Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd hit their 90% on-time schedule reliability target across all trades in April/May. Across the main deepsea trades, the carrier groupings all mostly saw similar reliability: Gemini the most on-time; followed by standalone liner MSC; and then the Ocean and finally Premier alliances. According to new data from Sea-Intelligence Consulting, the Gemini Cooperation recorded 91.4% schedule reliability in trade arrivals during April/May, on a like-for-like comparison with the same period in the previous year, when it was still rolling out its new network. MSC’s standalone network saw schedule reliability of 79.7%, while the Ocean and Premier alliance were third and fourth, with schedule reliability levels of 69.7% and 54%, respectively. Gemini’s standout service was its Asia-Northern Europe Loop 3 – the AE3 at Maersk and NE3 at Hapag-Lloyd – which hit a 100% reliability across 15 arrivals during the period. It will be interesting to see, in the next couple of months, whether Gemini will be able to maintain the loop’s 100% reliability, as the service is undergoing considerable change as new direct port calls are inserted. Whereas the current AE3/NE3 port rotation features Gemini’s preponderance for transhipment hubs – which the partners had argued would allow them to achieve 90%-plus reliability – the new schedule will see two calls at Algeciras dropped and new North European calls added at Aarhus, Gothenburg, and Southampton. The number of ships deployed on the string will remain the same, at 13, according to Xeneta’s eeSea liner database. Meanwhile, Gemini’s schedule reliability across its four Asia-North Europe strings dipped to 94.1%, caused by the Asia-Northern Europe Loop 1’s schedule reliability of 81%, while Loop 2 and Loop 4 achieved 93.6% and 98.1%, respectively. It was still well ahead of its rivals: MSC posted an Asia-North Europe reliability of 78.8%; Ocean Alliance hit 52.9%; and the Premier Alliance lagged at 39.1%. Average reliability across all Asia-North Europe services was 67.8%, while on the Asia-Mediterranean trade it was 67.1%, which Gemini again led, with schedule reliability of 95.2%, followed by MSC with 83.9%, and the Ocean and Premier alliances with 60.9% and 59.1%, respectively. On the transpacific liner reliability was even more impressive – Gemini recorded 97.1% on Asia-North America west coast services and 97.9% on Asia-US east coast trades. Into the west coast, MSC had a 76% on-time arrival rate, with Ocean Alliance at 65.6% and Premier Alliance at 57.1%, while into the east coast, Ocean took second place, with 70.2%, MSC 66.1%, and the Premier Alliance was at 54.4%. There were also a host of services that managed to hit 100% reliability, including the express EEX service operated by CMA CGM-owned APL, and three Gemini strings. The smallest of the east-west trades, the transatlantic – on which the Premier Alliance has no network, member lines slot-chartering on other services – saw MSC top the reliability rankings between the Mediterranean and the North America east coast, at 71.7%, followed by Gemini, with 70.6%; while on the North Europe-North America east coast route, Gemini resumed top spot, at 88.2%, with MSC at 76.8%, and the Ocean Alliance with 62.5%.

