As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) has announced that Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School in Massachusetts has earned accreditation through the Marine Trades Accreditation Program (MTAP), becoming the first high school in the nation to receive this distinction. Meanwhile, The Landing School in Arundel, Maine, has successfully renewed its MTAP. Launched in 2022, MTAP was developed by the ABYC Foundation to ensure secondary and post-secondary marine service technology programs align with industry needs. Accreditation is awarded to programs that demonstrate consistent and reliable instruction on industry-recognized topics and techniques.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. With approval from the Danish Emergency Management Agency, Denmark’s national pilotage service provider DanPilot is now initiating a test program for remote pilotage. It is partnering with ship data collection and AI-based analysis specialist Danelec to launch the program.

After six years of development by Danpilot and Danelec, the test program —the first of its kind in the world— will allow pilots to guide ships from land, using advanced data transmitted directly from the vessels.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Recycling end-of-life composite boats or the production waste from composite boat building has been a subject of interest at IBEX and Professional BoatBuilder during the past decade. As with many emerging materials and processes, we started with experimental projects and proof-of-concept prototypes including the promising potential for composites made from thermoplastic resin to be recycled.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy announced the formation of a public-private partnership and funding for an effort to build the world’s largest liquid hydrogen carrier. The government views it as a key opportunity where South Korea’s shipbuilders can develop a leadership position building on its current strategy of focusing on high-value ships. “Liquefied hydrogen carriers are an area with high technical difficulty and very high initial technology development risk, so it is important for the government to play a leading role in securing a new source for Korean-shipbuilding,” said an official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announcing the new project. “We will actively support the early acquisition of large-scale liquefied hydrogen carrier technology by organizing related laws and systems so that the technology we have developed can become a global standard.”

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The Trump administration has nominated Stephen Carmel, a former executive with Maersk Line Ltd., to head the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd), FreightWaves reported.

