Retailers Expect Declining Import Cargo Volume to Continue in 2026

Austal USA Holds Keel-Laying for its First Offshore Patrol Cutter

Published Dec 8, 2025 6:09 PM by The Maritime Executive

  On Monday, Austal USA laid the keel for the future USCGC Pickering, the first vessel for the yard's Offshore Patrol Cutter contract for the U.S. Coast Guard. The service has executed options for six hulls, and the contract provides for as many as 11 vessels.  The OPC will provide a replacement for the service's medium-endurance cutters (WMECs), many of which are well past their planned service lives. The new vessel class has been a long time coming, and Austal...

To Offset Declining Frigate Force, UK Debuts Unmanned Strategy for GIUK Gap

Published Dec 8, 2025 5:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

  To offset increasing Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic, the Royal Navy is rolling out a new plan for high-tech monitoring in the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap, the line of control that separates Russia's Northern Fleet from the open ocean. The service is putting new emphasis on unmanned technology for this task, reflecting the age and uncertain future of its conventional frigate fleet. In a display day for media last week, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey...

EPS Tanker Studied to Determine Results of Wind-Assisted Propulsion

Published Dec 8, 2025 5:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

A new study seeks to quantify the beneficial impact of adding wind-assisted propulsion to vessels while also establishing a framework for assessing the technology’s benefits in reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The study, which took place on the Eastern Pacific Shipping product tanker Pacific Sentinel (50,322 dwt), was conducted in association with the Global Center for Maritime Decarbonisation in Singapore.   The authors of the study highlight that one of the key barriers to the adoption of wind-assisted...

U.S. Navy Picks Damen's LST-100 Design for Marine Corps' Landing Ships

Published Dec 8, 2025 4:04 PM by The Maritime Executive

  The U.S. Navy has picked Damen's LST-100 design as its final selection for the Landing Ship Medium (LSM) program, emphasizing produceability and affordability rather than exquisite capability for the high-end fight.  According to Navy Secretary John Phelan, the selection is an "operationally-driven, fiscally-disciplined choice" that will deliver oceangoing, beach-capable cargo vessels to the Navy and Marine Corps on a "responsible timeline." A present this capability is only found in the U.S. Army's watercraft community, which operates a small fleet...

Shipping

Bulker Exchanges Shots with Skiffs off Yemen

A bulker southbound in the Red Sea reported to authorities that it had been approached and exchanged gunshots with the unknown boats. The ship is safe and continuing on its way while analysts speculate over the events. The Barbados-flagged vessel Bobik (31,896 dwt) reported the incident to UK Maritime Trade Operations early on December 5. The vessel is Turkish-owned and reports coming from Georgia after having made a port call in Ukraine. The ship was built in 2006...

Tugs & Salvage

Vietnam and Malaysia Coordinate to Rescue Crew from Listing Cargo Ship

  Vietnamese officials are highlighting a successful coordination with their counterparts in Malaysia to rescue the crew from a cargo ship that had taken on a dangerous list. The crew was safely transported to Malaysia while attempts are being made to tow the cargo ship Kayo (5,200 dwt). The incident began around midnight on Friday, December 5, when the Vietnamese Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center picked up a distress call from the cargo ship Kayo. The vessel, built in...

Government

To Offset Declining Frigate Force, UK Debuts Unmanned Strategy for GIUK Gap

Corporate News

Babcock and HII Partner to Support Royal Navy's Autonomous Ambitions

  [By Babcock] Babcock International Group (Babcock), the defense company, has unveiled transformational plans to support the UK Royal Navy’s next generation autonomous ambitions. The Royal Navy is leading the way in the combined use of autonomous and crewed systems in the Maritime Domain; fundamentally changing the threat calculus of our adversaries. The First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkin’s speech at the International Seapower Conference demonstrates how the Royal Navy is taking the lead on technological development within Europe...

Cruise Ships

French Senate Adopts Environmental Tax on Cruise Passengers

Lawmakers in France were successful in adding a new tax on cruise passengers to the proposed 2026 French state budget. They contend the tax is to counter the environmental impact of cruises on coastal France. The senators presenting the measure assert it is a “polluter pays” tax, singling out the emissions of cruise ships while in ports. They argue that it would not harm the attractiveness of the sector but would provide additional finances to protect and enhance...

