Maritime Industry Briefing: MSC Vessel Adrift in South China Sea, PIL Leadership Change, and Wind-Powered RoRo Debuts in Zeebrugge

## MSC Containership Abandoned and Adrift in South China Sea A navigational hazard has emerged in the South China Sea following the abandonment of the MSC Hermes III, a 20-year-old containership now drifting unmanned approximately 300 kilometres east of Vietnam. According to Splash247, all 25 crew members evacuated the vessel, prompting authorities to issue a HYDROPAC navigational warning classifying the ship as 'derelict' at coordinates 11°45'N 112°15'E. The vessel remains afloat but poses a significant risk to other traffic in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. No details regarding the cause of the abandonment have been confirmed at this stage, and salvage operations have yet to be reported. Mariners transiting the area are urged to exercise caution. --- ## PIL Chief Executive Lars Kastrup to Step Down in April Pacific International Lines (PIL) is preparing for a leadership transition, with CEO Lars Kastrup set to step down next April, Splash247 reports. Kastrup's tenure has been widely credited with steering the Singapore-based liner operator through one of the most remarkable financial recoveries in recent container shipping history, following the company's near-collapse and debt restructuring. His successor is expected to be Wan Chee Foong, currently managing director of corporate strategy at Temasek International — the investment arm of the Singaporean state that played a pivotal role in PIL's rescue and restructuring. The appointment signals continued institutional confidence in PIL's trajectory as it seeks to consolidate its position among Asia's leading regional carriers. --- ## Wind-Powered RoRo Neoliner Origin Makes First Belgian Call One of the maritime industry's most closely watched green-shipping projects has reached a new milestone, with the wind-powered RoRo vessel Neoliner Origin completing its inaugural call at PSA Zeebrugge. Operated by French company Neoline and backed by CMA CGM, the 136-metre vessel now forms part of an expanded transatlantic service linking Zeebrugge with Montoir-de-Bretagne in France, according to Splash247. The Neoliner Origin has attracted considerable industry attention as a practical demonstration of wind-assisted propulsion at commercial scale, reflecting growing momentum behind alternative propulsion technologies as the sector works to meet decarbonisation targets. CMA CGM's backing lends the project significant commercial credibility, and its arrival in Belgium marks a broadening of the vessel's European operational footprint.