Carmel replaces Capt. Brent Sadler, a Navy veteran who had been tapped in March to lead the agency but had yet to undergo a nomination hearing in the Senate. No reason was given as to why Sadler’s nomination was withdrawn. Carmel is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and currently serves as president of U.S. Marine Management LLC. Previously he was senior vice president, maritime services at Maersk Line Ltd., the U.S. subsidiary of Denmark-based liner shipping company Maersk. Carmel is also a licensed deep sea ship’s master and was a vessel captain.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year aimed at rebuilding the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Rebuild? Tier II shipbuilders have been producing aluminum and steel military and commercial workboats for decades, while a few Tier I shipyards have been building mostly warships. The order calls for federal investment in American shipyards and the maritime workforce and outlines a new Maritime Action Plan to be coordinated by the Maritime Administration. The plan includes the establishment of a Maritime Security Trust Fund, shipbuilding tax incentives, and the launch of strategic commercial fleet programs.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Maersk confirmed that a salvage tug left Europe yesterday, May 4, bound for its stricken containership Maersk Sana which continues to drift in the Atlantic off Bermuda. The vessel which has already been disabled for a week has “a little over a week’s time” to wait for the towage vessel to arrive. The 102,000 dwt vessel is “safely adrift at sea,” Maersk said in response to an inquiry. The company reports the ship which was built in 2004 and is registered in Singapore has electric power and is able to operate its thruster to maneuver if necessary.  The ship was disabled after a fire and possible engine room explosion on April 28 while approximately 354 nautical miles east of Bermuda.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. State regulators in Washington have approved a new line marking rule for traps used in the state’s Dungeness crab fishery in the hopes of reducing the risk vertical lines pose to whales. “These proposed regulations are instrumental in advancing conservation efforts around whale entanglements,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Coastal Marine Fisheries Whale Entanglement coordinator Megan Hintz said in February, when the changes were first proposed.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. When it comes to running a shipyard, navigating regulations and compliance can sometimes feel more complicated than navigating open water. One area that continues to challenge even the most seasoned operators is the United States Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (USL&H). Misunderstandings abound, and the stakes for non-compliance are high—ranging from hefty fines to operational shutdowns.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Pacific Northwest ferry and excursion vessel operator FRS Clipper Inc., Seattle, announced it has ordered a new whale watching boat for scheduled delivery next year. The 103.4'x32' high-speed aluminum catamaran was designed by One2Three Naval Architects, Sydney, Australia, and it will be built by Mavrik Marine Inc., La Conner, Wash. The USCG Subchapter T vessel will have capacity for up to 150 passengers plus a crew of four to eight. “Our current vessel, the much beloved San Juan Clipper, is nearing retirement and needed a replacement,” FRS Clipper CEO Mark Collins told WorkBoat. “The new vessel will replace the SJC in May 2026, making two round trips per day during prime times.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB), Freeland, Wash., has been awarded a contract by San Francisco Bay Ferry to design and construct two 400-passenger battery-electric ferries under the agency’s Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) Ferry Program. The 142'1"x34'9" Subchapter K catamarans will operate at 25 knots on central Bay routes, connecting Oakland and Alameda with San Francisco, an NBBB press release said.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A new initiative facilitated by Washington Maritime Blue and with leadership from Port of Seattle, Northwest Seaport Alliance, Port of Tacoma, Washington Department of Commerce and the Consortium for Hydrogen and Renewably Generated E-fuels (CHARGE)—called the Sustainable Maritime Fuels Collaborative (SMF Collaborative), officially launched today.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The world’s first commercial-use ammonia-fueled vessel, Sakigake, completed a three-month demonstration voyage. Engaged in tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay, NYK which owns the vessel reports it achieved a GHG-emission reduction of up to approximately 95 percent. They believe it illustrates the potential of ammonia as a maritime fuel. The 272-ton tug Sakigake, which was built in 2015 as Japan’s first LNG-fueled tug, was selected for the pioneering project. When it was introduced a decade ago, the tug which is 122 feet (37 meters) in length was viewed as a proof of concept for alternative fuel operations in the class. It is again taking that role for ammonia-fueled propulsion.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. It is time to get serious about hacking  — and engaging the hacker community — as a pathway to a stronger maritime environment. All of us in the maritime industry appreciate our respective nation's reliance upon the maritime transportation system (MTS) for our very way of life. We all know the numbers: In the U.S., the MTS reportedly makes a $5.4 trillion contribution to the economy, representing about 25% of the U.S. gross domestic product and supporting 30 million jobs. Nearly 80% of global trade and nearly two-thirds of the world's total petroleum and other liquid energy supply is carried by ship. Overall, approximately 90% of any nation's imports/exports move by sea. Most global supply chains are existentially dependent upon maritime shipping.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss.., has successfully launched future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), the third Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be built at the shipyard. DDG 129 is named for former U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Denton Jr., a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism as a prisoner of war. Following his Navy career, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing his home state of Alabama, in 1980.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Bollinger Shipyards on Tuesday announced it has received a $951.6 million contract to proceed with building the United States’ first new heavy polar icebreaker in nearly 50 years. The Lockport, La.-based shipbuilding group said the contract modification advances the detail design and construction phase of the U.S. Coast Guard polar security cutter (PSC) program, paving way for the series’ first vessel, the 460'x88' USCGC Polar Sentinel (WMSP-21), to be completed by 2030.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. In another sign that ammonia-fueled ships are getting closer to on-water reality, Alfa Laval has signed its first contract for its ammonia fuel supply system, FCM Ammonia, reinforcing its position as a front-runner in developing solutions for decarbonizing the maritime industry. The ammonia fuel supply system will be installed onboard seven ammonia dual-fuel LPG/ammonia carriers for Tianjin Southwest Maritime. With international shipping projected to more than double by 2050, the adoption of low-carbon fuels is crucial in the maritime industry’s pursuit of net zero emissions. Ammonia, recognized as a promising low-carbon fuel, is experiencing significant advances and increasing demand.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. PUYALLUP RESERVATION, Tacoma, Wash. — In a historic first, the Puyallup Tribe and The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) have joined forces to expand the region’s shipping capacity through construction of a new berth on the East Blair Waterway. The move expands current berth (pier) capacity for the world’s largest shipping lines, positioning the Seattle/Tacoma gateway to gain market share and increase economic activity across the region. Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the Tribe and the NWSA intend to construct a new pier adjacent to one on the East Blair Waterway and to jointly market and operate both facilities. The NWSA is a marine cargo operating partnership of the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma and is the seventh-largest gateway in North America. The new pier has the working name “Puyallup Tribal Terminal.”

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Kongsberg Maritime has signed at contract for the design of two UT7623 SEV design multipurpose subsea vessels for Fosnavåg, Norway-headquartered Olympic Group. The “SEV” in the designation stands for “Sustainable Energy Vessel” and they will be methanol-ready and feature battery hybrid technology. The first references for Kongsberg Maritime’s latest subsea construction vessel designs, they will feature a fully integrated package of Kongsberg technology. The vessels will be constructed at the CMHI shipyard in Shenzhen, China, with delivery scheduled for the summer of 2027. They will operate in both the renewable energy and oil and gas sectors, featuring advanced technologies that significantly exceed the requirements of the Paris Agreement.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A hearing into U.S. shipbuilding held by the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee likely gave some insights into issues that will be top of mind for the White House office of shipbuilding planned by President Trump. “U.S. shipbuilders continue to produce the highest quality, safest and most advanced warships on the planet, said the first witness, Dr. Brett A. Seidle, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition. “We have the finest Navy ever assembled in the history of the world,” Seidle said. “They’re coming to a theater near you, bringing their A game.” However, at a time when adversaries around the globe challenge the maritime commons, the U.S. shipbuilding industry is challenged to produce the quantity of ships at the rate required, he said.