in view of pressuring the U.S. and Western countries to disrupt their oil trade’s ease of transit,” Yazdikhah said.

President Donald Trump is keeping the world…

Iran and Israel accused each other of endangering commercial activity in sea lanes around the Gulf and the Red Sea at the UN’s shipping agency on Wednesday, as their military conflict escalated.

Iran’s delegation told a session of the International Maritime Organization’s security committee that Israel had in recent days extended its “unlawful attacks” to include petrochemical and gas infrastructure in Asalouyeh along Iran’s Gulf coast.

“These actions directly endanger international maritime security and the global energy supply chain,” Iran said in a statement to IMO delegates, which was livestreamed.

“If the international community fails to take urgent and concrete measures to halt this unlawful aggression, the risk of escalation at sea becomes imminent.”

Iran has previously threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure. Any closure of the strait could restrict trade and affect global oil prices.

Commercial ships are being advised by maritime agencies to avoid Iran’s waters around Hormuz, shipping sources said on Wednesday.

Former Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi has said that tankers and liquified natural gas cargoes should only transit the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian permission.

Iranian Supreme…