Iran Claims to Strike Tanker for Running Strait of Hormuz Blockade

Oil slicks emanate from the terminal complex at Kharg Island (file image courtesy NASA)

Report: White House Considering a Raid to Seize Kharg Island

Published Mar 8, 2026 7:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Trump administration is contemplating a series of special forces operations inside of Iran, potentially including a raid to seize Kharg Island, according to Axios. Kharg is home to the crude loading port at the heart of Iran's oil export industry. Kharg Island is located at the far northern end of the Arabian Gulf, opposite Kuwait and about 20 nautical miles off the coast of mainland Iran. It handles the overwhelming majority of Iran's crude exports, and by nameplate capacity,...

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

Published Mar 8, 2026 6:14 PM by Elektro Deniz

In an industry where vessel efficiency, space, and technical service cost optimization are becoming the new standard, Istanbul-based Elektro Deniz has been producing a solution that challenges traditional bridge structures. The EDEL-EMES60 product range, a pioneering combined Echosounder and Speed Log system, aims to replace the maritime industry’s reliance on redundant hull penetrations with a single-sensor approach. In addition to the combined configuration, the product family also offers standalone Echo Sounder and Electromagnetic Speed Log units, allowing operators to select...

Kuwait Confirms Oil Output Slowdown as Storage Fills Up

Published Mar 8, 2026 3:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

Kuwait's national oil company has announced plans to start throttling down production, confirming concerns that it would have to start shutting down within days due to limited storage capacity. It is the latest consequence of Iran's Strait of Hormuz attacks, and it follows shortly after Iraq began ordering its largest oilfields to shut in wells because of an absence of empty tanker tonnage to take on cargoes. In a statement, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said that the measure is...

Spill cleanup under way on shore near LOOP (USCG)

Spill Cleanup Under Way at Louisiana Offshore Oil Port

Published Mar 8, 2026 3:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a spill at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the United States' only VLCC-capable loading terminal. The spill began nine days ago, according to LOOP, and remediation work is still proceeding. On February 26, crude oil was discovered near its offshore loading terminal. The leak was caused by a material failure of a cargo transfer hose, LOOP said. The source of the leak has been secured, the Coast Guard said. Local TV station WWL...

Shipping

Iranian-flagged cargo ship was brought into port by the Russian tugboats (Port of Makhachkala)

To Penalize Iran, Azerbaijan Could Interdict its Caspian Sea Trade

On March 6, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that ‘There will be no further attacks or missile launches towards neighbouring countries, unless attacks against Iran originate from those countries. President Pezeshkian’s influence over the decentralised IRGC command structure which appears to running Iran’s war is unclear, but it should be noted that both the Armed Forces General Staff (separate from the IRGC) and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been denying that Iran has been attacking Gulf countries, despite ample...

Tugs & Salvage

Managing Conflicts of Interest in Bangladesh’s Ship Recycling Sector

Bangladesh’s ship recycling industry operates under intense national and international scrutiny. The sector is economically vital, supplying a significant share of the country’s steel and supporting thousands of jobs, yet it also sits at the center of global debates over environmental protection, labor safety, and regulatory credibility. As Bangladesh seeks deeper integration into international maritime markets, the strength and independence of its regulatory institutions have become as important as technical compliance itself. The Ship Recycling Act 2018 established the Bangladesh...

Government

An SM-3 missile test-launch from a standard VLS cell (USN)

Op-Ed: Conflict With Iran Opens a Missile-Defense Gap for China

[By David Axe] The US- and Israeli-led war on Iran has been, with a few key caveats, a quick military success for the United States and its allies. That doesn’t mean it’ll be a strategic success. Indeed, the euphoria in Washington and Jerusalem could quickly turn into despair if the successful air campaign leads to lasting regional chaos or, equally worrying, a protracted ground war. In any event, the so-far lopsided conflict offers important lessons for the Asia-Pacific. It has...

Corporate News

Navantia - Fincantieri Strengthen Cooperation for European Patrol Corvertte

The Spanish and Italian shipbuilders will create a joint venture to manage and execute the European programme Both companies will collaborate on the design of the EPC’s combat version and explore opportunities to export it to other European partners The Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and the Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly coordinate and execute the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) project. The EPC is a project within the PESCO framework, one of the most...

