Sweden Detains Third Shadow Fleet Vessel in a Month

An Emirati patrol boat on display, 2025 (MZtourist / CC BY 4.0)

UN Security Council Expected to Vote Down Use-of-Force Request for Hormuz

Published Apr 2, 2026 10:57 PM by The Maritime Executive

Three of the permanent members of the UN Security Council have signaled that they do not support a motion to authorize use of force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to the New York Times. Russia and China were widely expected to oppose the measure, given their diplomatic ties to Tehran; they are reportedly joined by France, which has publicly opposed a military solution. The proposed UN Security Counsel resolution is spearheaded by Iran's neighbors in the Gulf, and...

Russia Plans to Send Second Tanker Through U.S. Energy Blockade on Cuba

Published Apr 2, 2026 10:19 PM by The Maritime Executive

As a Russian tanker unloads in Matanzas, Cuba, breaking the de facto energy blockade imposed by the Trump administration, Moscow is said to be planning to dispatch a second tanker to repeat the much-needed crude oil delivery. The sanctioned tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived at a petroleum terminal in Matanzas on March 31, making one of the few deliveries of oil to reach Cuba since the U.S. replaced Venezuelan dsictator Nicolas Maduro in January. Under Maduro, Venezuela's government supplied Cuba with...

An IRGC minelaying boat before the conflict's start (IRGC)

How Iran Can Stop Shipping With Mines, From the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea

Published Apr 2, 2026 9:31 PM by The Strategist

[By Andy Perry] Just reports of mines are often sufficient to disrupt maritime traffic. Even if ship owners, crews and insurers weren’t aware of the missile threat in the Strait of Hormuz, news reporting of sea mines in the narrow waters would likely be enough to stop commercial traffic that Iran didn’t direct through safe passages. That goes for even the US Navy, too. A single, inexpensive mine can threaten a multi-billion-dollar warship, and no navy, regardless of technological superiority,...

Samsung Heavy Industries Participates in Its First U.S. Navy MASGA Project

Published Apr 2, 2026 8:57 PM by The Maritime Executive

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it will be participating in its first U.S. shipbuilding project, working with General Dynamics NASSCO and DSEC. It is a design project that is being billed as part of the South Korean program launched last year, calling for a $150 billion investment project known as Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA). The project is for the refining of the design of the future “Next Generation Logistics Support Ship,” which the U.S. Navy...

Shipping

Chinese Bulker Grounds in Suez Canal Stopping Traffic for Four Hours

A Chinese bulker briefly disrupted traffic for the southbound convoy of the Suez Canal on April 2 after the vessel experienced a reported “technical failure.” While the incident only lasted four hours, it came just past the fifth anniversary of the Ever Given grounding, which blocked the canal for six days, and as analysts have emphasized the importance of the Suez Canal, with the Strait of Hormuz mostly closed. The bulker Xin Tai Yuan (75,413 dwt) was traveling in the...

Tugs & Salvage

Archaeologists Uncover Danish Navy Flagship From the Battle of Copenhagen

Marine archaeologists have discovered the wreck of a famous Danish warship on the bottom of Copenhagen's harbor, a reminder of the War of the Second Coalition and the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen. The battle was among the best-known victories of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was tasked with seizing Copenhagen's harbor and compelling the Crown Prince of Denmark to abandon the new League of Armed Neutrality. This new Russian-Danish-Norwegian-Prussian-Swedish naval alliance threatened to undermine British control of the shipping lanes to...

Government

Xiang Yang Hong 09. Xiang Yang Hong are a class of Chinese oceanographic survey and research ships. Image by Boloomo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

China's Deep Sea Mining Research May Be Cover for Surveillance

[By Elizabeth Claire Alberts and Kara Fox] A Mongabay and CNN investigation found the eight Chinese state-owned ships that conduct deep-sea mining research in China’s mining areas allocated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) actually spent little time in these exploration areas, while spending much of their remaining time operating in militarily strategic waters. Many of these vessels are linked to the Chinese Navy, have regularly called on military-connected ports, encroached on other countries’ coastal exclusive economic zones and turned...

Corporate News

Wah Kwong & Bureau Veritas 1st SMART “Augmented Ship” in Newbuild Series

[By: Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore] Wah Kwong Maritime Transport (“Wah Kwong”) and Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (“BV”) celebrated the delivery of the LR2 tanker Frontier Venture yesterday, the first vessel in Wah Kwong’s new series of SMART-enabled ships, representing a significant milestone in Wah Kwong’s fleet development. Built by Hengli Shipyard in Dalian, the vessel is the first in the series to demonstrate Group 3 “augmented ship” capabilities, integrating advanced on-board digital systems with shore-based support. Classed by...

