Israeli Opposition Emerges as Hapag-Lloyd Signs Deal to Acquire Zim

Footage from a previous Ukrainian special operations strike on Taman (Ukrainian General Staff)

Ukraine Hits Russian Port of Taman in Long-Range Drone Strike

Published Feb 15, 2026 10:13 PM by The Maritime Executive

Ukrainian drones hit the Russian port of Taman overnight Saturday, igniting fires at fuel storage tanks, warehouses and port terminals. The latest strike came just 48 hours before Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to sit down for U.S.-brokered peace talks in Geneva. Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the damage in a Telegram post, reporting that an oil storage tank, warehouse facilities and terminals were hit in the town of Volna. Two people were taken to a hospital for...

Antelope Reef, center left (Teofilo / CC BY SA 2.0)

China is Dredging Out Another Island Outpost in the South China Sea

Published Feb 15, 2026 9:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

China's "Great Wall of sand" is growing again after years of quiescence. The giant cutter-suction dredges (CSDs) that accompany Chinese island-building projects began arriving late last year at Antelope Reef, an obscure coral atoll in the Paracel Islands - and within months, the dredger crews have almost entirely covered the reef's surface in dredge spoils. Antelope Reef is part of the Crescent Group of islands in the Paracel chain, about 150 nautical miles southeast of Hainan Island. The Paracels are...

Swedish Coast Guard Tug Saves Fire-Hit Freighter From Grounding

Published Feb 15, 2026 8:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

[Brief] Over the weekend, the Swedish Coast Guard prevented a disabled merchant ship from running aground near Gotska Sandön, an uninhabited island in the Baltic. On Saturday evening, the freighter Diezeborg was under way on a voyage to Finland when a fire broke out in the engine room at a position northwest of Gotska Sandön. The crew put out the blaze successfully, but the vessel was left disabled, and drifting eastwards. The shipowner chartered a commercial salvage tug to meet...

Op-Ed: LNG is the Future of Shipping's Energy Transition

Published Feb 15, 2026 7:35 PM by Peter Keller, Chairman of Sea-LNG

The maritime industry’s energy transition is no longer a distant ambition - it is a present-day reality. What was all-too-recently framed as a future challenge to tackle with a “silver bullet” solution, is now an immediate operational fact, calling for continuing action across the maritime industry. With LNG-powered vessels ordered in 2025 accounting for 79% of alternative-fueled tonnage, up from 67% in 2024, the LNG-powered global fleet both operating and on-order, including LNG carriers, today represents 10% of the global...

Shipping

Op-Ed: LNG is the Future of Shipping's Energy Transition

Tugs & Salvage

Ukraine Hits Russian Port of Taman in Long-Range Drone Strike

Government

China Sends its First Maritime Message After the Japanese Election

On February 8, Japan held a parliamentary election and returned the sitting prime minister Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party with a two-thirds super majority, winning outright with 316 of the 465 seats in Parliament. Takaichi overtook the previous governing party record of 308 seats won by the Democratic Party in 2009. With a majority of this size and a strong personal mandate, Prime Minister Takaichi will have a clear path to implementing her election manifesto, which include immediately...

Corporate News

Eutelsat and Intellian Introduce First LEO Manpack Terminal

[By: Eutelsat] Eutelsat (ISIN: FR0010221234 – Euronext Paris / London Stock Exchange: ETL) announced the launch of the first military-grade manpack terminal, Intellian’s OW7MP, for the OneWeb network. Developed in partnership with Intellian Technologies, a global leader in satellite communication antennas, the terminal is now available to government and defence customers needing portable, resilient connectivity solutions. Intellian’s OW7MP Manpack terminal enables government and defence users to securely access Eutelsat’s global LEO network in scenarios where traditional communications infrastructure is unavailable,...

Cruise Ships

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Adds Three Ships Extending Orders to 2037

Norwegian Cruise Line Holding and Fincantieri announced that they have added three more orders to an already large cruise ship orderbook, extending deliveries to 2037. It follows a trend in the industry to lock in the limited building slots at the major yards as the major cruise lines plan long-term capacity additions and fleet modernization. The new order adds three sister ships to already planned classes of cruise ships, with one ship each for Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas...

Ports

Video: Tanker Docking in Russia Hits Dock Wall and Crane

A Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned tanker hit the dock as it was maneuvering into the port of Ust-Luga in Russia on Saturday, February 14. The images show that it also hit and damaged the cab on a port crane during the docking incident. Russian officials are saying there were no injuries and no pollution from the incident. However, an investigation has been launched into the circumstances. The tanker named Tony, built in 2010 and managed by Dynacom, was approaching the dock. Images...

Shipping

Op-Ed: LNG is the Future of Shipping's Energy Transition

Tugs & Salvage

Ukraine Hits Russian Port of Taman in Long-Range Drone Strike

Government

China Sends its First Maritime Message After the Japanese Election

Corporate News

Eutelsat and Intellian Introduce First LEO Manpack Terminal

Cruise Ships

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Adds Three Ships Extending Orders to 2037

Ports

Video: Tanker Docking in Russia Hits Dock Wall and Crane

Offshore

Transocean Buys Valaris for $6 Billion, Creating New Industry Leader

Offshore drilling company Transocean has struck a deal to acquire competitor Valaris for $6 billion in stock, giving Transocean shareholders a 53 percent stake in the combined company. The transaction creates the largest drilling company in the world, valued at $17 billion. It will operate 33 ultradeepwater drillships, nine semisubs and 31 jackups - 73 rigs in total - across global markets. Transocean CEO and President Keelan Adamson suggested that the combination makes for "a very attractive investment" in offshore...

Shipbuilding

Russian icebreaker with patriotic livery

Russia to Build 10 More Icebreakers and 46 Salvage Vessels to Develop NSR

Russian authorities recently announced plans for the next phase of the development of the Northern Sea Route as part of Vladimir Putin’s plan to establish a trans-Arctic transport corridor. They are calling for aggressive shipbuilding efforts as well as the development of the infrastructure along the route to support the continued growth of traffic over the next decade. Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev outlined the details, saying that by 2035, Russia will construct 10 more icebreakers along with 46 rescue...

Environment

Navigating the Deadlock: Accelleron’s Daniel Bischofberger on Green Fuels

Accelleron, a leading provider of turbocharging, fuel injection, and digital solutions for marine engines and ships, recently released a study on the multifaceted, multi-industry challenges slowing shipping's transition to carbon-neutral fuels. TME recently spoke with CEO Daniel Bischofberger about the current state of marine decarbonization, regional developments in Asia-Pacific, and the path forward for the industry. Can you describe the current state of shipping's transition to carbon-neutral fuels? The ships are ready, but the fuel is not. The technology exists...

Business