Singapore-based offshore services company Vallianz has closed its repair and maintenance shipyard in Singapore, and the move will soon be followed by another closure in the region when Hyundai Heavy Industries closes its Gunsan yard.

The order backlog held by South Korean shipyards fell to the lowest level in over 13 years in December, according to Clarkson Research Services data.

Dutch shipbuilder Veka Group is building two hybrid trimarans for transporting personnel and freight to offshore wind farms. The company claims that the vessels will be the first hybrid trimarans in the world.

Maersk, the world's largest container shipping line, has teamed up with Alibaba to allow customers to reserve space on its vessels through the Chinese company, illustrating growing cooperation between e-commerce and logistics firms.

This year, a number of Danish organizations will be running a pilot Internet of Things project to test the collection of real-time data from equipment onboard ships. The Aalborg-based company GateHouse is behind the pilot project, and a number of other companies including the shipowner Uni-Tankers, Logimatic and the Danish Maritime Authority will contribute to the testing of the new technology.

Sri Lanka will take part in a joint venture with China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited to develop a port in its south, where China has also been offered an investment zone.

Leaders from global shipping firms, freight forwarders, brand owners whose products are counterfeited and organizations representing both industries recently signed a joint Declaration of Intent to Prevent the Maritime Transport of Counterfeit Goods in Brussels.

Siemens has commissioned its first specialized transport vessel, the Rotra Vente, to transport the large nacelles used in offshore wind turbines.