When her nine-year-old daughter died of an asthma attack in 2013, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah had never heard about air pollution being a possible trigger for asthma. After a medical report suggested a direct link between Ella's illness and illegal air pollution levels near her home, an inquest into her death was opened. Ella became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed on her death certificate. The coroner recorded that "there was a recognised failure to reduce the level of nitrogen dioxide to within the limits set by EU and domestic law". A spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told the BBC that the government was committed to reducing air pollution, which "robs people of their health and costs the NHS millions of pounds every year". Ella grew up in Lewisham in south-east London, near the South Circular Road, where her family still lives today. Although her mother said things had improved, she said more work was needed. "The first steps of cleaning up the air in London with Ulez (Ultra Low Emission Zone) have clearly been worth it," Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said. "There is still so much more to do." New BBC analysis shows London's air has improved substantially over the past decade. Average nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels have fallen by almost 38% since 2014 and every neighbourhood now meets the UK's legal limit, an annual average of 40 micrograms per cubic meter (μ g/m³). But fewer than 1% of neighbourhoods meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended guideline. At 10 μ g/m³, it is a quarter of the UK's legal limit. More deprived areas and neighbourhoods with larger non-white populations saw some of the biggest reductions in air pollution over the decade. But they also started with much higher levels of NO₂ and remain among the most polluted parts of London. "We don't all breathe the same air," said Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. The BBC's analysis used modelled air pollution data produced by Defra, together with census ethnicity data and income deprivation data from the UK government's Index of Multiple Deprivation. After Ella's death, before the inquest, Sir Stephen Holgate, professor of immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, examined her medical papers. He concluded that high levels of air pollution in Ella's neighbourhood contributed to the severity of her asthma and, ultimately, her death. "Air pollution is always talked about as an environmental issue. It's not talked about as a health issue," he said. Speaking recently to the BBC, Holgate argued reducing pollution was essential, but added that unless the government also tackled interconnected issues like poverty, housing, overcrowding and health inequalities, the burden of air pollution would continue to fall unequally. The WHO states air pollution can affect almost every organ in the body. A report from the Royal College of Physicians estimated air pollution had contributed to 30,000 deaths in the UK in 2025 and costs the economy more than £27bn annually. Holgate said communities with poorer underlying health and living conditions were more vulnerable to pollution, which he said explained why inequalities persisted even as pollution fell. A Defra spokesperson said the government was committed to reducing harmful pollution through measures including cleaner transport, tighter emissions standards and support for local authorities. Multiple clean-air policies were introduced in the period covered by the BBC's analysis between 2014 and 2024. They include cleaner buses and a shift towards lower-emission vehicles, as well as London's Ulez, which replaced the earlier Toxicity Charge (T-Charge). Research published this year found the T-Charge and the original central London Ulez were associated with reductions in emergency hospital admissions among adults living in the zone.Another recent study founddeaths linked to air pollution fell by an estimated 40% in London over five years from 2019. Last week, a group of researchers publishedresults from a five-year studyfollowing primary school children in London and Luton to determine if young children's lungs begin to recover under air quality improvements. Their findings show children in London whose lung growth had been stunted by pollution improved drastically in the years after the introduction of the Ulez. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said: "London's Ulez, the world's largest clean-air zone, has been a huge success in cleaning up London's air, with harmful roadside NO₂ concentrations now 24% lower in outer London compared to without the Ulez in place. "All Londoners are now breathing much cleaner air, but there is still more to do and the mayor will continue to take action as we build a greener, fairer London for everyone." Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, said cab drivers were sceptical when the Ulez was first introduced in central London in April 2019. But he has since changed his mind. "When you used to drive a cab around with the windows open, at the end of the day, your hand was black. You were filthy. You don't get that now. You can actually breathe the difference." Despite the improvements in air quality, the expansion of the Ulez in 2023 remains controversial, with some small business owners and trade unions arguing the financial burden has fallen unfairly. Maria Melucci, who owns an Italian deli in Bexley village in south-east London, said she had seen first hand how the expansion affected small businesses. Many of her customers came from Kent, but many of the customers coming from outside the Ulez area now have to pay the daily £12.50 charge to visit her shop. "If air pollution kills people, if it affects people's lungs, for sure we must do it," she said about the policy. "I'm not against that. But charging poor people is not the solution." Melucci also questioned the logic behind the Ulez charge: "If that car is polluting and dangerous, then that car should be taken off the street, not pay £12.50 to drive anyway." Gavin Davies, GMB union senior organiser, said: "We are very supportive of cleaner air in London and welcome improvements to the capital's air quality, but we'd argue that more needs to be done to shield frontline workers from the costs associated with Ulez." He said NHS workers unable to afford Ulez-compliant vehicles often could not rely on public transport for their commute during unsocial hours or to more remote sites. He added some staff whose shifts crossed from one day into the next were being forced to pay the Ulez charge twice, creating an unfair burden on night workers. "We'd like to see discounts to the Ulez charge applied for NHS and other frontline workers, as well as the introduction of schemes to assist them to purchase Ulez-compliant vehicles." London has cleaned up its air faster than many expected. But while pollution has fallen across every London neighbourhood, the BBC's analysis shows communities which have historically experienced the dirtiest air continue to face higher levels of pollution. Adoo-Kissi-Debra said she would keep pushing the government on implementing the stricter WHO air quality targets by 2030 through the proposed Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, known as Ella's Law in memory of her daughter. "Pollution is still there, it's just different now. Whereas 70 years ago you could see it with the naked eye, it's now hidden. You have to see it underneath a microscope," she said. "But if people are continuing to breathe dirty air, they're going to continue to get ill."

