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Cunard has announced details of its 2015 world voyage programme, featuring a Royal Rendezvous of the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria in Sydney on 12 March.

Of note for Australians and New Zealanders is a special visit by the Queen Elizabeth to the waters off Gallipoli to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the WWI campaign. In Australia, the Queen Elizabeth will make her maiden call to Yorkey’s Knob off Cairns on 9 March.

Read more: Sydney Royal Rendezvous in Cunard’s 2015 Programme

Australia has replaced its century-old maritime laws with new and stricter requirements for commercial seafarers and vessels to reflect the expectations of a modern shipping industry.

Read more: Australia Toughens Marine Safety and Environment Laws

The arrest in Panama of the North Korean ship Chong Chon Gang followed what was thought to be just another ship inspection.

Read more: Weapons Cache Discovered Bound For North Korea

In the absense of any demand for large high speed ferries Incat Tasmania has secured a contract for the construction of a fast 70 metre crew support vessel for operations in the Caspian Sea oil industry in Azerbaijan.

The contract was signed on 1st August in Baku Azerbaijan by Incat Chairman Robert Clifford and representatives of Caspian Marine Services.

Read more: New Market for Incat

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has confirmed that it built six container ships with the same design as Mitsui OSK Line’s MOL Comfort, the breaking up of which has drawn attention to how the vessel was constructed.

The ships’ class society, ClassNK, and its shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will arrange inspections of the sisters with MOL during port calls on their trading routes.

Read more: Concerns for Sisters of Split MOL Comfort

Japan’s K Line has executed orders for two LNG carriers at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, respectively, in partnership with oil firm Inpex for deliveries from the Ichthys LNG project off the coast of Western Australia.

Read more: K Line Orders LNG Carrier Pair