The DCN

An interview with the CEO of Pacific Tug Group, Chris Peters When Pacific Tug Group first began exploring the development of a new heavy-lift general cargo wharf in Bundaberg, the …

AMSA has issued a third ban in less than two months after another shipping company was found to have underpaid its crew, breaching the Maritime Labour Convention. On 23 April …

ACCOMPANYING today’s announcement of the truncation of the Inland Rail project and an extra $1.2 billion for rail network improvements the Federal Government revealed a new $55 million program to …

DCN delves into the world of tugs and towage, a sector crucial to the success of ports and offshore projects, and provides fresh insights into environmental innovation, decommissioning, and corporate …

Pacific Towing, part of Steamships Limited’s Logistics Division, is Melanesia’s largest marine services business. Employing over 250 staff and owning a fleet of 20 vessels, the business provides a broad …

THE RAIL freight package offered by the federal government as a sweetener to its announcement of the truncation of Inland Rail has been welcomed by Aurizon. Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, …

THE FIRST QUARTER 2026 Seafarers Happiness Index (SHI) from The Mission to Seafarers has revealed a quarter of two halves, with an initial period of stabilisation abruptly overturned by the …

GERALDTON’S Mid West Ports Authority has won Western Australia's 2026 Platinum Waterwise Business of the Year. The port slashed its water use by 33% in less than 12 months while …

MAYFIELD Development Corporation has welcomed a decision by the High Court of Australia allowing its appeal in Mayfield Development Corporation Pty Ltd v NSW Port Operations Hold Co Pty Ltd. …

INDUSTRY has broadly supported the federal government’s move to pause construction of Inland Rail beyond Parkes while redirecting money elsewhere in the rail freight network. However, key industry figures say …

STATE and federal governments have announced a raft of new fuel and fertiliser security measures. Today, 6 May, the West Australian state government announced it has secured an extra eight …

FEDERAL infrastructure minister Catherine King has cited whopping cost blowouts on Inland Rail for the decision to pause the project at Parkes in central New South Wales. In a statement …

WEST Australian-based shipbuilder, Austal, has landed an order for two more Evolved Cape-class patrol boats for the Australian Border Force (ABF). The contract extension, valued at around $150.3 million, takes …

ENTRIES close this Thursday for the Shipping Australia Victoria 10th Annual Phil Kelly OAM Perpetual Golf Challenge, to be held at the Latrobe Golf Club the following Thursday, 14 May. …

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services, Inc, parent of Melbourne’s Victoria International Container Terminal, has turned in a stellar first quarter with recurring net income up 29% to US$308.27 million. Throughput increased …

THE BAD news continues to ship out from container lines with the global number four reporting a weak Q1 2026 and the number six disclosing a giant drop in full-year …

THE government of Victoria has announced $124.5 million to progress the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at the Port of Hastings as part of the state budget for 2026-27. The money …

GLOBAL air cargo spot rates are reported to have surged +30% year-on-year in April to USD 3.34 per kilo, their highest level since October 2022. Air cargo analysts Xeneta say …

WELLINGTON District Court has fined KiwiRail hundreds of thousands of dollars after the company pled guilty to charges laid by Maritime New Zealand over the 2024 grounding of rail/ro-pax Aratere. …

AN ATTEMPT to import 98kilos of methamphetamine via a shipping container full of wheat threshers has seen a man from Croydon Hills in Melbourne jailed for 10 years and eight …

HAVING reached Geelong on Saturday and undertaken berthing trials at the TT Line terminal yesterday, the second of the new Bass Strait ro-paxes is now safely alongside Station Pier in …

THE BALTIC Dry Index (BDI) continued its upward trajectory, closing at 2665 points for 24 April 2026, up from 17 April's figure of 2567. Capesize The market began the week …

LANDBRIDGE has escalated its standoff with the Commonwealth over the future of Darwin Port, lodging a formal dispute under the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) and warning the government against …

PILBARA Ports has celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Pilbara Aboriginal Strike which helped pressure government to improve conditions for Aboriginal workers. The 1946 to 1949 strike marked Aboriginal pastoral …

THE COURT battle between Pilbara Ports and Mineral Resources has played out in the WA Supreme Court in a dispute over the Port of Ashburton channel fees. Both The West …

