CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

Hornbeck and Helix to Merge in Further Consolidation in the Offshore Sector

Published Apr 23, 2026 8:28 PM by The Maritime Executive

Hornbeck Offshore Services and Helix Energy Solutions Group announced that they have agreed to merge their businesses to form a more integrated global offering in the offshore sector. It is the latest in a series of large deals consolidating the industry. The terms call for an all-stock deal that will combine the two companies and create what they say will be a more integrated service offering across a global platform. Hornbeck Offshore Services will be the surviving company, listed on...

Paying the Piper

Published Apr 23, 2026 8:16 PM by Paul Benecki

The average merchant ship has a service life of 20-25 years, in some cases more. That's a long time to stay in compliance with all the rules that govern shipping, and owners know they have to set themselves up for success. It's not enough to meet regulations on day one: Every ship system has to be supported throughout a lifetime of industrial service if it's going to satisfy inspectors on day 5,000. Without solid backing from the original equipment manufacturer...

Indonesia Backs Away After Finance Minister Proposes Malacca Tolls

Published Apr 23, 2026 7:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

Possibly emboldened by Iran’s assertion that it is entitled to tolls to maintain order and security in the Strait of Hormuz, Indonesia’s Finance Minister stirred up a controversy by suggesting fees for the Malacca Strait, and reports are that the Houthis are saying they should have fees for the Bab al-Mandeb. International scholars pushed back, citing global treaties, while neighboring countries were also quick to object, and now Indonesia insists that it was just a “lighthearted tone” and idle speculation....

Tankers loading at the Primorsk oil terminal, which was recently damaged by Ukrainian drones (courtesy Primorsk Oil Terminal)

EU Defers its Plan to Fully Ban Maritime Services for Russian Oil

Published Apr 23, 2026 7:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

The European Union has released its 20th round of sanctions on Russia, including extensive sanctions on the Russian energy sector. Notably missing, however, was the long-discussed complete ban on shipping services for Russian oil exports - effectively left out at the request of Greece and Malta, which have shipping interests in the Russian energy trade, according to Euronews. It is a win for Moscow, allowing Russia's oil companies continued access to quality tonnage, and it follows on the Kremlin's recent...

Shipping

Indonesia Backs Away After Finance Minister Proposes Malacca Tolls

Tugs & Salvage

Sapphire Princess (file image courtesy Sabung Hamster / CC BY SA 4.0)

Cruise Ship Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies From the Mediterranean

On Tuesday, the crew of the cruise ship Sapphire Princess took on the difficult task of recovering five bodies from the waters of the western Mediterranean. After departing Cagliari on Monday evening on a routine voyage to Cartagena, Sapphire Princess encountered signs of a distress situation at a position about 80 nautical miles to the northwest of Algiers. After a lifejacket was spotted in the water, the crew turned back on their course and launched a rescue boat to investigate....

Government

CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

U.S. Central Command, responsible for the Middle East and the current war in Iran, confirmed on Friday that three U.S. Navy carriers are now in the region. It said it was the first time three carriers had been deployed concurrently to the region since 2003, and it represents a massive amount of firepower. It confirmed that the carrier USS George H.W. Bush had entered its area of responsibility in the Indian Ocean on April 23. The carrier had departed Norfolk,...

Corporate News

Birdon America and Mythos AI Jointly Pursuing U.S. Navy MUSV Opportunities

[By: Birdon America] Birdon America and Mythos AI yesterday announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding at Sea-Air-Space 2026 to collaborate on the development and pursuit of Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) opportunities in support of emerging United States Navy operational and acquisition requirements. Under the collaboration, Birdon America will contribute its maritime platform, integration, and program execution capabilities, while Mythos AI will serve as the autonomy provider, contributing autonomous navigation, perception, command and control, and mission software capabilities...

Cruise Ships

Oceania Cruises to Convert Older Ship for Luxury, Long Cruises

Oceania Cruises announced plans to convert one of the line’s oldest cruise ships as the platform for long, luxury cruises. The brand has been working to move more upscale in its offerings while also pursuing a strong expansion program that will add five new, larger cruise ships. The brand was launched in 2002 using two small cruise ships, Regatta and Insignia, as a reincarnation of the failed Renaissance Cruises. The original company was building six 30,000 gross ton cruise ships...

Ports

Ukraine Destroys Sea Drone as Russian Strikes Odesa Ports and Cargo Ships

Ukrainian officials report that Russia continues to target the port infrastructure in the Greater Odesa region in an effort to disrupt commercial trade. They assert the recent strikes on commercial shipping are deliberate acts by the enemy. Overnight, another cargo ship was struck while sailing in the corridor that Ukraine has maintained for two and a half years for commercial shipping. According to the reports, it was the third commercial ship struck recently, however the Ukrainian Navy also released images...

Shipping

Indonesia Backs Away After Finance Minister Proposes Malacca Tolls

Tugs & Salvage

Cruise Ship Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies From the Mediterranean

Government

CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

Corporate News

Birdon America and Mythos AI Jointly Pursuing U.S. Navy MUSV Opportunities

Cruise Ships

Oceania Cruises to Convert Older Ship for Luxury, Long Cruises

Ports

Ukraine Destroys Sea Drone as Russian Strikes Odesa Ports and Cargo Ships

Offshore

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...

Shipbuilding

Paying the Piper

Environment

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....

Business

Tanker escort in the Arabian Gulf, Operation Earnest Will, 1987 (USN)

U.S.-Backed War Risk Cover for Hormuz Will Have to Wait for Convoys

The Trump administration has worked out a co-insurance arrangement to provide war risk cover for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Gulf, to be administered by NYSE-listed insurer Chubb. The program has yet to start, Chubb CEO and Chairman Evan Greenberg says, because it is conditioned on the use of U.S. Navy convoys and escorts. At present, the Iranian threat in the strait remains elevated, and the Navy's attention is focused on blockading Iran's commercial traffic. "The government...

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CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

Hornbeck and Helix to Merge in Further Consolidation in the Offshore Sector

Paying the Piper

Indonesia Backs Away After Finance Minister Proposes Malacca Tolls

EU Defers its Plan to Fully Ban Maritime Services for Russian Oil

Indonesia Backs Away After Finance Minister Proposes Malacca Tolls

Cruise Ship Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies From the Mediterranean

CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

Birdon America and Mythos AI Jointly Pursuing U.S. Navy MUSV Opportunities

Oceania Cruises to Convert Older Ship for Luxury, Long Cruises

Ukraine Destroys Sea Drone as Russian Strikes Odesa Ports and Cargo Ships

From Fossil Fuels to Shore Power With the Port of San Diego

From Local to Global: Genoa Maritime Forum to Bring the Industry Together

Estonian Solutions Support Cruise Industry’s Green Transition

Indonesia Backs Away After Finance Minister Proposes Malacca Tolls

Cruise Ship Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies From the Mediterranean

CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

Birdon America and Mythos AI Jointly Pursuing U.S. Navy MUSV Opportunities

Oceania Cruises to Convert Older Ship for Luxury, Long Cruises

Ukraine Destroys Sea Drone as Russian Strikes Odesa Ports and Cargo Ships

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

Paying the Piper

Winning Formula

U.S.-Backed War Risk Cover for Hormuz Will Have to Wait for Convoys

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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