USS Gerald R. Ford Reports Laundry Room Fire

IEA Approves Record Oil Reserve Release, Keeping a Lid on Prices

Published Mar 11, 2026 8:07 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Wednesday, IEA members approved a record-setting coordinated release of 400 million barrels from global reserves, helping to keep an expected increase in Brent crude prices to just five percent. Brent closed at $92 per barrel, well under the $100 benchmark and far short of the $120-per-barrel levels it approached briefly on Monday. The continued increase in pricing reflects market expectations that the Strait of Hormuz will remained closed, pending major geopolitical or military developments. The effective shuttering of the...

survivors of collision of fishing boat and tanker

India Detains Tanker and Charges Captain After Fishing Boat Collision

Published Mar 11, 2026 7:09 PM by The Maritime Executive

Indian authorities launched an enforcement action against the captain of a tanker and his vessel after it hit and sank a fishing boat on the southwest coast of India. The authorities are citing negligent operations of the tanker in the incident, which left two fishermen missing. The chemical tanker Solis (21,181 dwt) had arrived from Oman and was departing from the port of Neendakara, located on the southwest coast in the state of Kerala, on Saturday, March 7. The tanker...

Coast Guard Icebreaker USCGC Polar Star Completes Antarctic Mission

Published Mar 11, 2026 6:50 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Polar Star, America's only operational heavy icebreaker, has successfully completed her annual mission to break out the cargo pier at McMurdo Sound. McMurdo is the home of the main U.S. Antarctic research base, and it gets only one big resupply delivery per year during the Southern Hemisphere's summer season. This year's voyage was special, as it marked Polar Star's 50th year in commissioned service. The first in a series of two ships, Polar Star...

COSCO Cancels Container Service at Balboa in Panama

Published Mar 11, 2026 6:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

China’s state-owned shipping company COSCO Shipping Lines informed customers in a memorandum dated March 10 that it has suspended all services at the Port of Balboa, Panama, at the Pacific terminus of the Panama Canal. No reasoning was given for the suspension, which quickly contributed to speculation that it was another step in China’s retaliation against Panama after the seizure of the port terminal operations from CK Hutchison. In a brief customer advisory obtained by Panama’s La Prensa newspaper, COSCO...

Shipping

IEA Approves Record Oil Reserve Release, Keeping a Lid on Prices

Tugs & Salvage

Two Tankers Burn Off Iraq After Suspected Drone Boat Strike

[Breaking] Two tankers have reportedly been hit by unknown projectiles in the Arabian Gulf, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). Two ships were reportedly struck at a position just south of Basrah, within Iraqi waters. Bystander video from a nearby vessel suggests that they were adjacent to each other and potentially engaged in an STS transfer at the time of impact. The video shows a spreading pool of burning oil surrounding the vessels. Iraqi authorities identified the vessels as...

Government

USS Gerald R. Ford Reports Laundry Room Fire

The Nimitz Class carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has suffered a fire in its onboard laundry facility, which has injured two crew members but not otherwise impaired operations of the carrier. In announcing the incident, CENTCOM emphasized that the cause of the fire was not combat-related and was contained. It said there is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational. The problem in the laundry comes on top of previously reported problems...

Corporate News

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

[By: Glamox] Glamox has secured a contract from SHE CO., LTD, on behalf of Hyundai Engineering & Steel Industries (HESI), to supply marine lighting for the Shinan Ui offshore wind farm, which will be South Korea’s largest offshore wind farm. Glamox will deliver around 1,000 specialised marine lights for the jacket transition pieces of 26 fixed wind farm turbines. These turbines will produce 390 Megawatts of renewable electricity, which is currently greater than the combined total of all of South...

Cruise Ships

UK Finds Fault in Planning and Medical Care on Cruise Ship in Severe Storm

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch issued its report on a 2023 incident aboard the cruise ship Spirit of Discovery in which many passengers were injured, including one who later died, as the vessel lost propulsion during a violent storm in the Bay of Biscay. The report outlines significant steps that have been taken to address a range of safety issues, while the UK, along with the Norwegian authority, is making recommendations to the IMO and class societies to enhance...

Ports

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Reports indicate the U.S. import container volume was down significantly in February 2026, but despite the uncertainties in trade, the view was that the volumes were beginning to normalize. Descartes Systems Global, in its monthly report, highlighted that February 2026 was ranked as the fourth-strongest February on record, but the impact from the conflict in Iran adds new uncertainty. “While February volumes suggest underlying demand remains relatively stable, the military conflict in the Middle East, evolving U.S. tariffs, and ongoing...

Shipping

IEA Approves Record Oil Reserve Release, Keeping a Lid on Prices

Tugs & Salvage

Two Tankers Burn Off Iraq After Suspected Drone Boat Strike

Government

USS Gerald R. Ford Reports Laundry Room Fire

Corporate News

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Cruise Ships

UK Finds Fault in Planning and Medical Care on Cruise Ship in Severe Storm

Ports

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Offshore

Second "Big Beautiful" Offshore Lease Sale Draws Fewer Big Spenders

The U.S. Department of the Interior has completed the second offshore oil and gas auction of its revised lease plan, and the outcome was quieter this time. The auction generated $47 million in high bids for a total of 140,000 acres in 25 blocks, down from the previous auction's total of $280 million. A total of about 80 million acres were up for auction, but the majority received no bids. 13 companies participated in bidding, down from 30 in the...

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

China Reports it Held “Talks” with Maersk and MSC in Beijing

China’s Ministry of Transport issued a one-sentence notice reporting it had held “talks” with both Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. While no details were announced, it quickly raised speculation that Chinese officials were reacting to the two companies' assumption of the port terminal operations in Panama after the government annulled CK Hutchison’s concession and seized the operations in Balboa and Cristobal. In the unusual statement, the Ministry of Transport announced it had “held separate talks with relevant officials from...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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

USS Gerald R. Ford Reports Laundry Room Fire

IEA Approves Record Oil Reserve Release, Keeping a Lid on Prices

India Detains Tanker and Charges Captain After Fishing Boat Collision

Coast Guard Icebreaker USCGC Polar Star Completes Antarctic Mission

COSCO Cancels Container Service at Balboa in Panama

IEA Approves Record Oil Reserve Release, Keeping a Lid on Prices

Two Tankers Burn Off Iraq After Suspected Drone Boat Strike

USS Gerald R. Ford Reports Laundry Room Fire

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

UK Finds Fault in Planning and Medical Care on Cruise Ship in Severe Storm

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Connecting Opportunities: The Power of Integrated E-Navigation

Collaborative Delivery Models Reshape Port Infrastructure Development

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

IEA Approves Record Oil Reserve Release, Keeping a Lid on Prices

Two Tankers Burn Off Iraq After Suspected Drone Boat Strike

USS Gerald R. Ford Reports Laundry Room Fire

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

UK Finds Fault in Planning and Medical Care on Cruise Ship in Severe Storm

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Second "Big Beautiful" Offshore Lease Sale Draws Fewer Big Spenders

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

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

China Reports it Held “Talks” with Maersk and MSC in Beijing

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Join the conversation.

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events