Danish shipping group Maersk has agreed to join a study by maritime services firm Lloyd's Register (LR) and UK-based Core Power, that will assess the potential for nuclear-powered container shipping in Europe. The maritime industry has been exploring whether nuclear fuel can be used to power commercial ships as technological advancements have opened up such options, but industry officials last year said nuclear fuel solutions for ships were at least a decade away. Shipping, which transports around 90 percent of world trade, accounts for nearly 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and the industry is under pressure to find cleaner fuel solutions.  

Contact: Maersk

Website: www.maersk.com 

Sydney's new multi-billion-dollar driverless metro line officially opened to commuters. The state government of New South Wales (NSW) estimates the service will carry up to 250,000 passengers on a typical weekday and save commuters travelling from Sydenham to Barangaroo in central Sydney 27 minutes. Construction on the project began in 2017 and cost 21.6 billion Australian dollars, making it the largest public transport project in Australian history. 

Google and Australia's national science agency will join hands to develop digital tools that automatically detect and fix software vulnerabilities for operators of critical infrastructure, seeking to combat a surge in cyberattacks. The Australian government has been imposing tougher requirements on critical infrastructure operators to report and prevent cyberattacks after a spate of breaches in the past two years left personal information of half the country's 26 million population exposed. Google also supplies cybersecurity services to the US as part of a $9 billion contract between the US Department of Defence and a number of large tech firms. The project's findings will be made public to provide operators of critical infrastructure easy access to the information.

Finland-based engine manufacturer Wartsila has signed a contract with Norwegian shipowner Eidesvik to make one of its platform supply vessels (PSV) capable of running on ammonia fuel. Viking Energy will be the world's first ammonia-fuelled in-service PSV, which will supply the equipment to convert the vessel. Ammonia is one of several alternative fuels being explored by shippers in order to reduce carbon emissions. Viking Energy is also financing the conversion. The ship will be converted in early 2026. Wartsila expects to deliver its first ammonia-fuelled engine on a new vessel in 2025, with more widespread sales expected in the 2030s.

The technology can help cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70 percent.

The Kolkata-Bangkok Highway is expected to be completed in 2027. The Kolkata-Bangkok Highway, also known as the Trilateral Highway, is a major infrastructure project that will boost connectivity between India, Myanmar, and Thailand. The highway will go from Kolkata, India, to Bangkok, Thailand, passing through Myanmar, allowing better trade links and regional integration. Thailand will receive the shortest stretch of this 2,800 km long highway whereas India will have the longest coverage. This project, consistent with India’s Look East Policy, is part of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).