23 Ports Want Congress to Restore HMTF Funding for Berth Improvements

Halbergman / iStock

Published Aug 4, 2025 9:35 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

America's biggest port authorities are calling for Congress to restore funding allocations from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), a frequent battle in the appropriations process. If maintenance funding is not restored to levels approved in a bipartisan agreement back in 2020, the U.S. port system will lose $1 billion in federal investment over the course of the rest of President Donald Trump's current term, according to the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).

The HMTF is funded by a small 0.125% value-added tax on goods entering U.S. ports. The HMTF's proceeds pay for maintenance dredging, jetties, breakwaters and related projects, all for the purpose of keeping federally-supported harbor navigation open. About half of all HMTF tax proceeds come from big "donor" ports and energy ports, which generate millions per year each in fees - but historically, these ports have received only about two percent of the appropriations back from the fund. 

In 2020, Congress agreed to allocate funds on a percentage basis among different types of ports, sharing the resources more equitably. Emerging harbors would get 20 percent, Great Lakes Ports would get 12 percent, and donor ports would get 10 percent for "expanded uses" like berth dredging, in-water repairs for wharfs, or projects to ensure slope stability at a berth. So far, that formula has only been applied in practice once, according to AAPA: it was used in FY2024 for a $330 million allocation for donor ports. However, the funds were omitted in the FY2025 USACE Work Plan, and the administration left them zeroed out again in its FY2026 budget request Work Plan as well. 

"Donor and energy transfer ports, which were expecting to receive nearly $330 million in Section 102 funding to continue the important work started with FY24 funding, ultimately received no funding for this program in the Work Plan," 23 signatory ports said in an open letter to key House and Senate subcomittee leaders. "Similarly, the FY26 budget request includes no funding to carry out Section 102."

The Trump administration's budget request for USACE civil works for FY2026 is $2 billion less than the enacted budget in the last two fiscal years. The administration's total request for HMTF funding comes to $1.7 billion, $1 billion less than last year's enacted budget. In an explanatory statement, the administration noted that $1.4 billion from the FY2024 HMTF appropriation remained unobligated in early 2025; since there are unspent funds still on the table, "there is no need to request more funding than necessary, which is why the Budget reduces funding for HMTF" for FY2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement. 

"In this [White House budget] request, spending on projects that are not a Federal responsibility (e.g., dredging of berths) is limited, whereas projects like maintaining commercial navigation on Federal channels are prioritized," OMB said.  

California Extends Carbon Capture Barge Service to Tankers

Barge is positions at the vessel and a pipe takes emissiosn from the stack for processing (STAX)

Published Aug 4, 2025 6:00 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued an executive order that authorizes the expanded use of the carbon capture barge service of STAX Engineering to service tankers. The order is timely as CARB’s Ocean-Going Vessels at Berth regulation took effect for tankers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as of January 1 and extends to all California ports as of 2027.

Crude oil, product, and gas tankers make up a significant part of California’s maritime trade, but due to safety concerns, they are unable to use shore power. California, however, is extending its requirements to tankers as well as containerships, car carriers, and other large vessels to reduce their emissions while at dock. It would require a costly retrofit to older ships to use shore power, or they had to find other means to meet the new emissions regulations.

“Tankers are the backbone of global energy infrastructure—with over 1.3 million barrels of crude oil alone arriving just in California ports daily—yet they’ve lacked a safe, practical solution for meeting rising emissions standards,” notes Mike Walker, CEO of STAX Engineering. “Our technology fills that gap. It helps operators comply with regulations while improving air quality for surrounding communities.”

STAX uses a mobile, barge-based emissions capture and control system. It connects directly to the vessel’s smoke stack or exhaust system without any modification and with no requirements for power. The system captures exhaust from auxiliary engines and removes up to 99 percent of particulate matter and 95 percent of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions.

The company has already been making its services available at California’s five main ports, and since early 2024, reports it has treated 1,192 vessels for a cumulative 25,000 hours. It reports this has captured 190 tons of pollutants, with nearly 1,000 hours already dedicated to tankers.

Under the inaugural executive order, STAX received approval for four barges. The company points out that it already has contracts with the tanker berth F209 at Olympus Terminal in Los Beach, as well as Shell’s Mormon Island Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles, and will be working with MIL Chemical among others.

Currently, its services are dedicated to California. The company reports that by 2027, it will have a fleet of 27 operational barges and presence in all California ports when tanker emissions regulations expand to Northern California. The company also recently secured £1.1 million in UK government funding through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition for the PortZero project, a collaboration with Seabound, Associated British Ports, and Lomar Shipping, for its international expansion project.

