MarRI-UK Maritime Round Up #120

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April 2026
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Xue Xu

Welcome to the MarRI-UK weekly roundup!

Last week’s maritime and energy developments highlighted rising geopolitical and infrastructure risks. Escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz underscored vulnerabilities in global shipping and energy supply chains, while moves to tighten IMO ship registration rules signalled stronger enforcement on sanctions evasion. Offshore wind continued to expand, particularly in the UK and Europe, but grid bottlenecks emerged as a critical constraint. Clean shipping fuels remained fragmented, with ammonia, methanol, LNG, and hydrogen all advancing. Meanwhile, AI deployment in maritime operations accelerated. Overall, the week reinforced the need to prioritise infrastructure, resilience, and coordinated energy transition strategies across policy, research, and industry.

This week’s highlight

  • The 9th MTPC will be held at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow on 15-17 June 2026.
  • IMO moves to tighten ship registration rules amid surge in flag fraud Read more
  • Grid bottlenecks threaten to waste Europe’s offshore wind boom Read more
  • Clean Maritime Assembly 2026: Pre-registration
  • UK SHORE Networking Platform Register now

MarRI-UK Member’s and Partner’s News

  • (23/04) UK–Indonesia Launch Flagship Maritime Partnership Programme Read more
  • (22/04) LR assesses AI navigation technology in live vessel trial with Orca AI Read more
  • (22/04) Cyclus Marine and Lloyd’s Register sign MoU to advance responsible ship recycling Read more
  • (22/04) Babcock completes major maintenance programme supporting UK carrier capability Read more
  • (21/04) BMT invests in partnership with social mobility charity Read more
  • (21/04) Four steps to building resilience for Critical National Infrastructure Read more
  • (20/04) Pusan National University and LR to establish first global certification framework for liquid hydrogen shipping Read more

UK Maritime

  • (24/04) UK’s HMS Dragon completes weapon system testing, ready for next phase of ops Read more
  • (23/04) New Mersey Ferry Begins Sea Trials Read more
  • (23/04) Fred. Olsen Seawind takes full control of Scottish floating wind project Read more
  • (22/04) Vessel tracker MariTrace sold Read more
  • (22/04) Nadara Files for Consent for 1.8 GW Floating Wind Farm in Scotland Read more
  • (21/04) APCL Group Successfully Completes Hattrick of Consecutive Dockings for Subsea7 Read more
  • (21/04) Exail and JFD join forces to support MCM capabilities in UK Read more
  • (21/04) First Wind Turbine Up at East Anglia Three Read more
  • (21/04) UK’s Portland Port approved for LNG ship-to-ship transfers Read more
  • (20/04) UKHO joins S-100 in Confined Waters international testbed simulator trials Read more
  • (20/04) UK’s aircraft carrier returns to sea after major refit Read more
  • (17/04) UK awards GBP100 million in contracts for prototype fusion plant Read more
  • (17/04) ‘World’s first’: Methane removal system debuts at sea Read more
  • (17/04) Why shipowners should pay attention to their war risk cover Read more

Newly added Funding Opportunities

Events Highlight

Publication

  • Integrated Data Quality Strategy in Vessel Performance Management Download
  • AI and the UK labour market: the evidence so far Read more
  • DNV Whitepaper – Methane in shipping: LNG-fuelled ships and the switch to low-GHG methane Download
  • LR Class News 08/2026: Revised speed trial requirements for new construction ships Read more

Global Maritime News

Offshore Renewable Energy

  • (23/04) Dutch wave energy converter for ‘very small sea states’ begins testing Read more
  • (23/04) Vattenfall Running Transition Piece Workflow Trials Ahead of Nordlicht I Offshore Construction Read more
  • (23/04) Repowering Existing Offshore Wind Farms Part of New EU Strategy ‘to Protect Europeans from Fossil Energy Crisis’ Read more
  • (23/04) Five European TSOs launch joint initiative on North Sea subsea cable infrastructure Read more
  • (22/04) Another French Company In Talks with US Gov’t Over Offshore Wind Buyout Read more
  • (22/04) DeepOcean contracted for inter-array work on new Taiwanese offshore wind farm Read more
  • (21/04) EolMed Partners Switch On French Floating Wind Pilot Project Read more
  • (21/04) IQIP’s EQ-Piling Set for First Offshore Monopile Installation at EnBW’s Dreekant Read more
  • (21/04) Malta Opens EUR 3.6 Million Offshore Wind Metocean Survey Tender Read more
  • (20/04) Fraunhofer IWES Completes Wind Measurement Campaign for Estonian Project Read more
  • (20/04) Haizea Wind Group Reports EUR 400+ Million Revenue in 2025 Read more
  • (20/04) Massachusetts Court Rules In Favour of Vineyard Wind, GE Vernova Must Stay on Project Read more
  • (20/04) Chinese company launches second vessel designed to transport 25 MW wind turbine components Read more
  • (17/04) First Turbine Up at New York’s Second Offshore Wind Farm Read more
  • (17/04) US company granted offshore wind survey license in Vietnam Read more
  • (17/04) Dajin, Zhengli eye vessel retrofit for European offshore wind market Read more

