Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima (White House courtesy photo)

Amphib USS Iwo Jima Plays Key Role in Extraction of Nicolas Maduro

Published Jan 4, 2026 6:21 PM by The Maritime Executive

A U.S. Navy amphib played a key role in the capture and removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were extracted from Caracas by a massive American task force overnight Friday. About 150 American drones, fighters, bombers and helicopters participated in the rapidfire strike. The aerial elements neutralized Venezuelan air defenses, paving the way for helicopter-borne commandos of the Army's Delta Force to fly directly to a Venezuelan military base. Maduro and his wife were...

Alexandre Normandeau / Natural Resources Canada

Melting Ice Opens Up New Areas of the Canadian Arctic

Published Jan 4, 2026 5:30 PM by The Maritime Executive

As climate change continue to affect the Arctic, long-frozen waters of the Canadian high north have become navigable for the first time. The region includes waters around Queen Elizabeth Islands and western Tuvaijuittuq, which historically have been inaccessible due to thick ice all year round, but in a recent expedition, the Canadian icebreaker CCGS Amundsen was able to enter and explore. The expedition happened back in September, led by researchers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the University of...

USS Sampson transits the Strait of Malacca (USN file image)

Indonesia's Sea Lanes Give it Strategic Leverage Over China

Published Jan 4, 2026 2:02 PM by The Strategist

[By Alfin Febrian Basundoro and Trystanto Sanjaya] The power dynamic between Indonesia and China is more complex than the one-way economic dependence that some experts assume, since China depends on Indonesian waters for ships carrying its exports and imports between the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. If the United States blockaded China in response to an invasion of Taiwan, for example, continued access through the Malacca Strait and Indonesia’s archipelagic waters would be vital to the Chinese economy. To...

Ørsted and Equinor Sue Challenging Stop-Work Orders for Offshore Wind Farms

Published Jan 2, 2026 5:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

Two more offshore wind farms filed suits against the Trump administration after they were ordered in late December to stop work due to “national security” concerns. Danish offshore wind energy developer Ørsted amended its existing complaint in U.S. District Court to challenge the Trump administration’s stop-work order on the nearly completed Revolution Wind project, while Norwegian company Equinor filed a civil suit on January 2 for the Empire Wind project. Both companies said they would file motions for a preliminary...

Shipping

Mystery as a Cargo of Shoes Likely Lost 150 Years Ago Washes Up in Wales

A charitable organization dedicated to marine and environmental education has sparked a bit of mystery after reporting it has found a large quantity of 19th-century shoes stuck among the rocks in Wales. The Beach Academy put out a request for information and was surprised to hear this is not the first reported sighting of the mystery shoes. It began in early December when volunteers were working on a beach cleanup at Ogmore-by-Sea, a small town west of Cardiff. Located on...

Tugs & Salvage

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

A sanctioned shadow-fleet tanker has run aground off the coast of Bozcaada, Turkey, prompting a large-scale emergency response. The vessel is the same tanker that was struck by Ukrainian drones in the Mediterranean last month. According to Turkish maritime safety agency KEGM, the 250-meter tanker Qendil was en route from Aliaga to Yalova when it drifted onto a rocky shore at Bozcaada (Tenedos), a scenic island in the Aegean just south of the entrance to the Dardanelles. The area is...

Government

After Sanctions Concerns, Palau Changes Management of its Flag Registry

Palau's government has ended a longtime commercial arrangement with its flag registry operator, according to the Island Times. The change follows several U.S. Treasury sanctions actions affecting the Palau-flagged fleet, and brings the register a chance for a fresh start. In a statement Saturday, Palau's Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Industries confirmed that the Palau flag registry continues to provide all shipping registry services as before, but under new management. It emphasized its "commitment to strengthening governance and oversight, whilst...

Corporate News

Liberia, Marshall Islands, & Panama's International Flag-State Association

[By: International Flag-State Association] The International Flag-State Association (IFA), an association of the world’s three largest registries, Liberia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Panama, has been meeting since 2021. IFA is the first alliance of its kind and was designed to allow its members to have a platform to more formally engage with respect to global challenges, stakeholder insight, and the development and implementation of international instruments to enhance maritime safety, security, the protection of...