New Zealand Wants to Reverse Declining Port Productivity

Simon Oosterman / CC BY NC SA 2.0

Published Aug 3, 2025 12:49 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Amid concerns of declining ports productivity in New Zealand, the country’s parliament is progressing with an inquiry aimed at revamping the maritime sector. According to data by the Ministry of Transport, most of New Zealand ports are struggling to reach pre-pandemic growth levels. In the past decade, total container loads and unloads across the six New Zealand container ports increased annually by between 3-8 percent. The peak growth period was in 2016-2017 before dropping at the onset of Covid-19 pandemic.

In its submission to the parliament inquiry, the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) decried lack of a national ports strategy, which has led to disorganized competition amongst terminals. Currently, New Zealand has around 13 ports open to international cargo vessels. Most of these ports are in proximity of each other, causing inefficient competition. In addition, there have been attempts by some smaller ports to over-invest in infrastructure for large international vessels, which they rarely attract.

To address these issues, MUNZ has recommended for a unified New Zealand Ports Strategy centered on a hub and spoke model. “This model would designate 2-4 main import/export ports (hubs) with regional ports (spokes) feeding goods to and from these hubs via reliable coastal shipping,” added MUNZ.

The International Container Lines Committee (ICLC) representing international container shipping lines in New Zealand, also made a submission, calling for lifting of productivity across all ports in the country. “We note that overall, the ship rate has reduced from 68 moves per hour in the first quarter of 2019 to 55 moves per hour during a similar period in 2025 across the four largest ports. This is close to a 20% reduction in productivity and is very concerning,” said ICLC. Ship rate is a port productivity indicator tracking the number of containers moved on and off a containership per hour.

Some ports appear keen to resolve these challenges. Last week, Ports of Auckland got provisional approval via the newly enacted Fast Track law, which will see the facility invest $118 million in a berth expansion project. This will include expanding the northern berth at the Fergusson container terminal by 45 meters. In addition, a new 330m wharf will be built at the northern end of the Bledisloe terminal. These developments are partly aimed at enabling Port of Auckland to handle larger vessels as freight needs continue to evolve, according to the port’s CEO Roger Gray. Overall, the port is planning to spend around $240 million in capital projects by 2030.

Top image: Simon Oosterman / CC BY NC SA 2.0

Azerbaijan: SOCAR Container Terminal in Turkey Not for Sale

BeyondImages / iStock

Published Aug 3, 2025 9:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Azerbaijani state-owned energy company SOCAR has denied claims that it is looking at options for selling its container port in Turkey. The facility, SOCAR Terminal, is the biggest port in Turkey’s Aegean region, with a container handling capacity of 1.5 million TEU. The construction of the port was completed in 2018.

However, Bloomberg last month reported that SOCAR Türkiye Energy was holding talks with buyers for potential sale of SOCAR Terminal. The deal was reportedly meant to raise capital for the operator’s parent company, SOCAR Group, as it prepares to invest $7 billion in the expansion of its petrochemicals portfolio in Turkey.

But in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Dunya, SOCAR Terminal CEO Uygun Degirmenci said that the port is not on sale. Instead, an additional investment is underway to upgrade the terminal. SOCAR has so far invested $420 million in the terminal.

“Terminating our operations in the terminal is definitely not on SOCAR’s agenda. On the contrary, last week the company’s board of directors made decisions that will take us to a new level through the introduction of new equipment and additional investment in digitization, ensuring an increase in capacity,” commented Degirmenci. He also revealed that SOCAR Terminal is exploring cooperation opportunities with strategic partners to expand its terminal operations. This is part of a wider effort by SOCAR Terminal to boost its port operations.

Last month, SOCAR Terminal acquired the remaining 93% stake in port operator Petlim from the Turkish petrochemical company Petkim. Petlim was established in 2010 to help in developing Petkim port into the current SOCAR Terminal. Petkim port was initially built in 1985 to serve as a petroleum export facility.

Last year, SOCAR Terminal served 630 vessels and handled 541,000 TEUs.

  

Australia Awards Contract for 11 Frigates to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mogami-class frigate (Hiroshi Miyaji / CC BY SA 4.0)

Published Aug 5, 2025 2:47 AM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

On Tuesday, the Australian government announced that it has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries a $6.5 billion deal to build its next generation of "general purpose" frigates, with first deliveries scheduled for 2029. The timetable is rapid for a naval shipbuilding program, but MHI will be using its existing Mogami-class frigate design as the basis for the new series, reducing up-front engineering hours compared to a clean-sheet design. 

The Mogami-class is a modern multi-mission warship capable of air defense and surface warfare. It was designed to perform its tasks with a smaller crew - a common goal for modern navies facing cost and manpower limitations. With a high degree of automation, the vessels are designed to operate with about 90 people, about the same as the reported deployable crew size of the Littoral Combat Ship series. Australia's version of the Mogami-class will be an enlarged variant, and will have 32 full-size VLS cells for anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.  