La contaminación atmosférica procedente de los cruceros podría estar perjudicando la salud de las personas que viven en ciudades portuarias al aumentar la inflamación y la susceptibilidad a virus como el resfriado común y la COVID-19. La nueva investigación realizada por la Universidad de Southampton (Reino Unido), publicada en la revista 'Environment International', estudió la calidad del aire en el puerto de Southampton. El aire contenía material particulado ultrafino (PM), partículas de polvo no mayores que una milésima parte del ancho de un cabello humano, enriquecidas con oligoelementosprocedentes de la quema de combustible para barcos. Las pruebas de laboratorio revelaron que estas partículas aumentan las señales inflamatorias y debilitan la defensa de las células contra las infecciones virales, como la COVID-19 o el resfriado común. "En esta investigación hemos identificado una clara 'huella' de contaminación atmosférica procedente de los cruceros que queman combustible en los puertos", afirma Matthew Loxham, profesor de Biología Respiratoria y Toxicología y autor principal del estudio. Explica que las partículas ultrafinas contenidas en las emisiones de estos barcos pueden penetrar más profundamente en los pulmones que las partículas de mayor tamaño, "e incluso pueden llegar a entrar en el torrente sanguíneo, pero las partículas de este tamaño no están reguladas y, por lo general, no se controlan". "Descubrimos que la exposición de las células a estas partículas, y al vanadio -el elemento más abundante en ellas-, era proinflamatoria y facilitaba la replicación de los virus", asegura. Por primera vez, los investigadores han llevado a cabo una investigación exhaustiva sobre la composición y la toxicología de las partículas en suspensión (PM) dentro de un puerto con mucho tráfico. El equipo seleccionó cinco puntos de muestreo ubicados en los alrededores del puerto de Southampton, incluyendo una puerta de acceso al muelle utilizada para el movimiento de vehículos pesados, una terminal de contenedores y una concurrida terminal de cruceros.También tomaron muestras en un punto de comparación, situado a 5 km del puerto, para obtener una lectura de referencia. Se recogieron muestras de partículas en suspensión a finales de la primavera y principios del verano, así como durante el invierno en la terminal de cruceros durante la temporada baja, cuando hay muchos menos cruceros. En la terminal de cruceros, los investigadores encontraron niveles más altos devanadio, níquel y cobaltoen las partículas finas y ultrafinas durante la ajetreada temporada de verano que en los meses de invierno, más tranquilos. Las concentraciones de estos oligoelementos también fueron, en general,más elevadas en todo el puerto que en el lugar de comparación. La doctora Nat Easton, autora principal del estudio y también de la Universidad de Southampton, apunta que observaron aumentos en la concentración cuando el viento venía de la dirección de los cruceros y cuando la presencia de cruceros era mayor. "Las mayores concentraciones en la terminal de cruceros que en el resto del puerto se deben quizás al aumento de las emisiones de los cruceros que permanecen en la terminal en comparación con los buques de carga, perolas diferencias en el origen del combustible y los tiempos de ocupación de los muelles también pueden influir", subraya. En pruebas de laboratorio realizadas con células del revestimiento pulmonar, los investigadores descubrieron que la exposición a las partículas ultrafinas en suspensión procedentes de las terminales de cruceros durante la temporada de verano provocabaun aumento en la expresión de genes relacionados con la respuesta inflamatoria y una disminución en la expresión de genes de respuesta antiviral. Pruebas adicionales revelaron que el vanadio podría desempeñar un papel en esto. El profesor Loxham explica: "Para estudiar esto más a fondo, infectamos células epiteliales bronquiales de los pulmones de donantes sanos con rinovirus humano (el virus que causa el resfriado común y una de las principales causas de hospitalizaciones tras ataques de asma) ytambién utilizamos un modelo de infección por coronavirus COVID-19". "Al exponerse al vanadio, aumentó el número de copias de ambos virus, lo que indica que el vanadio influye en la disminución de la capacidad de las células para prevenir la replicación viral --prosigue--.Esto tiene posibles implicaciones para la gravedad y la propagación de la infección". Los investigadores afirman que los hallazgos refuerzan los llamamientos para reducir las emisiones de los buques en zonas pobladas mediante la adopción de energía eléctrica en tierra procedente de fuentes de energía limpias, combustibles alternativos cuidadosamente seleccionados o la mejora de la tecnología de reducción de emisiones. También señalan que es necesario un mayor control de las partículas ultrafinas y sus efectos en la salud parafundamentar la normativa y proteger mejor la salud de las personas que viven cerca de los puertos de todo el mundo.

