Opinion

Electric-powered tugs are coming to towage markets worldwide, but if they are to be classed as strategic maritime assets in ports, they need back-up generators to ensure they are available for ship towage

Batteries & Electrical Systems Hybrid Electric & Fuel Cells Int. Tug & Salvage Ports & Terminals Propulsion Tug & Salvage Tugs / Workboats

Rapid tug co-ordination needed to rescue distressed ships in harbours

29 Aug 2025by Simon Tatham

Regular columnist Simon Tatham examines the legal issues encountered when ships break their moorings in harbours, prompting tugboat assistance

Accidents Insurance Int. Tug & Salvage Mooring Equipment Guidelines (fourth edition 2018) MEG4 Ports & Terminals Regulations & Compliance Safety & Incidents SOLAS Tug & Salvage Tugs / Workboats

When you care for crew, you care for your business

14 Aug 2025by John Snyder

Shipping needs to take better care of seafarers. This is clear from the troubling trends disclosed in recent industry safety and crew mental health and wellbeing reports.

Accidents Marine Propulsion Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Safety & Incidents

No ships, no ports: no transition

13 Aug 2025by David Foxwell

Despite the increase in the cost of building offshore windfarms and failed auctions in the UK, Denmark and Germany, the EU remains committed to offshore wind

Offshore Wind Offshore Wind Equipment & Services Offshore Wind Journal Offshore Wind Policy Ports & Terminals Shipbuilding & Design

Middle East LNG finds power in pragmatism

05 Aug 2025by Craig Jallal

The Middle East is an essential and growing partner in global LNG trade but, paradoxically, remains one of the most unstable regions for shipping

Floating LNG LNG Shipping LNG Shipping & Terminals Small Scale LNG

Batteries powering the future of passenger ships

05 Aug 2025by Rebecca Moore

While batteries have long been part of the ferry sector, and have started infiltrating the cruise industry, there has suddenly been an outbreak of projects that show the future really is electric for the passenger ship industry

Batteries & Electrical Systems Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Passenger Ship Technology Passenger Shipping Propulsion

Fatal accident drives industry to improve tugboat safety

01 Aug 2025by Kerrie Forster

Industry associations have responded to the UK MAIB’s report on the Biter tragedy, says Workboat Association chief executive Kerrie Forster

Accidents Int. Tug & Salvage Investigations Regulations & Compliance Safety & Incidents Tug & Salvage Tugs / Workboats

The Road to Rio looks promising

25 Jul 2025by John Snyder

Chevron’s legal battle to acquire Hess speaks volumes — as in ‘volumes of oil’ — to the growing importance of Guyana, neighbouring Suriname and Brazil in the future global energy picture

Business & Finance Offshore Contractors offshore support Offshore Support Journal Offshore Support Vessels

CO2 shipping needs frameworks to unlock scale

21 Jul 2025by Craig Jallal

This emerging tanker sector is progressing, but future growth depends on resolving regulatory and commercial barriers through the alignment already recognised by industry stakeholders

Carbon Capture & Storage Tanker Shipping & Trade Tankers

Cruise industry eyes up fuel cells

16 Jul 2025by Stig Kallestad

Why fuel cells are emerging as a solution for the cruise industry

Cruise Ships Equipment & Services Fuel Cells Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Passenger Ship Technology Passenger Shipping

The evolving landscape of ship recycling regulation

08 Jul 2025by Alexandra Mikelis

The importance of responsible ship recycling has become a key consideration for owners, operators and financiers alike

Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Regulations & Compliance Ship Recycling

Most Viewed Articles

Top five LNG carrier owners

MOL tops global LNG shipowner rankings

Boskalis finds buyer for Smit Lamnalco operations in Australia

Nuclear-powered LNG carrier design receives initial approval

Saipem to acquire Subsea7, creating a contractor colossus

Featured Whitepapers

Marine fuel additives reduce emissions and enhance engine efficiency Sponsored by World Fuel Services

It is likely that there could be at least a 10–15-year window during which time existing fuels will remain the mainstay of powering the shipping industry.