The new warships will replace Australia's existing Anzac-class frigates, which were delivered in 1993-2003 and are beginning to decommission due to advancing age. Compared to the Anzacs, the Mogami-class has much greater range, much more firepower and about half as many people aboard. Its combat management system is interoperable with U.S. Navy-standard systems, a valuable advantage for the RAN, according to ASPI analyst Malcolm Davis.  

The contract calls for building the first three hulls in Japan, then constructing the remaining eight in the series at the Austal yard in Western Australia. The shipyard site for the Australian-built hulls, BAE's Henderson complex, has recently downsized its workforce by 150 people due to a slowdown on other projects.  

The price of the Mogami-class program has not yet been fully determined, and contract talks are under way. The outcome will be a disappointment for German defense shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (now TKMS), the other bidder in the process. TKMS had proposed a much smaller design, the Mako A-200; parent company ThyssenKrupp has announced plans to spin off the division.

Top image: Mogami-class frigate (Hiroshi Miyaji / CC BY SA 4.0) 

Assembly Begins on Matson’s New "Aloha Class" Ships at Philly Shipyard

Grand block for Matson's Jones Act containership being placed in the building dock (Matson)

Published Aug 4, 2025 6:19 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Hanwha Philly Shipyard and Matson marked a key milestone in the construction of the first of three new "Aloha Class" containerships as assembly began. The first grand block of the Matson vessel, which is being named Makua, was lowered into the construction dry dock on August 4.

During the event, the first engine room section of the vessel — weighing 420 metric tons — was lowered into the dry dock, marking the official start of hull assembly. Matson placed the order for the ships in November 2022, with steel cutting commencing last September.

"Today's keel laying marks more than the beginning of another great ship — it symbolizes the strength of our ongoing partnership with Matson and our shared commitment to American shipbuilding," remarked David Kim, Hanwha Philly Shipyard CEO. 

It is also an important milestone for the yard, which was acquired at the end of 2024 by South Korea’s Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Ocean. The company looks to leverage its expertise in shipbuilding to realize new opportunities in the American market, with this being the first commercial project to start since the change in ownership.

 

Matson has two previously built containerships of the same class from Philly Shipyard (Matson)

 

"These new ships are just the latest Jones Act vessels Matson has built with Philly Shipyard over the past 22 years, supporting 1,500 jobs for skilled American workers and providing additional opportunities for American mariners," said Matt Cox, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Matson. "Our existing Aloha Class ships are among the fastest, most efficient vessels in the Matson fleet."

The yard previously built Matson's first two Aloha Class ships, delivered in 2018 and 2019. The Daniel K. Inouye and her sister ship Kaimana Hila were the largest containerships ever built in the U.S. and in 2023 and 2024 were converted to LNG fueled operations. The yard also delivered four new Jones Act containerships for Matson between 2003 and 2006.

The new 854-foot Aloha Class ships will each have a carrying capacity of 3,600 TEU and are designed to operate at speeds exceeding 23 knots, supporting Matson's reputation for fast, reliable delivery across its Hawaii, Guam, and China-Long Beach Express (CLX) trade lanes. The new vessels also feature a more fuel-efficient hull design and dual-fuel engines that will allow operation on liquefied natural gas (LNG) from delivery.

The three new Aloha Class ships will replace three vessels currently deployed in Matson's Hawaii, Guam, and CLX services. The new ships are due to be delivered to Matson in 2027 and 2028.

Op-Ed: In Shipbuilding, Don’t Confuse Efficiency with Effectiveness

Courtesy USN

Published Aug 3, 2025 3:16 PM by Benjamin Miner

 

 

We often hear the terms used interchangeably, but doing things right (efficiency) is not the same as doing the right things (effectiveness). True success in complex industries like shipbuilding and maritime operations demands alignment between the two. Yet in practice, that alignment is rarely achieved and often confused as one driving the other.

Focusing on data, as leaders we track cost-per-unit, man-hour ratios, and schedule milestones and while these are important, these are known process metrics, not outcome indicators. It’s entirely possible to deliver a ship “on time and on budget” and still fail the mission if it can’t sail, can’t be maintained, or is delivered to an understaffed fleet.

Below are three common traps that erode effectiveness, even in the pursuit of efficiency.

It’s Not the Talent. It’s the Team.

A Chief Engineer once told me, “If I just had better trained people, I could finally fix this place.” Any Sailor worth their salt knows: it takes more than individual competence to get a complex system working. It takes a functioning team. While training is important, individuals can win a battle, but teams win wars.

Effective leadership isn’t about cherry-picking talent; it’s about cultivating team effectiveness. Building trust, purpose, and cohesion, that’s where sustained productivity is born. Once you’ve built the team, then you can drive efficiencies. Forming, storming, norming, performing… and yes, reiterating the cycle. For those that recognize the quote, “It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day. That’s the hard part.”

