Sunday, August 23, 2026
Media Kit
Ocean Winner (file image courtesy Ray Greisiger / VesselFinder)

Bulker Sinks Suddenly in Bay of Bengal, 22 Crewmembers Missing

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sinking catamaran

Rock Strike Caused Near-Fatal Grounding of Tourist Vessel in New Zealand

Published Aug 21, 2026 4:59 PM by The Maritime Executive

The near-fatal grounding and loss of a tourist catamaran in New Zealand waters early this year was caused by the vessel coming into contact with a known hazard after the master approached it from an “unusual direction.” That was the finding detailed in an interim report from New Zealand’s transportation authority. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) released its interim report detailing the grounding and subsequent total loss of the Black Cat catamaran on the morning of January 31, 2026....

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electric short-sea cargo ship concept

Dutch Designers Promote Electric-Powered Vessel for Short-Sea Shipping

Published Aug 21, 2026 4:31 PM by The Maritime Executive

Dutch firm Conoship International is pushing to expand the scope of its short-sea shipping offering. After having pioneered a series of standardized vessel designs, it is now launching a design for a general cargo ship that will be fully propelled by electric power. The design and engineering firm that focuses on concepts for small general cargo ships suited for river and coastal operations, specifically in the Scandinavian region, unveiled what it is calling a zero-emission 89-meter (292-foot) vessel that will...

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The Maritime Executive Ship Management Edition

The Maritime Executive’s Ship Management Edition is Now Online

Published Aug 21, 2026 4:20 PM by Tony Munoz

DOG DAYS It's been a long, hot summer with record temperatures in Europe and the U.S., on-and-off-again hostilities in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Dog days of summer? Dog days of war? Take your pick. And maritime has been right in the middle of it. The Wallem Group and its fearless leader, John Rowley, grace this edition's cover. Educated at Sandhurst and having served five years as a paratrooper in the British Army, Rowley knows all...

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containership in the Arctic

China Opens New Arctic Trade Route–But Obstacles Will Prevent Its Wider Use

Published Aug 21, 2026 4:10 PM by The Conversation

[By Edward Rhys Jones} Sea Legend, a Chinese shipping line, recently announced it was launching a regular container service between China and Europe via the Arctic. The announcement follows a trial crossing in 2025 that saw a container ship travel from the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China to Felixstowe in the UK in 20 days. This will not have gone unnoticed in the west. While the Iran war has not halted shipping traffic through the Suez Canal, it has...

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Offshore

The South African lease area covered part of the Orange Basin, a geological region where Shell has had success on the Namibian side of the boundary line, above (Press handout courtesy Odfjell)

Top Court Ends Shell's South African Wild Coast Offshore Lease

Last Friday, oil major Shell lost a long-running court battle over its offshore oil and gas exploration plans for a frontier region off South Africa's "Wild Coast," an unspoiled stretch of coastline that provides habitat for migrating humpback whales. Environmental groups (including Greenpeace) began suing Shell back in 2021 in an attempt to stop seismic surveying off the Wild Coast, asserting that it would be harmful to whales and to commercial fishermen. Shell countered that its plans were compliant with...

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Shipbuilding

Hyundai shipyard South Korea

Report: Korea’s HD Hyundai Negotiating Acquisition of US Shipyard

South Korea’s largest shipbuilder, the HD Hyundai Group, is reportedly closing in on the acquisition of a U.S. shipyard as the next piece of its strategy for the American industry. Korean media reports indicate that the company is pursuing the acquisition after having already formed several partnerships also designed to leverage the opportunities under Korea’s MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) initiative. HD Hyundai is said to be in advanced negotiations with the American shipyards after having targeted two or...

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Environment

Laura DiBella, Chairman Federal Maritime Commission

Op-Ed: FMC Chairman DiBella Calls for Rethinking IMO’s Net-Zero Framework

The Net-Zero Framework (NZF), currently under consideration at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), is an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, aiming for net-zero emissions in the maritime sector by the year 2050. In its current state, this initiative raises more questions than it answers and must be rethought before international acceptance and implementation. Specifically, any viable proposal must allow for the maximum range of alternate fuel sources, including LNG and bio-LNG. The primary flaw in the NZF...

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Business

Press handout image courtesy Microsoft

AI Companies Look to the Ocean as a Place to Put Data Centers

[By Nir Kshetri] The artificial intelligence boom is driving unprecedented demand for data centers, raising concerns about their growing energy consumption, water use and carbon footprint. These challenges are making companies look beyond traditional land-based data centers. Some developers are now exploring the ocean as a new location for AI infrastructure in the hopes that underwater data centers could improve energy use and cooling efficiency while using less fresh water and land area than onshore buildings. My research focuses on...

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