UNLOCKING land near ports is a key tenet of Queensland’s fuel security plan announced on the weekend. The Queensland government says space near ports will be made available for both …

BETTER access to the Port of Newcastle for regional producers is expected to result from the reopening of the Beni Creek rail bridge near Dubbo. The Australian Rail Track Corporation …

THE DREWRY World Container Index (WCI) declined for the third consecutive week, easing 1% to $2,216 per 40ft container, due to softer rates on Asia–Europe, Transpacific and Transatlantic trade routes. …

THE COMPETITIVE exemptions available under Part X of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) are not granted unconditionally. In exchange for the right to coordinate pricing and capacity, carriers …

THE MISSION to Seafarers in Melbourne is holding its inaugural Seafarer Session on 28 May, the first in what will be a series of periodic lunches, featuring guest speakers and …

MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Company is riding the rails via a new inland network assembled during the last six months. The carrier claims it can deliver a faster, simpler, and more predictable …

MID WEST Ports in Western Australia has thrown its weight behind a program to help maintain maritime heritage by sponsoring the Batavia Coast Replica Boat Association. The association is the …

PORT of Newcastle says it has marked another milestone as a leader in renewable energy logistics, with the first oversize and/or overmass (OSOM) wind farm movement from its multipurpose terminal …

AUTHORITIES are continuing to search for a crew member believed to have gone overboard from the chemical/products tanker Chem Cobalt in Port Phillip Bay. The 19,990 DWT, Liberia flag vessel, …

It was a short week for some of the country, with some of us trying hard to complete five days of work in four. If you’re anything like me, you’re …

THE AUSTRALIAN shipping community has lost “a true gentleman” with the passing on Sunday [26 April] of Paul Nicholson at the age of 83. Tributes have poured out to ‘Nicko’ …

SUPPLY chain dependencies and fragmented policy settings are constraining progress towards greater renewable energy generation, new research reveals. As global commitments towards net-zero emissions by 2050 intensify, hidden challenges in …

BUSINESSES that withhold fair fuel surcharges, whether due to inertia, confusion, or deliberate pressure, are contributing to conditions that can push transport operators out of the market, an industry expert …

THE 4,308 TEU container ship MSC Acapulco IV is due to arrive back in Port Philip this afternoon, after suffering engine problems off Cape Otway during a scheduled voyage from …

THE MARITIME UNION of New Zealand is furious about revelations the national government is using money ‘saved’ by the cancellation of an emergency towage vessel contract to upgrade an airport. …

AUSTRALIAN rural export volumes rose 6.9% during 2025, driven by strong meat and grain shipments, with export values also lifting sharply early in 2026, the Westpac April quarterly agriculture report …

NEW figures from Inland Rail show total spending with “local companies” on the project topped $660 million at the end of December. Some $130 million was spent during 2025, with …

NEW ZEALAND company Vessev is to debut its leading-edge electric passenger vessels on Hobart’s River Derwent next year, introducing its water-breaking hydrofoils to commuter service. Fly Derwent, a new clean …

MELBOURNE’s Swinburne University of Technology has embarked on a landmark national study to determine the plight of Australia’s road freight sector. Swinburne, in partnership with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, …

TT LINE’s second new Bass Strait ro-pax Spirit of Tasmania V is expected in Geelong on Sunday, having departed Fremantle at 1345 hours Monday [27 April] after completing regulatory clearances …

AAL SHIPPING has obtained ISO 27001 certification, the internationally recognised standard for information security management systems. The company says the new certification complements AAL’s fully aligned and renewed QHSE integrated …

THE FEDERAL government has signed off on the development of Western Australia’s new Westport container terminal with a combined state and federal commitment of $1.1 billion to the project. A …

Geopolitical disruption and liner shipping have always been uneasy companions. When conflict or instability affects a major trade corridor, the commercial consequences travel fast — rerouting decisions, insurance adjustments, and …

A CRITICAL step in Pilbara Ports final major marine construction phase for the Mardie Project is underway with dredging operations at the Port of Cape Preston West. The dredging for …

NEW Zealand’s KiwiRail is putting in place alternative Cook Strait freight coverage during the forthcoming absence of its Interislander ro-paxes for wet- and drydockings. The company is reactivating NZ Connect, …