It isn’t dollars that make cents. It is dollars that make sense.

Despite the Navy doubling its shipbuilding budget over the last 20 years, fleet size has flatlined and our known problems have exacerbated. In 2024, the GAO reported up to 3-year delays in ship deliveries and an estimated 46% (known) shortfall in effective output per dollar spent, adjusted for inflation.

Why? Because money alone doesn’t build ships.

Two structural issues remain unaddressed (as noted in the same report):

• Infrastructure bottlenecks: Many shipyards physically lack the space and tooling to handle the current or future workload.
• Workforce deficits: Even where facilities exist, skilled labor is in short supply. Production timelines are slipping due to workforce attrition, training gaps, and overreliance on overtime.

Ask any economist or professional estimator: appropriations without investment in people and capacity don’t solve the problem, they just inflate the baseline in cascading estimates and award.

Conglomeration Chokes Competition

The U.S. maritime sector, like many industries of our economy, has quietly consolidated into a few mega-firms. In the case of Navy shipbuilding, reduced competition has resulted in an extreme case; a non-functional duopoly:

• Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII): Formed from Northrop Grumman’s shipyard spin-off, HII now commands over 50% of Navy shipbuilding contracts, with a 2023 backlog of $49B.
• General Dynamics (GD): Through Electric Boat, Bath Iron Works, and NASSCO, GD builds nearly all submarines and destroyers another 45–50% share.

That leaves just 10–15% of the market to all remaining players combined (Fincantieri, Austal USA, Bollinger, and Vigor (Titan)). As Rear Admiral Matt Lake recently put it best, we face entrenched “barriers to entry, lack of a supplier ecosystem, and monopolistic practices born of decades of consolidation.”

This isn’t just about cost, it’s about capacity, agility, and resilience. A market of two cannot surge, innovate, or adapt fast enough to meet today’s threats.

So, What Now?

We have the talent. We’ve diagnosed the problems. We need action.

Policymakers must distinguish effectiveness from efficiency and stop mistaking full budgets for full readiness (of which we have neither, but that is another post). The maritime sector is not just about ships, it’s about national security, economic mobility, and industrial leadership. China now commands 51% of global shipbuilding; the U.S. needs more than spreadsheets to compete.

Never one to follow but a country that leads, we must:

• Rebuild competitive industrial capacity
• Channel dollars toward workforce and infrastructure
• Develop metrics that measure effectiveness, not just execution

Make no mistake, none of this is easy. But if we are serious, and I believe we are, that’s how we restore strength to America’s shipbuilding backbone.

See you on the deck plate

Benjamin Miner is a licensed professional mariner with more than 25 years in industry, both at sea and on shore. He has been a resident of Hampton Roads since 2017, where he lives with his wife and son.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Op-Ed: Digitalization Can Help Revitalize U.S. Shipbuilding

USN file image

Published Aug 4, 2025 11:25 PM by Mikko Forss

 

Shipbuilding efficiency is vital if the U.S. is to rejuvenate its maritime capabilities, says Mikko Forss, Executive Vice President of NAPA, a maritime software company.

SHIPS for America

The U.S. has set out clear ambitions for a shipbuilding and shipping renaissance. Targets were outlined in the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act introduced to congress in 2024, and while it remains to be seen if it will be passed into law, it does have bipartisan support.

As well as highlighting the need for a new National Maritime Strategy, the SHIPS for America Act establishes a Strategic Commercial Fleet Program, which aims to increase the U.S.- flagged international fleet by 250 ships in 10 years and facilitate the development of a fleet of domestically built vessels that are commercially and competitively operated. 

The SHIPS for America Act?also introduces financial incentives for U.S. shipyard modernization and domestic shipbuilding by creating a tax credit of up to 40.5% for investments to construct, repower, or reconstruct eligible oceangoing vessels in the U.S., and a 25% tax credit for the modernization of qualified domestic shipyards.

In a similar vein, US President Donald Trump said in March 2025: “To boost our defense industrial base, we are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding. And for that purpose, I am announcing tonight that we will create a new office of shipbuilding in the White House and offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home.”

Shipbuilding efficiency

The U.S. has a proud history of world-leading shipbuilding, from the Liberty ships of World War II to today’s naval powerhouses. There’s now a renewed opportunity to channel that same industrial spirit into the digital age and be a global leader in shipbuilding innovation. To ramp up production, the focus must be on modernizing and scaling shipbuilding capabilities with a resolute focus on efficiency in concept development, design maturation and production.

The clearest path to accelerating domestic capabilities once again is by adopting proven best practices from shipbuilders around the world. Digitalization has played a pivotal role in ensuring efficiency, scalability and modernization of shipbuilding across both Europe and Asia, however, adopting digital shipbuilding tools comes with important caveats.