MADRID, 19 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) - La contaminación atmosférica procedente de los cruceros podría estar perjudicando la salud de las personas que viven en ciudades portuariasal aumentar la inflamación y la susceptibilidad a virus como el resfriado común y la COVID-19. La nueva investigaciónrealizada por la Universidad de Southampton (Reino Unido), publicada en la revista 'Environment International', estudió la calidad del aire en el puerto de Southampton. El aire contenía material particulado ultrafino (PM), partículas de polvo no mayores que una milésima parte del ancho de un cabello humano, enriquecidas con oligoelementos procedentes de la quema de combustible para barcos. Las pruebas de laboratorio revelaron queestas partículas aumentan las señales inflamatorias y debilitan la defensa de las células contra las infecciones virales, como la COVID-19 o elresfriado común. “En esta investigación hemos identificadouna clara ‘huella’ de contaminación atmosférica procedente de los cruceros que queman combustible en los puertos”, afirma Matthew Loxham, profesor de Biología Respiratoria y Toxicología y autor principal del estudio. Explica que las partículas ultrafinas contenidas en las emisiones de estos barcos pueden penetrar más profundamente en los pulmones que las partículas de mayor tamaño, "e incluso pueden llegar a entrar en el torrente sanguíneo, perolas partículas de este tamaño no están reguladasy, por lo general, no se controlan". “Descubrimos quela exposición de las células a estas partículas, y al vanadio—el elemento más abundante en ellas—,era proinflamatoriay facilitaba la replicación de los virus", asegura. Por primera vez, los investigadores han llevado a cabo una investigación exhaustiva sobre la composición y la toxicología de las partículas en suspensión (PM) dentro de un puerto con mucho tráfico. El equipo seleccionó cinco puntos de muestreo ubicados en los alrededores del puerto de Southampton, incluyendo una puerta de acceso al muelle utilizada para el movimiento de vehículos pesados, una terminal de contenedores y una concurrida terminal de cruceros. También tomaron muestras en un punto de comparación, situado a 5 km del puerto, para obtener una lectura de referencia. Se recogieron muestras de partículas en suspensión a finales de la primavera y principios del verano, así como durante el invierno en la terminal de cruceros durante la temporada baja, cuando hay muchos menos cruceros. En la terminal de cruceros, los investigadoresencontraron niveles más altos de vanadio, níquel y cobalto en las partículas finas y ultrafinas durante la ajetreada temporada de veranoque en los meses de invierno, más tranquilos. Las concentraciones de estos oligoelementos también fueron, en general, más elevadas en todo el puerto que en el lugar de comparación. La doctora Nat Easton, autora principal del estudio y también de la Universidad de Southampton, apunta que observaron aumentos en la concentración cuando el viento venía de la dirección de los cruceros y cuando la presencia de cruceros era mayor. “Las mayores concentraciones en la terminal de cruceros que en el resto del puerto se deben quizás al aumento de las emisiones de los cruceros que permanecen en la terminal en comparación con los buques de carga, pero las diferencias en el origen del combustible y los tiempos de ocupación de los muelles también pueden influir", subraya. En pruebas de laboratorio realizadas con células del revestimiento pulmonar, los investigadores descubrieron que la exposición a las partículas ultrafinas en suspensión procedentes de las terminales de cruceros durante la temporada de veranoprovocaba un aumento en la expresión de genes relacionados con la respuesta inflamatoria y una disminución en la