USCG icebreaker Healy was towed back to Seattle on July 13 after a significant engineering casualty during post-refit sea trials off Washington. No injuries were reported. A source cited a crankcase explosion, marking the latest in a series of engineering setbacks for the vessel.
CSSC has delivered Wontanara, the first of five record-setting self-unloaders built for Rio Tinto’s Simandou project in Guinea. The shallow-draft, bidirectional vessels set new marks for size and discharge speed, moving 12,000 tons of ore per hour to support offshore transshipment operations.
The Panama Canal Authority is suspending auctions for close-in Period 3 transit slots starting July 25, citing hydrological conditions tied to an expected El Niño pattern. The move affects about six percent of daily capacity and follows last month’s reduction in maximum vessel draft.
The Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center has cut merchant mariner credential processing times to four months, a major improvement from the 8-to-12-month estimate set in May following the 2026 funding lapse. Expanded staffing and surge processing continue to reduce the application backlog.
Hundreds watched as a 136-foot crane lifted the retired 122-ton fireboat David Campbell over the Barbey Maritime Center and into its new home at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. The historic vessel, launched in 1927, served Portland Fire and Rescue for nearly a century.
ReCAAP reports a strong decline in piracy and armed robbery incidents across Asia in the first half of 2026, the lowest level since 2019. While the Straits of Malacca and Singapore saw sharp improvement, the Philippines recorded a rise in incidents, prompting stepped-up Coast Guard enforcement.
MARAD has simplified citizenship documentation requirements for vessel owners and maritime businesses participating in federal programs. The final rule, effective June 4, reduces paperwork, removes certain personal-information disclosures, and eliminates notarization, though it leaves underlying citizenship standards and foreign-ownership rules unchanged.
Amid global trade uncertainty, the Port of Vancouver USA’s 2026 State of the Port Report points to a strong year: 7.45mt of cargo moved, 339 vessel calls, record grain exports, a new soda ash facility underway, and continued investment in workforce development and sustainability.