Digitalization, if done correctly, can break down silos and facilitate collaboration between shipowners, operators, shipyards, naval architects, engineers, academia and class societies. It can reduce inefficiencies in communication between various entities and enable more design iterations in less time. Done wrong, conversely, fragmentation and delays can result.

The nature of shipbuilding is engineer-to-order, which means considerable engineering efforts are required for every novel design. Unlike other industries where prototyping and series production can enhance the final product and reduce per-unit engineering costs, shipbuilding must meet various conflicting requirements and regulatory standards in a multidisciplinary field, necessitating accurate design on the first attempt. This is especially true in the initial stages of design, where key project management and engineering decisions will impact the overall safety, cost and efficiency of the entire project.

Providing the various stakeholders involved in the ship design process the means to access a consistent digital ecosystem, through a comprehensive set of interoperable digital tools, promotes consistency, efficiency, and optimization from concept to class approval to delivery and life-cycle management.

Digital shipyards

Digitalization provides the means for shipyards to do more with less. For smaller and mid-sized shipyards, where skilled labor can be hard to come by, efficiency isn’t just an advantage – it’s a necessity.

Insights from around the world shows that attracting new talent to the shipbuilding industry can been difficult amid rapid population declines, as seen in Japan and Korea. In Korea, the problem has been particularly acute in the past two years, since newbuilding work resumed after the lifting of COVID restrictions. But the situation has its roots in the layoffs that followed the 2014 market downturn, when the workforce was halved from approximately 203,000 workers to around 92,000.

Digital technology can help alleviate recruitment challenges on two fronts: by removing duplicated tasks to enable engineers and naval architects to maximize their productivity, and by making the sector more attractive to younger generations. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, metaverse, and AR/VR/MR have the potential to increase efficiency and attractiveness even further, as we are witnessing a paradigm shift in our society regarding how we live, work and interact – which also impacts shipbuilding.

Going forwards, the digital technology revolution unlocks a world of opportunities for shipyards to be more efficient with scarce resources, from creating new value from replacing 2D based methods with smart 3D models to digital twins to production simulation. This enables shipyards to prevent expensive errors during the downstream construction process through digital continuity by integrating computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), and product data management (PDM) workflows using best-of-breed domain solutions.

Revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding is an opportunity to recapture the industry’s innovative and industrial spirit. Beyond strategic policymaking and investments, it will require a heavy focus on shipbuilding efficiency on a practical level. Effective digital transformation that promotes efficiency, innovation, and collaboration from shipyard to sea is key.

By combining the legacy of American industrial ingenuity with global best practices, the U.S. shipbuilding industry can benefit from proven methods, without the cost of lengthy development processes. Ultimately, by embracing innovative digital solutions and fostering collaboration across the value chain, the U.S. can not only enhance its shipbuilding capabilities but also set the industry on a course towards a sustainable and prosperous future.

Mikko Forss is Executive Vice President of NAPA, a maritime software company.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

From Words to Action: Making the ISM Code Fit for Today's Seafarers

iStock / piola666

Published Aug 3, 2025 6:59 PM by Columbia Group

 

 

The International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has sent a clear message: the ISM Code is overdue for serious reform. Meeting in London for its 110th session, the Committee called for a comprehensive overhaul of the guidelines governing safe ship management—guidelines that, despite their critical importance, no longer reflect the realities of life at sea.

This follows an independent IMO study that revealed just how inconsistently the ISM Code is enforced. The findings pointed to weak oversight, poor accountability, and a glaring disconnect between documented procedures and what crews actually experience, particularly in relation to fatigue, harassment, and excessive workloads.

It’s a story the industry knows all too well. Shipping is saturated with regulations, yet the most basic rights and protections for seafarers are still routinely undermined. The problem isn’t a lack of policy, it’s a lack of commitment.

Capt. Saurabh Mahesh, Group Director Crewing (Operations) at Columbia Group, believes this revision is long overdue. “There’s no question the Code needs to evolve. But it must go beyond simply redrafting language, it has to confront the reality that compliance is often little more than a box-ticking exercise,” he said. “We need to rebuild trust by ensuring real follow-up when breaches occur, and by guaranteeing that crews are genuinely protected, not just theoretically covered.”

The MSC’s recommendations are pragmatic and necessary. They include integrating anti-harassment measures into safety management systems, providing proper support for victims, protecting whistleblowers, and strengthening rest hour rules with enforcement that is consistent and credible. But none of this will matter unless administrations and operators implement these reforms meaningfully—and are held accountable when they don’t.