expresión de genes de respuesta antiviral. Pruebas adicionales revelaron queel vanadio podría desempeñar un papel en esto. El profesor Loxham explica: “Para estudiar esto más a fondo, infectamos células epiteliales bronquiales de los pulmones de donantes sanos con rinovirus humano (el virus que causa el resfriado común y una de las principales causas de hospitalizaciones tras ataques de asma) y también utilizamos un modelo de infección porCOVID-19". “Al exponerse al vanadio, aumentó el número de copias de ambos virus, lo que indica que el vanadio influye en la disminución de la capacidad de las células para prevenir la replicación viral --prosigue--. Esto tiene posibles implicaciones para la gravedad y la propagación de la infección". Los investigadores afirman quelos hallazgos refuerzan los llamamientos para reducir las emisiones de los buques en zonas pobladasmediante la adopción de energía eléctrica en tierra procedente de fuentes de energía limpias, combustibles alternativos cuidadosamente seleccionados o la mejora de la tecnología de reducción de emisiones. También señalan quees necesario un mayor control de las partículas ultrafinas y sus efectos en la saludpara fundamentar la normativa y proteger mejor la salud de las personas que viven cerca de los puertos de todo el mundo.

Miles de personas viven y trabajan cada día cerca de grandes puertos turísticos, sin saber que el aire que respiran puede estar alterando la forma en que su cuerpo responde a virus comunes.Un nuevo estudiocientíficoadvierte que lacontaminaciónatmosférica generada por cruceros en ciudades portuarias aumenta la inflamación pulmonar y la vulnerabilidad a infecciones respiratorias, incluyendo la COVID-19 y el resfriado común. La investigación, liderada por laUniversidad de Southamptony publicada en la revistaEnvironment International, detalla cómo las emisiones de estos barcos afectan de manera directa la salud de quienes habitan en esas zonas. PUBLICIDAD El estudio, realizado en elpuerto de Southampton —uno de los más transitados de Europa—, expuso cómo los cruceros generan altos niveles dematerial particulado ultrafino(PM), es decir, partículas mucho más pequeñas que el grosor de un cabello humano. Estas partículas, enriquecidas con metales comovanadio, níquel y cobalto, tienen la capacidad de llegar a las zonas más profundas de los pulmones y, en algunos casos, entrar al torrente sanguíneo. De acuerdo con la investigación,estos contaminantes no están regulados ni monitoreados de forma habitual. PUBLICIDAD “En esta investigación hemos identificado una clara ‘huella’ de contaminación atmosférica procedente de los cruceros que queman combustible en los puertos”, afirmóMatthew Loxham, profesor de Biología Respiratoria y Toxicología y autor principal del estudio. “Las partículas ultrafinas contenidas en las emisiones de estos barcos pueden penetrar más profundamente en los pulmones que las partículas de mayor tamaño, e incluso pueden llegar a entrar en el torrente sanguíneo”. El equipo científico instaló estaciones de monitoreo en diferentes puntos del puerto, incluyendo la terminal de cruceros, y comparó los resultados con un sitio ubicado a cinco kilómetros. Los niveles devanadio, níquel y cobaltoresultaron más altos en la terminal durante la temporada alta de verano, cuando la presencia de cruceros es mayor. PUBLICIDAD Natasha Easton, autora principal, explicó:“Observamos aumentos en la concentración cuando el viento venía de la dirección de los cruceros y cuando la presencia de cruceros era mayor”. El hallazgo más preocupante surgió de las pruebas de laboratorio. Al exponer células del revestimiento pulmonar humano a estas partículas ultrafinas recolectadas en la terminal de cruceros, se detectó un aumento en los genes ligados a la inflamación y una reducción en la respuesta antiviral. PUBLICIDAD “Descubrimos que la exposición de las células a estas partículas, y al vanadio —el elemento más abundante en ellas—, era proinflamatoria y facilitaba la replicación de los virus”, precisó Loxham. Para comprender mejor este efecto, los científicos infectaron células pulmonares con rinovirus humano (causante del resfriado común) y un modelo de COVID-19. Al añadir vanadio, la replicación viral se incrementó de manera significativa. Esto sugiere quela contaminación por partículas ultrafinas emitidas por cruceros no solo afecta el sistema respiratorio, sino que también