Compared to almost every other week of 2025, from a shipping news/geopolitical point of view this week has been comparatively calm. Nevertheless, the word Trump featured in more Splash headlines than any other word once again.

The big news at the start of the week came from Paris with one of the most famous names in French shipping sold to private equity. The Louis-Dreyfus family, shareholder of 132-year-old Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, has sold an 80% stake in the shipowner to Paris-headquartered InfraVia Capital Partners with the company set to be renamed LD Armateurs. 

Asian shipbuilding made plenty of headlines in recent days with India’s state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited announcing its first international acquisition by securing a controlling 51% stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard, while South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries announced plans to build oil and chemical tankers at Vietnamese yards in partnership with PetroVietnam. Finally, in Japan, a famous brand disappeared: Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, whose history dates back to 1917, has been rebranded Tsuneishi Solutions Tokyobay having been bought by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding.

In the US, Donald Trump’s so-called big beautiful bill, a signature legislative package, which has just passed both the US House of Representatives and Senate, contains significant provisions aimed at revitalising American shipbuilding and the broader maritime industrial base. Nevertheless, the US shipbuilding industry faces significant challenges. These include a severe labour shortage, an ageing workforce, and the high cost of domestic construction compared to foreign yards. 

Trump also made the news for tariffs. White House tariff deadline looms large on liner agenda read the lead story on Splash yesterday. 

Finally, Splash columnist Pierre Aury’s latest article is worth reading for the debate on nuclear propulsion that ensued in the comments below the text. 

To digest all this week’s news in audio form, below is the second episode of the Splash Wrap podcast.