Clean Maritime

  • (24/04) Can the Net Zero Framework be saved? Read more
  • (23/04) Ammonia gains momentum across East Asia Read more
  • (22/04) Suction sails installed on newbuild combination carrier Read more
  • (21/04) Efficiency is the bridge to future fuels Read more
  • (21/04) Rio Tinto locks in methanol-ready bulker charters Read more
  • (21/04) Crisis in the Middle East waterway places alternative shipping fuels in sharp focus Read more
  • (20/04) ‘Low-GHG methane’ likely to become necessary within next few years Read more
  • (20/04) What does good sustainability reporting look like in shipping? Read more
  • (17/04) World’s first global shipping carbon price talks back at UN’s bargaining table Read more
  • (17/04) Go Dual or Go Bust? Rationalising operational choices for the future Read more
  • (17/04) From captured GHG emissions to green tomatoes Read more

Nuclear Energy

  • (23/04) TerraPower starts construction of ‘first US utility-scale advanced nuclear plant’ Read more
  • (23/04) Uzbek uranium mine enters commercial production Read more
  • (23/04) Reactor vessel installed at third Zhangzhou unit Read more
  • (22/04) Regulator extends Hermes 1 reactor construction deadline Read more
  • (22/04) JSC Dalur construction at new uranium deposit gets regulatory approval Read more
  • (21/04) Grants allocated for Swedish feasibility studies Read more
  • (21/04) Bruce Power to share nuclear knowledge with Energy Alberta Read more
  • (21/04) First new Kursk unit ‘ready for commercial operation’ Read more
  • (20/04) OSGE and development agency sign agreement for Polish SMR project Read more
  • (20/04) Kazakhstan strategy considers four nuclear power plants Read more
  • (20/04) EC to examine Romanian plans for funding reactor refurbishment Read more
  • (20/04) First Taipingling unit enters commercial operation Read more
  • (17/04) CNL to produce demonstration ANEEL fuel bundles Read more
  • (17/04) Dutch agreement paves way for construction of commercial MSR Read more
  • (17/04) Italy should rethink nuclear power, IEA chief says Read more

Ports

Navy

  • (24/04) Northrop Grumman, Hanwha to develop rocket booster for AReS extended-range strike weapon system Read more
  • (24/04) US Navy’s aircraft carrier that tested new drone-killing laser weapon arrives in Middle East Read more
  • (24/04) FMD’s firm to supply propellers for US Navy’s 100th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Read more
  • (23/04) HII kicks off production of four more ROMULUS USVs Read more
  • (23/04) Shield AI joins $800M US Navy ISR Initiative with VTOL drone fleet Read more
  • (23/04) US Navy to field PAC-3 MSE interceptor on Aegis warships for the first time Read more
  • (23/04) Leonardo integrates counter-UAS system on autonomous unmanned surface vessel Read more
  • (23/04) Fire breaks out aboard USS Zumwalt, three sailors injured Read more
  • (22/04) US Navy seeks $65.8 billion to build 34 ships, including next-gen battleships Read more
  • (22/04) Anduril, Kraken Technology join hands on mission-ready unmanned vessels Read more
  • (22/04) Hanwha Ocean partners with major US naval design firm to strengthen naval shipbuilding Read more
  • (21/04) Fincantieri to build Saildrone’s new class of multi-mission USVs Read more
  • (21/04) Hanwha and Magnet Defense to produce medium unmanned surface vessels Read more
  • (21/04) US Navy fires laser weapon from aircraft carrier, destroys drones in ‘historic’ test Read more
  • (21/04) Indra, IDV to deliver 34 amphibious combat vehicles for Spanish Marines Read more
  • (20/04) WATCH: US Marines board Iranian-flagged vessel after destroyer intercepts it in Arabian Sea Read more
  • (20/04) HII unveils next-gen framework for integrated manned-unmanned warfare Read more
  • (20/04) Rheinmetall Kraken launches production of USVs in Hamburg Read more
  • (19/04) US Navy fires upon and boards Iranian container ship Touska Read more
  • (18/04) Australia signs contract for three upgraded Mogami-class frigates Read more
  • (18/04) Iranian gunboats fire on Indian-flagged ships in Strait of Hormuz Read more
  • (17/04) Steel cut for German Navy’s third and final Type 424 intelligence vessel Read more
  • (17/04) L3Harris secures US Navy contracts for towed array systems Read more
  • (17/04) Redwire lands US Marine Corps deal for Stalker Block 30 drones Read more
  • (17/04) Vestdavit introduces AutoHook autonomous launch and recovery system for USV Read more
  • (17/04) Exail’s DriX H-9 selected for defense counter-UAS program Read more

