$150 Billion! South Korea and the US Establish Shipbuilding Center

On July 29, 2026, South Korea and the United States held an inauguration ceremony for the “Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center (KUSPC)” in Washington, D.C. The center is a follow-up body established after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the “Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Initiative (KUSPI)” in May of this year. It also serves as the executive coordination body for the “Korea-US Maritime and Shipbuilding Growth Alliance (MASGA) project,” which is part of the total $150 billion cooperation program announced in July 2025 under the framework of the US-Korea trade agreement.

The volume of this dangerous cargo is skyrocketing, but trouble is also on the horizon

According to data from Signal Ocean, global seaborne nickel ore trade volume in the second quarter of this year increased by more than 22% year-on-year, reaching 26.1 million tonnes. The rapid expansion of nickel ore shipping has brought more employment opportunities for supramax and ultramax bulk carriers, while also drawing renewed attention to one of the shipping industry's most dangerous cargoes.

CMA CGM launches multi-billion-dollar port venture, Q2 revenue hits $15.7B

French shipping group CMA CGM and infrastructure investment firm Stonepeak have officially completed the formation of United Ports LLC, a joint venture valued at $2.4 billion that brings together a portfolio of major container terminals across the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.

The research vessel Dongfanghong 2 has completed its refit and can serve for another 30 years.

According to CCTV News, today (the 29th), the comprehensive ocean scientific research and training vessel Dongfanghong 2 completed its refit and upgrade and was officially delivered in Qingdao, Shandong Province.

Hengli Heavy Industry Secures 6 VLAC Orders in a Week

Recently, Hengli Heavy Industry successively signed and finalized construction contracts for six very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) with three internationally renowned shipowners within a single week. The order comprises four 93,000 cbm vessels and two 88,000 cbm vessels, marking another milestone breakthrough for Hengli Heavy Industry in the high-value-added gas carrier sector.

Terminal capable of berthing 32,000‑TEU mega‑vessels passes completion acceptance

Recently, the first two berths of the Phase I project at the Yantian Port Area East Operation Zone container terminal successfully passed project completion acceptance after expert review.

Madagascar welcomes its first-ever ship-to-shore (STS) cranes

Recently, the container terminal at the Port of Toamasina in Madagascar took delivery of two ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes, marking the first batch of such equipment ever put into operation in the country's history. As Madagascar's primary import-export gateway, the Port of Toamasina handles an estimated 90% of the nation's container throughput. The terminal is operated by ICISI and previously relied solely on mobile harbour cranes.