Cruise Ships

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

River cruising continues to be one of the hottest segments in the cruise industry, with strong growth continuing, especially in the European market. Analysts report there are over 380 river cruise ships currently sailing, with an additional 10 percent currently under construction and continuing new orders. The UK division of Germany’s TUI Group announced that it has ordered two more new builds, and these ships are being designed and built for the next generation of alternative fuels. The company reports...

Ports

Boxship Departing Taiwan Clips Docked Ship Sending Containers into Harbor

Operations were briefly interrupted on Wednesday, April 1, at the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after a departing containership clipped a docked vessel. The port authority suspended operations while four containers that fell into the harbor could be secured. The Port Authority reports the containership Zeal Lumos (158,097 dwt) had been cleared for departure at 1100 on the first. The vessel, which is managed by Zodiac Maritime and registered in the UK, is operating under charter to Ocean Network Express (ONE)....

Shipping

Chinese Bulker Grounds in Suez Canal Stopping Traffic for Four Hours

Tugs & Salvage

Archaeologists Uncover Danish Navy Flagship From the Battle of Copenhagen

Government

China's Deep Sea Mining Research May Be Cover for Surveillance

Corporate News

Wah Kwong & Bureau Veritas 1st SMART “Augmented Ship” in Newbuild Series

Cruise Ships

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

Ports

Boxship Departing Taiwan Clips Docked Ship Sending Containers into Harbor

Offshore

QatarEnergy’s U.S. LNG Plant Achieves First Production at Critical Time

Just as the world is looking for alternative sources of LNG, Golden Pass LNG in Texas reported it has achieved first production. The project, which has been in planning and development for 15 years, is set to start export shipments in the second quarter, coming online to help fill some of the shortfall from Qatar and the Middle East. The United States is already setting records for LNG shipments and has been rivaling Qatar for the title of the largest...

Shipbuilding

Samsung Heavy Industries Participates in Its First U.S. Navy MASGA Project

Environment

Japan Demonstrates Hydrogen-Fueled Engine for Large Commercial Vessels

Japan reports a breakthrough with the demonstration of a large hydrogen-fueled engine being developed by Japan Engine Corporation, working with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, for a demonstration project for an ocean-going vessel. It points out that most work so far with hydrogen is on smaller engines for coastal vessels, making this a major technological milestone toward the practical use of hydrogen-fueled vessels. While interest has developed in hydrogen, to date, the Japanese project points out that most of the initiatives are...

Business

MARAD Increases Funding for Grants for Small Shipyards

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) reported that it is increasing the funding pool available for the 2026 grants in the Small Shipyard Grant Program. It follows the launch of the 2026 Port Infrastructure Development Program application period last week and is part of the Trump administration's strategy to increase support for the U.S. maritime industry. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlights that the grant pool for small shipyards is being increased by 200 percent to $35 million versus June 2025, when just...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Sweden Detains Third Shadow Fleet Vessel in a Month

UN Security Council Expected to Vote Down Use-of-Force Request for Hormuz

Russia Plans to Send Second Tanker Through U.S. Energy Blockade on Cuba

How Iran Can Stop Shipping With Mines, From the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea

Samsung Heavy Industries Participates in Its First U.S. Navy MASGA Project

Chinese Bulker Grounds in Suez Canal Stopping Traffic for Four Hours

Archaeologists Uncover Danish Navy Flagship From the Battle of Copenhagen

China's Deep Sea Mining Research May Be Cover for Surveillance

Wah Kwong & Bureau Veritas 1st SMART “Augmented Ship” in Newbuild Series

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

Boxship Departing Taiwan Clips Docked Ship Sending Containers into Harbor

Cyber Risk in Shipping: From Technical Threat to Business Reality

Architecture of Adaptability: Designing Vessels to Stand the Test of Time

Improve Fleet Value With Digital Optimization of Cruise Ship Hotel Areas

Chinese Bulker Grounds in Suez Canal Stopping Traffic for Four Hours

Archaeologists Uncover Danish Navy Flagship From the Battle of Copenhagen

China's Deep Sea Mining Research May Be Cover for Surveillance

Wah Kwong & Bureau Veritas 1st SMART “Augmented Ship” in Newbuild Series

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

Boxship Departing Taiwan Clips Docked Ship Sending Containers into Harbor

QatarEnergy’s U.S. LNG Plant Achieves First Production at Critical Time

Samsung Heavy Industries Participates in Its First U.S. Navy MASGA Project

Japan Demonstrates Hydrogen-Fueled Engine for Large Commercial Vessels

MARAD Increases Funding for Grants for Small Shipyards

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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