Global Shipping & Newbuild

  • (24/04) Greek bulker player M/Maritime crosses into boxship sector with Korean newbuilds Read more
  • (23/04) The Orderbook Giants: China’s Top10 Yards Revealed Read more
  • (23/04) DSIC bags $1.31bn container ship order Read more
  • (23/04) JHI Steamship deepens tanker push with VLCC newbuild Read more
  • (23/04) Odfjell lines up four newbuilds in Japan Read more
  • (22/04) USA Shipbuilding Coalition formed Read more
  • (22/04) JP Morgan tipped for $500m VLCC move at DSIC Read more
  • (22/04) Ship Owners Move Towards Second Hand Vessels Read more
  • (21/04) Yangzijiang Maritime acquires eight VLCCs Read more
  • (21/04) DOF’s subsea vessel completes ‘major’ makeover at VARD Read more
  • (21/04) Transpetro orders LPG trio in China Read more
  • (20/04) Seaspan orders four multipurpose vessels from New Dayang Read more
  • (20/04) Malacca Strait vessel traffic at record levels in 2025 Read more
  • (20/04) Shipping caught in between geopolitical powerplay Read more
  • (20/04) Shipowners bullish on dry bulk prospects Read more
  • (20/04) Smaller carriers retreat from transpacific as rates slide Read more
  • (18/04) Panamax Supply Outlook as Hormuz Faces Strain Read more
  • (17/04) Yangzijiang Shipbuilding moves into ship repair and conversion Read more
  • (17/04) Ernst Russ enters tanker sector with Wuhu Shipyard resales Read more

Smart Maritime

  • (22/04) AI watchkeeper put through paces in Mediterranean trial Read more
  • (20/04) Satellite spectrometry upgrade for Eyesea pollution reporting and monitoring app Read more

Other news

  • (24/04) Samsung Heavy targets offshore data centre market with new floater model Read more
  • (24/04) Panama Canal prices take flight on Iran butterfly effect Read more
  • (24/04) How the Strait of Hormuz Crisis is Reshaping the Bulker Market Read more
  • (23/04) Indonesian Finance Minister moots Malacca Strait toll Read more
  • (23/04) Why the ship recycling debate needs a reality check Read more
  • (22/04) Nicaragua and Equatorial Guinea emerge as latest homes for sprawling shadow fleet Read more
  • (22/04) Gunfire and gridlock choke Hormuz Read more
  • (22/04) Tanker stocks face covid-style reckoning Read more
  • (22/04) What Does China’s Shifting Grain Supply Strategy Mean for Global Commodity Trade Flows? Read more
  • (22/04) Windward: Q1 2026 Risk Report: Shipping’s Most Turbulent Quarter in 50 Years Read more
  • (22/04) Container ship fired on in Hormuz, heavy damage to bridge Read more
  • (21/04) US forces board sanctioned tanker in Indian Ocean Read more
  • (21/04) Eight container ships escape Gulf Read more
  • (21/04) Case made for maritime as the last great uninvested industry Read more
  • (21/04) The unprecedented plight of seafarers in the Hormuz crisis Read more
  • (21/04) Marine Fuel Availability: FONAR Friend? Read more
  • (20/04) $17.5 billion LNG project anchored by $1B investment in Louisiana businesses Read more
  • (20/04) Third oil platform offshore California coming online in June Read more
  • (20/04) Huge gas discovery surfaces in Southeast Asian waters Read more
  • (20/04) India sets up Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool to challenge global P&I dominance Read more
  • (20/04) Strait standoff reshapes fertiliser trade and crop economics Read more
  • (19/04) Two sanctioned LPG tankers turned back in Strait of Hormuz Read more
  • (18/04) Tanker fired on by Iran in Strait of Hormuz, container ship struck Read more
  • (17/04) Petrobras enriches oil & gas arsenal with African offshore block Read more

Maritime Events Archive

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