Thursday, April 23, 2026
MORE TOP STORIES
iStock

How Officers Manage Bulker Overloading Risks on the Mississippi

Published Apr 23, 2026 3:43 PM by Priyatham Sanjeeva Reddy, Ramidi

Each year, hundreds of bulk carriers load grain and soybeans along the Mississippi River, intending to transit the Panama Canal. While the Canal enforces strict draft limits, the real risk originates long before, often at the loading berth—where commercial pressure, draft miscalculations, and inaccurate loading sequences can compromise compliance and safety. This article examines the operational challenges tied to grain loading on the Mississippi River, highlighting how Chief Officers can safeguard vessel draft, ensure Panama compliance, and avoid significant delays...

Continue Reading...
cargo ship

Pirates Trade Gunfire with Security Team on Cargo Ship off Somalia

Published Apr 23, 2026 1:29 PM by The Maritime Executive

A cargo ship departing Somalia is reporting that it was shot at by an approaching small boat and returned fire. It is the second report of a possible new piracy event in the region this week, with EUNAVFOR Atalanta confirming that the reports are under investigation. A small boat, which is being described as a white fishing boat, came within approximately 600 meters (less than 2,000 feet) of the cargo ship. It appeared to be working with a second boat,...

Continue Reading...
US seizes tanker

US Forces Board Shadow Tanker in Indian Ocean as Iran Blockade Efforts Grow

Published Apr 23, 2026 12:27 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Pentagon announced that U.S. forces have boarded another tanker linked to Iran as the White House vowed to expand the blockade to strangle Iran’s economy. It is the second tanker the Pentagon has confirmed it has boarded this week, while CENTCOM reported that a total of 31 tankers have now been ordered to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and shipping. Releasing pictures and videos, the Pentagon identified the crude...

Continue Reading...
An IRGC minelaying boat. Iran possessed thousands of mines before the war, some deployable from civilian small craft (IRGC)

Report: Removing Mines From Strait of Hormuz Could Take Six Months

Published Apr 22, 2026 11:03 PM by The Maritime Executive

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a top-of-mind objective for the White House, but it may take more than a deal with Iran to get the situation back to normal in the waterway, according to the Washington Post. The Pentagon's internal assessment is that it could take six months to complete minesweeping operations in the strait after hostilities have ceased, the Post's Dan Lamothe reports - even with the advanced minesweeping and minehunting equipment embarked on three Independence-class littoral combat...

Continue Reading...
MORE STORIES BY CATEGORY

Offshore

offshore wind farm

U.S. is Negotiating to Cancel More Offshore Wind Leases

Executives at the French company Engie confirmed today that they are in discussions with U.S. officials about possibly canceling their offshore wind farm leases. Last month, the administration agreed to reimburse TotalEnergies for its offshore wind leases and hinted it might use the same technique with others, although advocates and lawmakers are questioning the legal authority. The Trump administration said in March that it had agreed to reimburse TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion it had paid to acquire a large lease...

Continue Reading...

Shipbuilding

USS Zumwalt on her initial sea trials (USN file image)

Report: Three Injured in Fire Aboard USS Zumwalt

A fire aboard the first-in-class destroyer USS Zumwalt has injured three sailors, according to the U.S. Navy. Zumwalt is currently at shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi to undergo modifications needed to launch the service's next-generation hypersonic missile. Launch tubes and equipment have replaced both of the Zumwalt's iconic deck guns, which were designed to deliver high velocity, high tech shore bombardment from a stealthy platform. According to USNI and Naval Surface Forces, a fire was reported aboard Zumwalt at about 2145...

Continue Reading...

Environment

Auramarine

Winning Formula

For residents living near ports, seafarers working aboard ships and passengers stepping ashore, the question is no longer abstract: Why am I still breathing this? Sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from ship exhausts are a daily reality in many port cities. A 2023 World Bank report estimated that more than 250 million people globally are exposed to air pollution around ports, underscoring that maritime emissions are not only a climate issue but a public-health issue....

Continue Reading...

Business

offshore vessel

Bourbon’s New Shareholders Drive Rapid Expansion in Offshore Operations

France’s Bourbon is highlighting the rapid expansion of its fleet and efforts to consolidate its position in the offshore market since the start of the year. The group completed a series of steps in 2025, which restructured its financial and capital structure, and with the emergence of new majority shareholders, who said they would contribute to new growth. Since the start of 2026, the group reports it has added 13 offshore support vessels to its fleet. They said it represents...

Continue Reading...