Cruise Ships

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Hawaii’s hotly contested and closely followed “Green Fee,” a new tax on hotels, short-stay rentals, and cruises, suffered a setback just hours before it was due to go into effect. It is the first tax of its kind imposed on tourists to contribute to the state’s costs of addressing environmental issues. Two judges on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court granted on New Year’s Eve (December 31) a last-minute request for an injunction in a suit brought by the cruise industry...

Ports

Saudi Arabian Forces Bomb Port in Yemen Raising Tensions with UAE

Saudi Arabia, acting in the name of what it calls the “Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen,” launched what it is terming limited airstrikes on the Port of Mukalla in southeastern Yemen on the Gulf of Aden. Saudi officials accused the United Arab Emirates of having sent a large amount of unauthorized military equipment into the port and demanded that the UAE immediately withdraw its unauthorized forces. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have long been at odds, supporting different factions...

Shipping

Mystery as a Cargo of Shoes Likely Lost 150 Years Ago Washes Up in Wales

Tugs & Salvage

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

Government

After Sanctions Concerns, Palau Changes Management of its Flag Registry

Corporate News

Liberia, Marshall Islands, & Panama's International Flag-State Association

Cruise Ships

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Ports

Saudi Arabian Forces Bomb Port in Yemen Raising Tensions with UAE

Offshore

Ørsted and Equinor Sue Challenging Stop-Work Orders for Offshore Wind Farms

Shipbuilding

Mid-Sized South Korean Shipbuilder Daesun Completes Sale of Shipyard

After two years of financial restructuring, the smallest of South Korea’s surviving midsized shipbuilders, Daesun Shipbuilding, completed the sale of its primary yard at the end of December 2025, bringing to a close a long heritage in the industry. Started in 1945, Daesun was considered the oldest of the South Korean shipyards but had in recent years struggled with mounting debt. The sale of the Yeongdo facility in the Busan area was completed on December 26, going to Hanla IMS,...

Environment

Melting Ice Opens Up New Areas of the Canadian Arctic

Business

NYK Plans Long-Term Preservation of Japan’s Last Surviving Ocean Liner

Planning is underway for the long-term preservation of the 95-year-old former ocean liner Hikawa Maru, which is now on permanent display in Yokohama. Considered a nationally important cultural property, the vessel was the largest Japanese passenger ship to survive World War II and today is celebrated as a key part of NYK and Japan’s maritime heritage. The company reports that an expert committee specialized in ship preservation and architecture will meet for the first time on January 8, 2026. The...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Select any month to view events: January February March April May June July August September October November December

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

Amphib USS Iwo Jima Plays Key Role in Extraction of Nicolas Maduro

Melting Ice Opens Up New Areas of the Canadian Arctic

Indonesia's Sea Lanes Give it Strategic Leverage Over China

Ørsted and Equinor Sue Challenging Stop-Work Orders for Offshore Wind Farms

Mystery as a Cargo of Shoes Likely Lost 150 Years Ago Washes Up in Wales

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

After Sanctions Concerns, Palau Changes Management of its Flag Registry

Liberia, Marshall Islands, & Panama's International Flag-State Association

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Saudi Arabian Forces Bomb Port in Yemen Raising Tensions with UAE

California Protects Blue Whales and Blue Skies With Historic State Law

One Event. World Of Maritime. This February, Copenhagen is the Place to Be

Drew Marine Insights Tour: Connecting Expertise with Shipboard Challenges

Mystery as a Cargo of Shoes Likely Lost 150 Years Ago Washes Up in Wales

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

After Sanctions Concerns, Palau Changes Management of its Flag Registry

Liberia, Marshall Islands, & Panama's International Flag-State Association

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Saudi Arabian Forces Bomb Port in Yemen Raising Tensions with UAE

Ørsted and Equinor Sue Challenging Stop-Work Orders for Offshore Wind Farms

Mid-Sized South Korean Shipbuilder Daesun Completes Sale of Shipyard

Melting Ice Opens Up New Areas of the Canadian Arctic

NYK Plans Long-Term Preservation of Japan’s Last Surviving Ocean Liner

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Join the conversation.

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events