Ports

Retailers Expect Declining Import Cargo Volume to Continue in 2026

The National Retail Federation issued its forecast for imports through the first quarter of 2026, saying that it expects volumes will continue the year-over-year declines seen in five of the past 11 months. The retail trade association, while expecting record sales during the holiday season, projects that import volumes will continue the overall declines well into 2026 due to uncertainty over tariffs and trade policies. “Stores are stocked up and ready for a record holiday season, but there...

Shipping

Bulker Exchanges Shots with Skiffs off Yemen

Tugs & Salvage

Vietnam and Malaysia Coordinate to Rescue Crew from Listing Cargo Ship

Government

To Offset Declining Frigate Force, UK Debuts Unmanned Strategy for GIUK Gap

Corporate News

Babcock and HII Partner to Support Royal Navy's Autonomous Ambitions

Cruise Ships

French Senate Adopts Environmental Tax on Cruise Passengers

Ports

Retailers Expect Declining Import Cargo Volume to Continue in 2026

Offshore

Wind Farm to Power Amazon and Google Sends First Power to German Grid

  The Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm started feeding its first power to the German grid on December 3. The wind farm marks another milestone both for Germany and the EU, becoming the largest offshore wind farm in Ørsted’s German portfolio and one that has contracted more than four-fifths of its power with long-term corporate power purchase agreements. Located about 45 miles off the German coast in the North Sea, the project is being developed in a partnership between...

Shipbuilding

Saronic Secures $392M Unmanned-Vessel Contract From the U.S. Navy

  Autonomous vessel company Saronic has secured a U.S. Navy production contract worth $392 million for its Corsair unmanned vessel, a 24-foot speedboat with a 1,000-pound payload. It is the entry point for an ever-growing series of vessels in the startup's lineup, which extends from a six-foot mini-drone up to an 180-foot aluminum vessel capable of carrying containerized payloads. The contract was first reported by DefenseScoop in August, but the announcement provides additional details. "With Saronic, we went from...

Environment

EPS Tanker Studied to Determine Results of Wind-Assisted Propulsion

Business

Anglo-Eastern Partners With Orca AI to Offer AI-Assisted Navigation

  Anglo-Eastern Ship Management and Orca AI have entered into a strategic partnership that will see Anglo-Eastern support the installation of Orca AI’s pioneering maritime operations platform across its managed fleet. The collaboration marks the first time a major ship management company has formally committed to support the adoption of AI-driven situational awareness capabilities, highlighting growing demand for related technologies in the maritime industry.   Under the agreement, Anglo-Eastern will incorporate Orca AI’s technology into its customer offering, underscoring its commitment...

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Retailers Expect Declining Import Cargo Volume to Continue in 2026

Austal USA Holds Keel-Laying for its First Offshore Patrol Cutter

To Offset Declining Frigate Force, UK Debuts Unmanned Strategy for GIUK Gap

EPS Tanker Studied to Determine Results of Wind-Assisted Propulsion

U.S. Navy Picks Damen's LST-100 Design for Marine Corps' Landing Ships

Bulker Exchanges Shots with Skiffs off Yemen

Vietnam and Malaysia Coordinate to Rescue Crew from Listing Cargo Ship

To Offset Declining Frigate Force, UK Debuts Unmanned Strategy for GIUK Gap

Babcock and HII Partner to Support Royal Navy's Autonomous Ambitions

French Senate Adopts Environmental Tax on Cruise Passengers

Retailers Expect Declining Import Cargo Volume to Continue in 2026

Understanding Hazardous Area Classification on Ships and Offshore

Why Financial Wellbeing Is Central to Seafarer Welfare

Estonia's Digital-First Ship Registry: A Modern Maritime Flag

Bulker Exchanges Shots with Skiffs off Yemen

Vietnam and Malaysia Coordinate to Rescue Crew from Listing Cargo Ship

To Offset Declining Frigate Force, UK Debuts Unmanned Strategy for GIUK Gap

Babcock and HII Partner to Support Royal Navy's Autonomous Ambitions

French Senate Adopts Environmental Tax on Cruise Passengers

Retailers Expect Declining Import Cargo Volume to Continue in 2026

Wind Farm to Power Amazon and Google Sends First Power to German Grid

Saronic Secures $392M Unmanned-Vessel Contract From the U.S. Navy

EPS Tanker Studied to Determine Results of Wind-Assisted Propulsion

Anglo-Eastern Partners With Orca AI to Offer AI-Assisted Navigation

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events