Ten damage stability items that should be calculated differently

A Comprehensive Technical Analysis of Alternative Fuels Sponsored by Class NK

IACS Unified Requirements E26 And E27 – Beyond Compliance Sponsored by Inmarsat

Decarbonizing MaritimeTransport: Pricing EU ETS Compliance and the Role of Methanol as a Future Fuel Sponsored by OPIS

Hydrogen could be the long-term solution for harbour tugs

07 Jul 2025by Martyn Wingrove

Propulsion on tugboats and workboats is all about getting power to thrusters and propellers in the most fuel-efficient, reliable way, while generating maximum bollard pull when required

Fuels & Lubricants hydrogen Int. Tug & Salvage Marine Propulsion Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Tug & Salvage

Knowing collision avoidance rules is crucial

27 Jun 2025by Martyn Wingrove

Regular columnist Simon Tatham explains the complexities with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea when applied to tugs in transit

Accidents Insurance Int. Tug & Salvage Regulations & Compliance Safety & Incidents Tug & Salvage

Banks can step up the fight for biodiversity in the world’s oceans

26 Jun 2025by Paul Taylor

We have heard a lot about the decarbonisation of the shipping industry and have concentrated our efforts on reducing emissions into the atmosphere, fuel efficiency and other measures

Ballast Water Management Systems Ballast Water Treatment Ballast Water Treatment Technology Business & Finance Exhaust Gas Scrubbers Hull Fouling/Cleaning Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Maritime Environmental Protection Noise & Vibration Regulations & Compliance

Commercial imperative outweighs US friendshoring amid escalating tariff realities

24 Jun 2025by Edwin Lampert

JP Morgan Global Alternative’s Global Transportation Group’s order of two dual-fuel methanol chemical IMOII MR newbuilds from Guangzhou Shipyard International in China raises interesting questions around the potential friction US-based entities presently face between commercial objectives and national industrial policies

Business & Finance Regulations & Compliance Shipbuilding & Design Tanker Shipping & Trade Tankers

Wow features and revitalisation ramp-up

22 May 2025by Rebecca Moore

The first half of this year has been an exciting time within cruise ship interiors – there has been a focus on unveiling spectacular ‘first’ features and also, there has been a rise in big interior refits

Interiors & Interior Design Passenger Ship Interiors Passenger Ship Interiors & Refurbishment Review Shipbuilding & Design

Brazil’s offshore example for the US

16 May 2025by John Snyder

Investments in offshore oil and gas E&P are spurring significant opportunities for OSV owners, marine contractors, drilling companies, ship designers, suppliers and technology companies in Brazil.

Business & Finance offshore support Offshore Support Journal Offshore Support Vessels Shipbuilding & Design

Hiatus could be good for US market – in the long term

13 May 2025by David Foxwell

Equinor’ president believes the US government acted unlawfully when it halted construction of the Empire Wind 1 offshore windfarm off the east coast of the US

Offshore Wind Offshore Wind Finance & Investment Offshore Wind Journal Offshore Wind Policy

Zonal pricing and UK offshore wind

28 Apr 2025by Matt Knight

The government’s and Ofgem’s review of zonal pricing is a hot topic in the UK energy industry

Offshore Wind Offshore Wind Journal Offshore Wind Policy

From trade threats to climate costs

24 Apr 2025by Craig Jallal

GHG rules from MEPC 83 carry a financial and political weight comparable to physical trade disruptions — yet are harder to price or predict

Business & Finance Tanker Shipping & Trade Tankers

Emissions reduction: methanol and batteries take central stage

18 Apr 2025by Martyn Wingrove

In the drive to power the next generation of harbour and terminal tugs, methanol seems to be winning, especially when combined with energy storage solutions

Ammonia Batteries & Electrical Systems Bio Products Ethanol Fuels & Lubricants Hybrid Propulsion hydrogen Int. Tug & Salvage LNG as a fuel Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Methanol Propulsion Tug & Salvage

Revitalising US shipbuilding: Congress needs to step up

17 Apr 2025by John Snyder

President Trump’s executive order (EO) on ‘Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance’ sets in motion the admirable but Herculean task of rebuilding America’s maritime industrial base.

