Norway’s Arriva Shipping has continued its fleet renewal drive with a fresh battery hybrid bulker newbuilding order in China.

The Sindre Matre-led company has contracted Jiangsu Soho Marine Heavy Industry to see the 8,000 dwt vessel delivered in the third quarter of 2026.

The newbuild will be a sister vessel of the company’s Nor Viking (pictured), delivered in 2022, and another unit ordered at Dayang Offshore Equipment in 2023, with delivery expected in the first half of 2025.

The vessel will feature a 2 MW battery hybrid system and reduce emissions and energy use while meeting strict environmental regulations and customer demands for efficient logistics, the company noted.

“This investment aligns with our goal of modernising the fleet and reducing our carbon footprint,” said Arriva chief executive Matre.

Founded in 1972 by Johannes Matre, the company is located with a head office in Ølensvåg and branch offices in Stavanger and Gdansk. The short sea shipping player owns and operates eight self-discharging bulkers ranging from 2,000 dwt to 8,000 dwt, in addition to five to 10 chartered vessels that mainly operate in Northern Europe.

Japanese information and telecommunication expert OKI has developed a ship classification AI system technology which automatically classifies ship types through deep learning of underwater sounds.

This technology makes it possible to continuously and automatically acquire ship classification data, even in environments such as busy ports with high ship traffic and at night, when visual identification using cameras is difficult.

Internal verification experiments by OKI have demonstrated that the system can classify ships with 90% or better accuracy, even with only small amounts of learning data extracted from ship sound data.

Drawing on its long history of research into underwater acoustic products, the company has developed systems that analyze the characteristics of sounds received by underwater microphones.

The newly developed technology uses AI deep learning to automatically classify ships based on their underwater sounds. This system technology creates deep learning models from sounds recorded by underwater microphones installed in the sea, then automatically classifies ships based on their frequency characteristics.

This allows the classification of ships without relying on human skill levels. Since it requires less human labour than before, it can also address the growing labour-saving demand in recent years.

Deep learning models typically require large amounts of learning data to accurately identify sound types. However, the amount of publicly available underwater sound data is limited.

This is solved by data augmentation which artificially creates variations for actual ship sound data, and semi-supervised learning, which trains the model using ship sound information from partial data. This way OKI’s solution enables classification through the use of only small amounts of learning data.

“Going forward, we will seek co-creation partners to gather field data and conduct practical verification with a view to commercializing this technology,” said Yoichi Kato, senior executive officer of OKI.

Milan-listed product tanker owner and operator d’Amico International Shipping (DIS) has snapped up another leased vessel.

The Carlos di Mottola-led company has declared a purchase option on the 2019-built LR1 Cielo di Houston costing about $26.5m.

The Hyundai Mipo Vietnam-built 74,999 dwt unit has been on bareboat charter from Tokyo Century Corporation, which picked up the tanker upon its delivery for a reported $38.6m.

D’Amico’s Irish-based tankers business will take over ownership of the vessel, currently worth around $48.5m, in September.

DIS has exercised purchase options on multiple tankers since 2023, including the MR High Leader, last October. The company’s fleet stands at 33 product carriers, of which 27 are owned. D’Amico also has four LR1 newbuildings lined up at Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding for delivery in 2027.

Singapore shipyard group Seatrium has been awarded a contract from Japan-based Penta-Ocean Construction (POC) to construct a heavy lift vessel set to operate in the Japanese offshore wind market.

This will be the fifth and largest vessel to be added to POC’s fleet, enabling them to undertake larger wind turbine projects. The vessel will be fitted with a 5,000-tonne fully-revolving crane.

POC is keen to expand its business in the offshore wind sector. It currently owns a range of self-propelling trailing suction hoppers and cutter suction dredgers, for marine construction works, as well as two turbine installation vessels equipped with an 800-tonne and a 1,600-tonne lifting capacity crane respectively.

In Singapore, POC is the main contractor for several marine and land projects such as the Pasir Panjang Terminal Phase 3 and 4 development, Tuas Mega Port, LTA projects and ION Orchard.