One of the most pressing issues is the falsification of rest hour records. Capt. Mahesh is among those calling for biometric solutions, fingerprint or retina scans, to replace outdated paper logs that are too easily manipulated. There are also calls for more rigorous external audits, realistic safe manning assessments that reflect vessel age and trading patterns, and decisive enforcement when non-conformities are uncovered. Without these changes, little will improve.

Yet enforcement alone isn’t enough. Working conditions themselves must be adapted to the complexity and pressure of modern shipping. One-size-fits-all shift patterns are no longer acceptable. Crews need flexible rest options, especially during extreme weather or congested port calls. Vessels operating on high-intensity routes should have access to shore-based officers who can provide relief. Greater use of digital tools, consistent crew feedback, and better engagement with shore services can all help ease the strain. These are practical solutions, they just require the will to put them in place.

There is also growing concern that even well-intentioned reforms could backfire if applied without care. Capt. Mahesh warns that piling new compliance costs onto operators without adequate support or strategic planning could have unintended consequences, especially if it leads to reduced earnings for seafarers or undermines progress on diversity.

That caution is shared by Claudia Paschkewitz, Director of Sustainability, Inclusion, and Diversity at Columbia Group. “We fully support the intent behind these recommendations,” she said. “But we must ensure that, in trying to fix deep-rooted operational issues, we don’t sacrifice the equally urgent work on inclusion. If reforms are rushed or poorly designed, there’s a risk that cost-cutting measures could push diversity efforts backwards. We need standards that are enforceable, inclusive, and fair—not trade-offs between safety and equality.”

The IMO has now tasked its Sub-Committee on the Implementation of IMO Instruments (III) and the Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) with redrafting the guidelines over the next three years. But there is a real risk that momentum will fade. The challenge is to keep up the pressure and prevent this from becoming yet another consultation exercise that produces paperwork instead of progress.

What the industry needs now is honesty: an acknowledgment that parts of the system have failed, and a commitment, not just from regulators, but from owners and operators, to do better. Not because they are compelled to, but because safety, welfare, and dignity are non-negotiable.

If the ISM Code is to regain credibility, it needs more than a refresh. It requires enforcement, investment, and cultural change.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Op-Ed: Yacht Industry Needs Serious Reform to Ensure Crew Safety

Joesboy / iStock

Published Aug 3, 2025 8:32 PM by Hugo Ortega

 

 

The recent tragedy in the Bahamas involving stewardess Paige Bell has sharply illuminated an ongoing crisis within the yachting industry that I’ve seen for a long time, a crisis that goes beyond isolated incidents and exposes deep-rooted issues of safety, accountability, and cultural indifference toward abuse.

Behind the glossy façade of exotic ports and luxury yachts lies a disturbing reality. Nearly 40% of crew members report having experienced unwanted sexual contact aboard yachts, but only around 22% ever file a complaint. Why? Because systems for reporting are inadequate, fear of retaliation is high, and a culture of silence still dominates the industry. Crew are often not even given access to complaint procedures, and when they are, they’re often too scared to use them.

The industry's reaction—calls for background checks and tighter protocols—misses the point. We don’t have a vetting problem; we have a sexual harassment and power dynamic problem. Background checks won't catch someone who’s assaulted three stewardesses but never got reported because of NDAs or fear. It’s a superficial fix to a systemic failure.

One of the most troubling aspects I’ve witnessed is how most abuse begins at the top. Long-tenured senior officers like captains and engineers become untouchable. In a closed hierarchy where nobody challenges them, toxic behavior becomes normalized. Junior crew, especially women, feel unsafe speaking up because they fear being dismissed or even blacklisted.

To create change we must begin by creating accountability and that must start with leadership. Captains and management must genuinely enact zero-tolerance policies, not just verbally but visibly. In addition, training in trauma awareness, conflict resolution, and mental health should all be mandatory. Junior crew need to feel safe voicing concerns without fear.

The current legal protections are also showing up inadequately. The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), intended to safeguard seafarers, doesn’t apply to many private yachts under certain size thresholds. This makes enforcement weak, especially when yachts are flagged in offshore jurisdictions. Even in cases that are reported, victims often find themselves silenced with hush money and removed quietly from the vessel.

We need a different approach involving a secure, anonymous, third-party reporting system with real weight and able to track repeat offenders and create further accountability. NDAs must not be used to cloak criminal behavior. The industry needs a shared red-flag database so perpetrators can't simply move onto the next boat.

Women entering the industry are particularly vulnerable. They often lack relationships or backup systems at the start and can be preyed upon. I always tell young crew to not assume safety comes with a uniform and that they must trust slowly, learn fast and look out for each other.

I’m relieved to say that some change is happening, crew members are beginning to speak up more often, share warnings, and challenge the status quo. That momentum must translate into policy, not just talk.