Cruise Ships

Norwegian Takes Delivery on New Cruise Ship in Long-Term Growth Plan

Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line celebrated the delivery of the Norwegian Luna, the second ship in the company’s Prima Plus class and the midpoint of a six-ship order, which will later be followed by five even larger cruise ships. The new ship, a sister to the Norwegian Aqua introduced in 2025, seeks to expand on the brand’s renewed emphasis on choice and flexibility while expanding its appeal to families. At 156,300 gross tons, the Norwegian Luna is, however, more in...

Ports

CK Hutchison Seeks $2B in Damages from Panama as It Takes More Legal Steps

CK Hutchison and its Panama-based subsidiary, the Panama Ports Company, have taken a series of additional legal steps in the ongoing dispute over the concession to operate terminals in the ports of Balboa and Cristobal. As part of the action, the Panama Ports Company (PPC) clarified that under the already filed international arbitration, it is seeking at least $2 billion in damages, a figure it says Panama has been misrepresenting. Before the Supreme Court decision was published finalizing the ruling...

Shipping

To Penalize Iran, Azerbaijan Could Interdict its Caspian Sea Trade

Tugs & Salvage

Managing Conflicts of Interest in Bangladesh’s Ship Recycling Sector

Government

Op-Ed: Conflict With Iran Opens a Missile-Defense Gap for China

Corporate News

Navantia - Fincantieri Strengthen Cooperation for European Patrol Corvertte

Cruise Ships

Norwegian Takes Delivery on New Cruise Ship in Long-Term Growth Plan

Ports

CK Hutchison Seeks $2B in Damages from Panama as It Takes More Legal Steps

Offshore

Spill Cleanup Under Way at Louisiana Offshore Oil Port

Shipbuilding

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

The third newly built U.S. training ship for the merchant marine, the State of Maine, was handed over to TOTE Services and delivered to the U.S. Maritime Administration. It will be the fifth training vessel, and the first purpose-built vessel, to be operated by the Maine Maritime Academy, located in Castine, Maine. The handover to the U.S. government took place at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, and the vessel is scheduled to depart for Maine in the coming days. Once it...

Environment

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

A new meta-study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that ocean warming has an outsize impact on the total amount of fish in the water, enough to have major implications for global fisheries. The study, led by researchers at Spain's Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, looked at hundreds of thousands of studies of fish populations in the Northern Hemisphere over a period of nearly 30 years, spanning 1993-2021. The vast data set covered more than 1,500 fish species and...

Business

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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

Iran Claims to Strike Tanker for Running Strait of Hormuz Blockade

Report: White House Considering a Raid to Seize Kharg Island

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

Kuwait Confirms Oil Output Slowdown as Storage Fills Up

Spill Cleanup Under Way at Louisiana Offshore Oil Port

To Penalize Iran, Azerbaijan Could Interdict its Caspian Sea Trade

Managing Conflicts of Interest in Bangladesh’s Ship Recycling Sector

Op-Ed: Conflict With Iran Opens a Missile-Defense Gap for China

Navantia - Fincantieri Strengthen Cooperation for European Patrol Corvertte

Norwegian Takes Delivery on New Cruise Ship in Long-Term Growth Plan

CK Hutchison Seeks $2B in Damages from Panama as It Takes More Legal Steps

Collaborative Delivery Models Reshape Port Infrastructure Development

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

Hamburg Maritime Forum 2026: An Ambitious Landmark Edition

To Penalize Iran, Azerbaijan Could Interdict its Caspian Sea Trade

Managing Conflicts of Interest in Bangladesh’s Ship Recycling Sector

Op-Ed: Conflict With Iran Opens a Missile-Defense Gap for China

Navantia - Fincantieri Strengthen Cooperation for European Patrol Corvertte

Norwegian Takes Delivery on New Cruise Ship in Long-Term Growth Plan

CK Hutchison Seeks $2B in Damages from Panama as It Takes More Legal Steps

Spill Cleanup Under Way at Louisiana Offshore Oil Port

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Join the conversation.

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events