podría empeorar cuadros virales en poblaciones cercanas a los puertos. PUBLICIDAD La investigación también puso en evidencia una zona gris en las normativas ambientales. Las regulaciones actuales se concentran en partículas de mayor tamaño, pero dejan fuera a las ultrafinas, precisamente las más ricas en metales y las que logran penetrar más profundamente en el organismo. “Los hallazgos refuerzan los llamados a reducir las emisiones de los buques en zonas pobladas mediante la adopción de energía eléctrica en tierra procedente de fuentes limpias, combustibles alternativos o la mejora de la tecnología de reducción de emisiones”, señalaron los autores. PUBLICIDAD LaAutoridad Portuaria de Southamptonrespondió que las emisiones de contaminantes como dióxido de nitrógeno y material particulado se mantienen dentro de los límites nacionales, y defendió las inversiones realizadas en sistemas para reducir las emisiones, como la energía eléctrica en puerto. No obstante, expresó dudas sobre algunos aspectos metodológicos del estudio y sobre la fortaleza de sus conclusiones. Aunque la investigación se centró enSouthampton, sus resultados podrían tener impacto en muchas otrasciudades portuarias. El equipo de laUniversidad de Southamptonllamó a realizar estudios más amplios en comunidades portuarias para determinar cómo la exposición a estos contaminantes afecta la salud a largo plazo. PUBLICIDAD Los autores subrayaron la importancia de“un mayor control de las partículas ultrafinas y sus efectos en la salud para fundamentar la normativa y proteger mejor la salud de las personas que viven cerca de los puertos de todo el mundo”.Así, la actividad de los cruceros, símbolo de turismo y recreación, pone en foco un desafío ambiental y sanitario que trasciende fronteras. PUBLICIDAD PUBLICIDAD

10 July 2026 Air pollution from cruise ships could make people more vulnerable to respiratory viruses, including Covid-19 and the common cold, according to new research. Pollution from cruise ships may weaken the lungs' ability to fight viral infections Scientists from the University of Southampton found that ultrafine particles emitted by cruise ships appeared to trigger inflammation in lung cells while weakening their ability to fight viral infections. Researchers analysed air quality at six locations around the Port of Southampton and identified metals including vanadium, nickel and cobalt as a distinctive fingerprint of cruise ship emissions. The highest concentrations were detected near Southampton's cruise terminal. The team found pollution levels increased when winds blew from the direction of cruise ships and when more vessels were docked in port. Lead researcher Nat Easton told the BBC: "We see increases in concentration when the wind was coming from the direction of the cruise ships, and when cruise ship presence was higher." Laboratory tests exposed human lung lining cells to the ultrafine pollution particles, with researchers observing increased inflammatory responses alongside reduced antiviral gene activity. Additional testing using lung tissue and a Covid-19 model suggested vanadium – a metal commonly associated with cruise ship emissions – could promote viral replication. Professor Matthew Loxam added: "In this research, we've identified a clear air pollution 'signature' coming from cruise ships burning fuel in ports. "The ultrafine particles contained in these ships' emissions... are essentially unregulated and generally not monitored. "We found that exposure of cells to these particles, and vanadium – the most enriched element in the particles – was both pro-inflammatory and facilitated the replication of viruses." In response, Associated British Ports said it was proud of its work to reduce emissions but questioned the study's conclusions. They said: "Emissions like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are well within National Air Quality Objective mean annual limits. "We are concerned about some important aspects of the methodologies of the study and the strength of inference of some of findings that have been presented to the media." The British Ports Association explained that Southampton had led the way in introducing shoreside power, allowing cruise ships to plug into the electricity grid while berthed to reduce emissions, adding that ports continue to invest in cleaner fuels, electrification and low-emission technologies.

