Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Media Kit
US Marines looking at tanker

Video: U.S. Forces Board and Redirect Iranian Product Tanker

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Coal

Indonesia Imposes Commodity Export Controls to Fight Tax Evasion

Published May 20, 2026 5:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

Indonesia's government is making an unusual move to centralize control over the export of commodity products, notably palm oil to coal. The decision has significant implications for regional trade, as Indonesia is the largest exporter of thermal coal in the world, and coal demand is running high due to the war-related disruption in Mideast LNG supplies. The government's objective is to combat tax evasion, which is facilitated by the widespread practice of falsifying the invoices presented to customs officials, estimated...

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ferry loaded with containers

South Korea Tentatively Selects Small Container Line for Test Arctic Voyage

Published May 20, 2026 5:20 PM by The Maritime Executive

South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is defending its plan to run a trial containership voyage along Russia’s Northern Sea Route later this year. Media reports, however, are suggesting that only one small, regional carrier responded to the tender, while there are questions about whether South Korea will have the crew and capabilities to conduct the demonstration trip. Ministry officials are anxious to complete the trial trip as they now point to the disruption in the Middle East and...

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Mexico water amusement park

Mexico Denies Approval for Royal Caribbean’s Yucatán Amusement Park

Published May 20, 2026 4:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Government of Mexico confirmed that it plans to deny permits to Royal Caribbean International, which was planning to build a massive amusement waterpark on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It is seen as a victory for environmentalists and residents who had expressed concerns about overtourism in an area with critical mangroves and reefs and home to a small coastal fishing village. “We must not do anything that affects that area, which has a very important ecological balance, and is particularly important...

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Saudi Route 10, the world's longest continuously straight road (Slayym / CC BY SA 4.0)

Iran War Prompts GCC Countries to Reduce Regional Trade Barriers

Published May 20, 2026 4:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

Faced with the urgent demands of their customers, logistics operators are not waiting for a political settlement to the war in the Gulf to solve their problems and the interruption of supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Customs procedures within the GCC have always been an impediment to truck movements, but the lack of external, direct shipments into the Gulf has forced traffic onto the roads linking markets with the ports where there is still free access. These customs delays...

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Offshore

An image of the missing grating where rig worker Jason Thomas is believed to have disappeared (UK HSE)

Valaris Fined for Rig Worker's Fatal Fall Through Hole in Deck Grating

A court in Aberdeen, Scotland has fined rig operator Valaris a total of $385,000 for the death of a worker who fell through a hole left by a missing deck grating. On January 22, 2023, the rig Valaris 121 was under tow towards Dundee, Scotland in worsening weather and 15-foot waves. Jason Thomas, 50, was the deck supervisor during the day shift. At about 1430 hours he was seen in the staff lounge on break, departing about half an hour...

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Shipbuilding

U-Ming's first LNG gas carrier on trials

U-Ming Names First LNG Carrier as Diversification and Expansion Continue

Taiwanese shipping company Un-Ming reports that it is continuing its business growth and diversification strategy with the naming of its first LNG carrier. According to the company, the commissioning of its first LNG carrier symbolizes its entry into the energy transport sector, building on its current operations of Very Large Crude Carriers. The naming ceremony for the new vessel, Diamond Gas Jade, took place on May 19 at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje Shipyard in South Korea. The yard is known...

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Environment

offshore vessel charging

EU Funds Pilot to Demonstrate Offshore Power Zones to Charge Vessels

The European Union’s flagship Horizon Europe research and innovation program is providing a €5 million ($5.8 million) grant to an international consortium led by Stillstrom, a Maersk company, to develop and demonstrate offshore charging infrastructure for stationary vessels at anchor with their engines running. The project is due to kick off next month, June, and is expected to run for 36 months, demonstrating the concept and also assessing commercial viability and regulatory pathways to support wider adoption of offshore charging....

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Business

Coal

Indonesia Imposes Commodity Export Controls to Fight Tax Evasion

Indonesia's government is making an unusual move to centralize control over the export of commodity products, notably palm oil to coal. The decision has significant implications for regional trade, as Indonesia is the largest exporter of thermal coal in the world, and coal demand is running high due to the war-related disruption in Mideast LNG supplies. The government's objective is to combat tax evasion, which is facilitated by the widespread practice of falsifying the invoices presented to customs officials, estimated...

Continue Reading...