I firmly believe that change must start and continue from the top. Yacht owners and management have to prioritize crew welfare over reputation or profit. It’s time for the industry to evolve in ways like arming crew with safeguards, empowering leadership to act, and dismantling cultures of silence. Only then can we move from tragedy to transformation, and ensure that the next generation of crew can navigate their careers with dignity, safety, and respect.

Hugo Ortega is a Superyacht Captain 500T, educator, and founder of Superyacht Sunday School, a global platform helping aspiring crew enter the luxury yachting industry.  

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Facing Manning Crisis, RFA Highlights Willingness to Train Older Cadets

Courtesy Royal Navy

Published Aug 4, 2025 6:58 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Facing an existential crisis in manning, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is highlighting its successes in recruiting and training the next generation of seafarers. The door for new entrants is open, and RFA accepts promising cadets of working age; no "only-under-40" rules apply, and indeed two of its latest recruits are in their mid-40s and 50s - and just now starting out in maritime. 

New RFA recruits begin their service with a brief course at Dartmouth, the Royal Navy's officer training base, in order to learn some of the basics of seafaring. After a completion ceremony, they progress onward to learn more about their chosen specialty.

"I was looking for a career which is exciting and challenging," said 45-year-old Ben Pitts, a Liverpool resident and a graduate of the most recent RFA training class. "My time at Dartmouth has been a real eye-opener, challenging, rewarding, and a great experience to learn and grow."

Pitts is pursuing certification as a deck officer, but there are other choices too. Classmate Toni Cupit, 53, joined up to become a logistics officer. 

During their time as cadets, they will serve sea tours aboard vessels in the RFA's fleet. The opportunities may be somewhat more limited than in years past: only three of the RFA's ships are operational (surveillance ship RFA Proteus, plus oilers RFA Tidespring and RFA Tidesurge), and they are reportedly crewed below strength. Based on UK defense media reporting, RFA Tiderace has been inactive since 2023 due to manning shortages, RFA Cardigan Bay and Fort Victoria are in long-term layup for similar reasons, RFA Stirling Castle has been transferred to the Royal Navy because of insufficient RFA manpower, and RFA Lyme Bay and Mounts Bay are in drydock for maintenance. The aging RFA Argus has reportedly had class withdrawn because of its poor material condition, and is said to be prohibited from shifting docks because of concerns about the state of her hull. 

The root cause of the crisis is a crew shortage, driven in part by low pay (relative to civilian seagoing employment). The RFA's headcount has fallen by a third in the last 15 years, though a newly-negotiated pay deal with the branch's officers' union may go some distance to stemming the decline. 

After the discovery of RFA Argus' serious corrosion issues, former officer Cmdre. Tom Sharpe (RN) issued a public call for a top-to-bottom review of the RFA. In an opinion piece, he warned that Argus could have sunk with potentially fatal consequences, and warned that the auxiliary fleet could be "getting close" to a serious accident.

"It's going to be very uncomfortable; there will be senior officers and civil servants probably still serving - although I think some of these things have such a long lead time it goes back decades - who need to be held to account," he wrote. "And they need to be held to account because lack of accountability is one of the real problems defense has across the board."

In this landscape, new officer recruits will be most welcome in the unique career offered by the RFA.

"The work that we do is like nothing else out there. We are amongst the very select group that go out and do this kind of work for any navy," said Commodore Sam Shattock, Commodore RFA, in a statement Sunday. 

AI-Powered Detection Improves Safety for Offshore Operators

Person overboard detection (Zelim)

Published Aug 3, 2025 9:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

[By Zelim]

The offshore energy industry has started adopting AI-based advanced detection technology to improve safety and operational oversight, with operators now trialling and installing intelligent detection systems to reduce the risk of man overboard (MOB) incidents.

Among the systems gaining attention is ZOE, developed by Edinburgh-based technology firm Zelim. The company’s intelligent detection and tracking system has now been installed on a second jack-up rig, following over a year of successful operation on a North Sea rig operated by a leading offshore drilling contractor.

ZOE combines camera hardware with proprietary AI software that automatically detects when a person falls overboard and tracks their position in real time, enabling faster, more accurate response. Its deployment on another rig signals a broader interest across the offshore energy sector in using machine learning to support both personnel safety and asset security monitoring.

Zelim’s CEO and founder, Sam Mayall, explains that the system was developed specifically to operate in the maritime environment, which presents different technical constraints from traditional object detection systems used on land. “The first challenge in a man overboard incident is knowing when and where it happened. The second challenge is keeping track of the person in the water, particularly in variable sea states. ZOE provides real-time visual tracking and geo-location data to coordinate an effective response.”

The first installation provided a relatively fixed operating environment for ZOE to prove its capabilities. The more recent deployment is on a rig that frequently relocates to new locations, requiring the system to adapt to different weather conditions, sea states, and lighting environments.