It's on us. Share your news here. Posted on June 23, 2026 Sad news for the Port of Baltimore as Executive Director Jonathan Daniels will be leaving the Maryland Port Administration later this summer to become Director and CEO ofPortMiami. Jonathan has been an outstanding leader and culture builder at the MPA and whose positive, genuine and humble nature helped him quickly forge close relationships with our stakeholders, labor, business partners and supporters. His steady hand and calm demeanor greatly helped guide the Port of Baltimore through one of the most challenging periods ever experienced by a port. During his two years here, Jonathan led the Port of Baltimore to a record year for containers; its second-best year for cargo volumes; a new five-year contract withCarnival Cruise Line; a $147 millionUS Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Clean Ports grant that is adding zero-emission equipment and charging infrastructure that will reduce emissions for the Port and our surrounding communities; additional federal funding to support our Mid-Chesapeake Bay environmental restoration project; and the start of double-stack container rail service that will grow our container business and generate more jobs. Source Project Makes Virginia Home to the Deepest Commercial Shipping Channel on the U.S. East Coast NORFOLK, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today celebrated the completion of the $450 million Norfolk Harbor dredging project at The Port of Virginia — making the commercial shipping channel serving the modern port complex the deepest on the U.S. East Coast….Read MoreShare this:Share on X (Opens in new window)XShare on Facebook (Opens in new window)FacebookShare on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn By Katherine Lin For decades, various Mississippi and Coast leaders have pushed to deepen the Port of Gulfport. Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a report recommending the project for congressional approval. The report, which is a result of a three-year study, recommends deepening the port from 36 feet to 46 feet…Read MoreShare this:Share on X (Opens in new window)XShare on Facebook (Opens in new window)FacebookShare on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn A DredgeWire Exclusive DredgeWire is pleased that Eric Ramírez Barreto of RMZ Marine will be contributing insightful pieces for DredgeWire with his insights on the maritime market. We think you’ll be intrigued by what he has to say. Here is his second column. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) was completed in 2022, deepening the federal channel from 42 feet…Read MoreShare this:Share on X (Opens in new window)XShare on Facebook (Opens in new window)FacebookShare on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn Headquartered together in Charleston, South Carolina, PORT 32 Marinas and Acme Marinas have announced the merger of their portfolios. The deal creates an expanded operating platform across established coastal locations in the United States, including major East Coast and Florida markets. The combined portfolio holds around 4,000 slips across 17 locations. PORT 32’s properties span Palm…Read MoreShare this:Share on X (Opens in new window)XShare on Facebook (Opens in new window)FacebookShare on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 19 June 2026: DP World has welcomed two of Europe’s largest quay cranes to Southampton in its latest investment to ensure this major container terminal can meet growing demand from UK trade. The quay cranes, weighing more than 2,000 tonnes each and standing nearly 150 metres high – more than 50 metres…Read MoreShare this:Share on X (Opens in new window)XShare on Facebook (Opens in new window)FacebookShare on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn Δ