Business & Finance Marine Propulsion Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery Shipbuilding & Design

Against a background of geopolitical theatre, MEPC 83 opts for rule-making

14 Apr 2025by Craig Jallal

ICS, Intertanko, BIMCO and BEMA respond to MEPC 83, urging transparency in developing IMO’s greenhouse gas, plastic pollution and underwater noise rules

Air Pollution & GHG Emissions Ballast Water Management Convention Ballast Water Management Systems Ballast Water Treatment Technology EEDI / EEOI Maritime Environmental Protection Refurbishment Regulations & Compliance

Scalable shore power for passenger vessels

07 Apr 2025by Rebecca Moore

e1 Marine executive director Dave Lee explains how using alternative power sources for shore power can overcome obstacles

Equipment & Services Passenger Ship Technology Passenger Shipping Ports & Terminals

BIMCO: Container rates see worst first quarter in decades with 28% drop

02 Apr 2025by Niels Rasmussen

"Average container freight rates for Chinese exports have posted the worst first quarter development of the past 20 years,” says BIMCO chief shipping analyst Niels Rasmussen

Analyst / Bank Forecasts Business & Finance Container Shipping Container Shipping & Port Technology Container Ships Financial Results Trade Routes

Low-cost oil and gas, new nuclear to drive ‘AI arms race’

28 Mar 2025by John Snyder

An “artificial intelligence arms race” is underway between the US and China, and offshore oil and gas and nuclear power will have a role to play in providing the inexpensive electricity needed to support the massive, energy-hungry data centres

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Business & Finance offshore support Offshore Support Journal Offshore Support Vessels

Uncovering the employment challenges and pitfalls for maritime's international workforce

27 Mar 2025by David Ashmore

With 2024 the worst year on record with more than 3,000 seafarers stranded without pay or basic provisions, Reed Smith’s David Ashmore looks at employers’ HR and legal issues for maritime’s global workforce

Container Shipping & Port Technology Dry Cargo LNG Shipping & Terminals Regulations & Compliance Tanker Shipping & Trade Tankers

Tug owners are innovators in autonomy and automation

24 Mar 2025by Martyn Wingrove

Automation and autonomous operations are enhancing safety and efficiency in the tug, towage and salvage industries

Autonomous Vessels Digitalisation Int. Tug & Salvage Maritime Optimisation & Communications Tug & Salvage Tugs / Workboats

Sustainability in container shipping: a shipper's perspective

20 Mar 2025by Former Member

How shippers are factoring in sustainability in their carrier selection

Air Pollution & GHG Emissions Container Shipping Container Shipping & Port Technology Regulations & Compliance

Events

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Maritime & Offshore Community Golf Day 2025

19 Sep 2025

London

Bringing the Maritime & Offshore community together for inspiring golf... in an inspiring setting... in aid of inspiring causes.

Offshore Wind Webinar Week

22 Sep 2025

BST - ONLINE

Starting Monday 22 September, Riviera will host a focused three-day webinar series exploring key advances in offshore vessel operations and technology. The sessions will cover how AI, digitalisation and cybersecurity enhance vessel capability and reduce emissions; the evolving cable-lay market and vessel designs; and the path to commercialising offshore charging systems.

Maritime Decarbonisation, Europe: Conference, Awards & Exhibition 2025

30 Sep 2025

Amsterdam

Strategies for reducing GHG emissions from now to 2050. This 2-day conference returns to Amsterdam in September 2025, bringing clarity on the regulatory directions and decarbonisation pathways for both new builds and existing vessels.

Offshore Support Journal Conference, Americas 2025

07 Oct 2025

Rio de Janeiro

Riviera’s Offshore Support Journal Conference, Americas is heading to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2025. Join us as we bring the industry’s leading offshore event to this vibrant new location and connect with the region’s growing opportunities.

London Office

Phone: +44 20 8364 1551
Email: info.london@rivieramm.com

Singapore Office

Phone: +65 6809 1278
Email: info.singapore@rivieramm.com

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