“This innovative vessel is essential for the installation of the increasingly heavy monopile foundations required for the next generation of larger wind turbines. We are confident that this vessel will make a significant contribution to the development of offshore wind in Japan, enhancing our efforts towards a sustainable energy future,” said Tetsunori Ohshimo, head of offshore wind construction at POC.

“This project is significant to us on various fronts, as it marks our maiden collaboration with Penta-Ocean and our foray into the Japanese offshore wind market,” added William Gu, EVP of Seatrium Energy International.

Malaysian OSV owner Icon Offshore has secured shareholders’ approval to change its name to Lianson Fleet Group (LFG) as it sets sights on significant fleet expansion.

Last year, the Bursa Malaysia listed firm with around 20 OSVs struck a deal that will see it adding 40 vessels, the majority of which from Yinson’s founder and chairman Lim Han Weng and its Liannex Corp, while the remaining vessels will come from Yinson’s businesses.

The transaction has also been approved and is expected to close by early February this year.

The move “will mark a significant milestone for LFG, aligning with its long-term strategic goals to strengthen its asset base and enhance its overall capabilities in offshore marine, energy and transportation services,” the company said, adding that the proposed name change to LFG underscored its dedication towards reinforcing its market presence to better align with its expanded business activities.

“The group seeks to strengthen its brand recognition and enhance its position as a prominent force within the dynamic offshore marine, energy and transportation services sector,” the company noted.

Antwerp-based owner and operator CMB.TECH has offloaded three of its vessels, securing a profit of $46.52m.

The Saverys family-led group is shipping out the 2007-built suezmax tanker Cap Lara in a deal that will bring in a capital gain of $18.77m.

The 2007 Samsung-built 158,826 dwt will be delivered to an undisclosed buyer in the first quarter of 2025.

The company has also wrapped up the sale of the 2012-built VLCC Alsace at a profit of about $27.5m which will be booked in Q1 this year. S&P databases show the scrubbed-fitted vessel was sold to French energy major TotalEnergies for $72m.

Meanwhile, the group’s crew transfer vessel operator Windcat is letting go of its 2007-built Windcat 6 after 18 years of service. The sale will generate a profit of $0.25m and change hands at the end of January 2025.

New York and Brussels-listed CMB.TECH owns and operates a diversified fleet of more than 160 ships, including tankers, bulkers, containerships, offshore wind vessels and tugs.

China’s Seacon Shipping has expanded its fleet through a €63.7m ($66.5m) deal for seven modern mini bulkers.

The Hong Kong-listed company said in a filing it had purchased the Baltic Fin, Baltic Grain, Baltic Moon, Baltic Wind, Baltic Steel, Baltic Sun and the Baltic Split from Baltic Shipping at $9.1m each.

The 3,800-3,900 dwt vessels were built between 2022 and 2024 and should join Seacon’s fleet between April and the beginning of June.

The Qingdao-based owner and operator has been focused on renewing and diversifying its fleet, especially in the tanker segment with several newbuilds, while letting go of some of its bulkers. However, last October the company also took over six 5,200 dwt multipurpose dry cargo newbuildings from Union Marine in a $63.9m deal. These ships are being built at Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry for delivery between March 2026 and 2027.

“The acquisition of the vessels under the agreements is in line with the ongoing strategy of the group to optimise its vessel fleet by gradually phasing out its older controlled vessels and replacing them with newer vessels, as well as to expand the group’s controlled vessel fleet,” Seacon said in a release.

The Bulgarian owner at the centre of a new cable cutting incident in the Baltic has denied its ship deliberately carried out the latest damage to subsea infrastructure in the region, something analysts are disputing while politicians discuss clamping down further on ships leaving Russia.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority seized the 32,200 dwt, Navibulgar-owned bulker Vezhen yesterday, suspecting it of damaging un underwater fiber optic cable linking Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland on Sunday, the latest in a series of undersea sabotage attacks plaguing the Baltic region.

On its homepage, Navibulgar has responded claiming it has not information about intentional actions by the crew of the Vezhen, suggesting instead that the ship ran into bad weather.