June 9, 2026 © Compute Maritime Compute Maritime, the deep tech company behind NeuralShipper, the world's first Al platform for ship design, has revealed the results of its UK Government-funded project, GenDSOM, to bring generative Al and additive manufacturing into ship design. Working with consortium partners Siemens Digital Industries Software, Rapid Fusion, HP, BYD Naval Architects and the University of Southampton, the project has produced a next-generation crew transfer vessel (CTV) for the offshore wind sector that, in detailed performance modeling, saves 101,671 liters of fuel and 258.7 tons of CO2 per vessel every year compared with a conventional baseline. The designed vessel, a 32.5-meter twin-hull CTV designed by BYD Naval Architects and built to carry 24 offshore wind technicians and four crew, was developed using Compute Maritime's Neural Shipper Al to optimize its hull form, then paired with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system, developed with Siemens Energy. The combined result is an 11.1% reduction in annual fuel consumption and an 8.9% reduction in CO2 emissions against a like-for-like conventional diesel vessel operating the same offshore wind duty cycle. One finding underlines why the Al optimization matters so much. Modeled across a full day of operations, the baseline vessel ends the day with a 34 kWh energy deficit, drawing the batteries beyond their safe discharge limit and falling short of the 25-knot service speed. The Neura Shipper-optimized vessel reverses this, finishing the day with a 106 kWh surplus, comfortably within the battery's operating envelope and delivering full service speed. At the heart of the saving is the hull itself. NeuralShipper generated and refined a hull form that reduces the power required at the vessel's 25-knot service speed by 6.3%, with reductions of up to 11.6% at higher speeds. Because a crew transfer vessel spends its working life making repeated high-speed transits to and from wind farms, even a single-digit cut in required power compounds into tens of thousands of liters of fuel saved across a year of operations. GenDSOM advances manufacturing as well as design. As part of the project, Compute Maritime and Rapid Fusion developed a complete additive-manufacturing toolset that brings production constraints, such as build volume, support structures and material behavior, directly into the NeuralShipper design loop, so that components are optimised to be printable from the outset rather than reworked for manufacture afterwards. Using this approach, the consortium designed and produced a hydrofoil with Rapid Fusion's Apollo, a robotic large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) system that uses high-deposition pellet printing to build large composite and thermoplastic components. The result is a working demonstration of an unbroken pathway from Al-generated geometry to a finished, production-ready marine component. The vessel has been designed as a future-proof, upgradeable platform. By specifying an offshore fast-charging inlet at the build stage, it is ready to draw power from the charging infrastructure that wind farm operators are beginning to install at sea. As that infrastructure and the wider electricity grid continue to decarbonize, the vessel can progressively shift from diesel to battery power with no change to its core propulsion system, on a roadmap that points toward emissions reductions of around 95% over its 25-year service life. GenDSOM responds directly to the UK's 2025 Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, which targets emissions reductions of 30% by 2030 and 80% by 2040 for domestic maritime. Decarbonizing smaller working vessels such as crew transfer vessels, which operate intensively and in growing numbers across the UK's expanding offshore wind fleet, is recognized as critical to meeting those targets. GenDSOM is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) program in the Department for Transport. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the main delivery partner for UK SHORE interventions.

(WGGB/WSHM) - Following the early morning rain on Saturday, May 30th, nearly 32,500 utility customers across Massachusetts were without power as debris knocked down power lines around 1 p.m. The wind caused more outages to the east of the Pioneer Valley, affecting several towns in southern Worcester County like in Uxbridge as well in the North Shore, with thousands without power in Swampscott during that time. Around 2:30 p.m. just over 4,100 electricity customers were without power in the South Shore town of Plymouth. Around 4 p.m. about 3,600 utility customers in Norton were without power. Here in western Massachusetts, fewer power outages have been reported, with the most significant happening in Southampton and Tolland around noon. Western Mass News will continue to update as the wind storm continues through Saturday. Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.