A shrimp boat fire in Pensacola Harbor ended with the vessel sinking and diesel fuel spilling into the bay, prompting a Coast Guard-led cleanup.
WEAR-TV Article: Shrimp Boat Sinks After Fire, Spills Diesel Fuel Into Pensacola Harbor
WorkBoat Article: Gunderson Names Tom Lee President
Gunderson Marine & Iron has appointed Tom Lee, a 28-year veteran of heavy industrial construction, as its new president. Lee will lead daily operations as CEO Dee Burch shifts focus to strategic growth, capital investments, and partnerships across the maritime and industrial sectors.
gCaptain Article: USCG Icebreaker ‘Healy’ Towed Back to Seattle Following ‘Significant Engineering Casualty’
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.
Maritime Executive Article: Rio Tinto Takes Delivery of Record-Setting Self-Unloader Built by CSSC
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.
gCaptain Article: Port of Long Beach, MARAD Launch First U.S. Partnership on Nuclear-Powered Shipping
America’s busiest container gateway is putting nuclear propulsion on the table with a first-of-its-kind federal partnership.
Daily World Article: New Vessels for Pacific Northwest Coast Sail Past Big Milestone
The Coast Guard and Rozema Boat Works authenticated the keel of the first SPC-HWX II vessel on July 8 in Mount Vernon, launching construction on a new heavy-weather craft built to serve Pacific Northwest waters, including Station Grays Harbor.
Maritime Executive Article: EU Approves New Permanent Storage Option for Onboard Carbon Capture
Mineralized ship-captured CO2 now counts under the EU carbon market, giving owners a fresh disposal route.
Maritime Executive Article: Panama Canal Suspends Auction for Close-in Transits Slots
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.
gCaptain Article: Coast Guard Cuts Merchant Mariner Credential Wait Times to Four Months
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.
Chinook Observer Article: Historic Fireboat Soars Over, Lands at Maritime Museum in Astoria
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.