ZOE uses machine learning models trained on a bespoke maritime dataset. Zelim began building its own visual library in 2020 during development of its Guardian unmanned rescue vessel. As part of that process, the company used drone-mounted cameras to capture footage of people in the water from different angles and under various conditions. These images were manually annotated and used to train the algorithms behind the intelligent detection system. The resulting dataset now includes more than 7 million labelled images, which is claimed to be the most extensive of its kind in maritime search and rescue.

According to Mayall, the quality and specificity of the dataset is critical. “A person in the water may be wearing dark clothing, face down, partially submerged, or obscured by foam or spray. These aren’t fixed profiles. We had to ensure the system could recognise a human target from a range of angles and distances, under real-world conditions. That meant building a dataset that reflected how people actually appear in the water, not how they’re modelled in ideal circumstances.”

ZOE integrates with a rig or vessel’s existing infrastructure, including surveillance, navigation and emergency response systems. The package includes processing hardware to enable detection and alerting to occur locally, without dependence on remote or cloud connectivity.

The software architecture behind ZOE has also been adapted into other modules. Watchkeeper is an option that supports bridge teams by acting as a visual lookout, identifying navigational hazards or approaching vessels. Another module, Shield, extends the same detection capability to support rig security, alerting crews to suspicious activity or unauthorised vessels within restricted zones around offshore sites. Both modules are built on the same core AI engine, but are designed for different operational roles.

Mayall says that the ability to detect and classify objects consistently and in real time opens up wider use cases. “If you can reliably detect a person in the water, you can also detect other objects or risks. The same system can support navigation, perimeter monitoring, or safety watchkeeping. That’s where we see this technology heading - not just detection, but situational understanding.”

Zelim has collaborated with the US Coast Guard on testing and validation. One of the drivers for this collaboration was the Coast Guard’s own research, which found that visual spotting by trained search crews remains inconsistent, with detection probabilities sometimes below 20 percent depending on conditions. Mayall notes that AI systems bring consistency. “AI doesn’t fatigue, doesn’t blink, and doesn’t overlook what’s in plain sight. That consistency makes it a reliable component in a broader safety system.”

The use of AI for detection and alerting is increasingly viewed not as a replacement for human judgment, but as an augmentation of it. In a setting where rapid recognition and response are critical, the ability to reduce the detection window from minutes to seconds can have a direct impact on outcomes. Operators are beginning to see these systems not only as tools for emergency response, but also as part of their broader approach to safety and operational assurance.

Zelim’s work over the past five years reflects a shift towards intelligent, consistent monitoring that supports human decision-making and improves reaction time. For offshore operators, that capability is now becoming part of the standard toolkit. As deployments continue and new modules are brought online, systems like ZOE may come to define the next generation of offshore safety technology – not as standalone interventions, but as integrated components of modern marine operations.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

 

At Least 76 Dead, Dozens Missing in Migrant Vessel Capsizing off Yemen

iStock

Published Aug 4, 2025 5:50 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

At least 76 people have died and dozens more remain missing after a migrant boat sank off Yemen's Gulf of Aden coastline, according to the International Organization for Migration. The vessel was attempting a crossing to Yemen, the starting point for established overland routes that migrants use to enter wealthier Gulf countries to look for employment. 

Officials in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan reported that the migrant vessel had been overloaded with passengers and had gone down in the Gulf of Aden in rough weather. 76 bodies have been recovered so far, including at least 54 that washed up on shore, and the number continued to rise through the day on Monday.

The fatalities exceed the capacity of the local morgue, so the bodies will be buried promptly, a local official told the New York Times. Dozens remain missing, and local search efforts are under way. 

12 survivors have been recovered, IOM Yemen official Abdusattor Esoev told media. Two Yemeni smugglers are reportedly among the living. 

The sea route in question is a northbound highway for citizens of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and other impoverished African states. Yemen is itself destitute and dangerous, and is not the destination: it serves as a waystation en route to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where under-the-radar jobs for undocumented immigrants are available. Esoev told UPI that there should be normalized pathways for economic migrants to transit from distressed nations in the Horn of Africa to the stronger employment markets in the GCC states. A regularized process for labor migration would cut the dominant smuggling gangs out of the market, and remove the incentives for high-risk transport methods. 

"This route is predominantly controlled by smugglers and human-trafficking networks," Mixed Migration Centre researcher Ayla Bonfiglio told AFP. "Refugees and migrants have no other alternative but to hire their services."

The so-called Eastern Route is known for occasional disasters. In March, two migrant vessels went down off Dhubab, Yemen, killing all passengers - about 180 people. About 60-100,000 people attempt the crossing every year, including an increasing number of unaccompanied women and children, a change from a route typically used by working-age men. IOM puts the average number of disappearances and fatalities on the Yemen crossing about 200-300 annually.