Dimitris Ampatzidis, a risk and compliance analyst at maritime data giant Kpler, suggested the weather on Sunday in the region was calm to moderate, and the Vezhen’s movements that day bore striking similarities to other ships accused of similar sabotage such as the Yi Peng 3 and the NewNew Polar Bear.

“A vessel slows down, deviates from its expected course, exhibits erratic movement, and soon after, a vital undersea cable is found damaged. The sequence of events follows a now well-documented pattern,” Ampatzidis wrote in an article carried by MarineTraffic.

“What makes this incident particularly striking is how predictable it is when compared to previous events. The combination of vessel behavior and infrastructure damage forms a worrying pattern that continues to unfold in plain sight,” Ampatzidis argued.

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kestutis Budris, called yesterday for a review of current shipping regulations following a spate of subsea infrastructure damage.

Seabed gas pipelines, power cables and fiber optic cables have all been attacked – likely by merchant ships dragging their anchors – in recent months across the Baltic, forcing NATO to establish Baltic Sentry, a naval protection operation.

“Navigation rules in the Baltic Sea need to be reviewed, especially when it comes to the use of anchors,” Budris wrote in a social media post.

In relation to the vessels used by Russia to evade sanctions, he wrote that “the shadow fleet is a major problem that puts our environment and critical infrastructure at risk.”

A joint statement from the heads of state or government of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden earlier this month noted: “Combatting breakage of undersea cables and pipelines represents a global problem.”

The statement went on to discuss the threats posed by the growth of the shadow fleet. 

“Russia’s use of the so-called shadow fleet poses a particular threat to the maritime and environmental security in the Baltic Sea region and globally. This reprehensible practice also threatens the integrity of undersea infrastructure, increases risks connected to sea-dumped chemical munitions, and significantly supports funding of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” the statement read. 

The tanker division of the world’s largest shipowner is readying $1.1bn for its newbuilding programme.

COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation is issuing RMB8bn worth of A shares to raise cash to build three aframaxes, six VLCCs and two LNG carriers.

The aframaxes will be built by sister firm COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou), while all the other vessels are slated for construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC).

“The vessel construction projects will further optimise the fleet structure, enlarge LNG transportation capacity and further improve competitiveness on domestic and international oil trading market,” the company said in a release.

There’s just 90 days to go until the second edition of Geneva Dry, the world’s premier commodities shipping conference, with organisers urging people thinking about signing up to do so quickly to avoid disappointment.

At last year’s inaugural event, organisers were forced to issue a ‘Sold Out’ sign weeks ahead of the summit, and while preparations have been made to accommodate 200 extra delegates this year, sign ups to the trade gathering are pouring in fast.

Confirmed chartering speakers for this year’s event – taking place on April 28 and 29 at the Hotel President Wilson on the shore of Lake Geneva – include Anglo American, Cargill, Eramet, Fortescue, Heidelberg Materials Trading, Montfort Trading, Trafigura and Vale while confirmed shipowner speakers include the likes of 2020 Bulkers, Ariston Navigation, Cetus Maritime, CTM, d’Amico Dry, Drydel Shipping, Fednav, G2 Ocean, Himalaya Shipping, Mandarin Shipping, Marfin Management, Nova Marine Carriers, Oceanbulk Maritime, Precious Shipping, Seanergy Maritime, Star Bulk, SwissMarine, Taylor Maritime Investments, United Maritime, Wah Kwong and Western Bulk.

Geneva Dry brings together all elements of the commodities shipping sector to host the ultimate dry bulk shipping event.

Split into sectors, panels will bring together analysts, financiers, miners, traders and shipowners to discuss where the markets are headed. Sessions include:

– Minor Bulks
– Agri-commodities
– Coal
– Iron Ore
– Decarbonisation

People flying in to Switzerland for the event are advised to spend some extra days in Geneva as multiple other gatherings are taking place that week including parties hosted by brokers and charterers, golf days, workshops as well as the annual general meetings of both the Poseidon Principles and the Sea Cargo Charter.

The full Geneva Dry agenda can be accessed here.
Geneva Dry registration, at just $780, can be accessed here.
Special Geneva Dry hotel room rates can be found here.