Ukraine to Prosecute Russian Captain for Transporting Stolen Grain

ultra-large cruise ship under construction

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Published Sep 28, 2026 9:21 AM by The Maritime Executive

The pace of construction on the next generation of ultra-large cruise ships is gaining momentum. The ships are being floated out of their assembly docks and going on sea trials, while steel cutting and block assembly are already underway for even more of the giants. For years, Royal Caribbean International’s two Oasis-class ships at 225,000 gross tons were the outliers, with none of the large, contemporary segment cruise lines willing to jump the 200,000 gross ton milestone. Imaginative concepts were...

Classic Liner Turned Cruise Ship Faces Uncertain Future

Published Sep 28, 2026 9:20 AM by The Maritime Executive

Another one of the few remaining classic passenger ships is facing an uncertain future as Funchal is currently being auctioned as part of the insolvency of her owner. Built in the days when passenger ships conducted liner service, the now 65-year-old ship retains her classic silhouette and her original name even though she was converted to cruising and has changed ownership multiple times. Shipping aficionados and members of the Portuguese community are rallying with last-minute hope to save the classic...

Royal Caribbean cruise ships at Coco Cay

Does the Royal Caribbean-Sandals JV Signal a New Paradigm for Cruising?

Published Sep 28, 2026 9:19 AM by The Maritime Executive

The overall sentiment is positive after the initial surprise of the news last week that Royal Caribbean Group would make a $3 billion investment in the Sandals resort operation in the Caribbean. Views of the potential synergies between the two operations have sparked the conversation about whether this is in fact the beginning of a new business model for the cruise corporations. The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), a trade association started more than 50 years ago by the cruise lines,...

Cruising on the Great Lakes Offers New Experiences

Published Sep 28, 2026 9:19 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Great Lakes, North America’s “Inland Oceans,” are gaining stronger attention from cruise enthusiasts. This year, it was projected that the cruise program would attract an estimated 175,000 passenger visits, an increase of 15 percent over 2025. Unlike the massive vessels that sail the oceans, Great Lakes cruise ships have a maximum capacity of less than 400 passengers but offer some international flair. The fleet of cruise lines is comprised of Ponant Cruises from France, Hapag-Lloyd of Germany, Viking, with...

Shipping

The Caspian Sea is Busy Between Russia and Iran

The US naval blockade of Iran’s southern ports appears to be nearly 100 percent effective, cutting the flow of goods through Bandar Abbas and other Gulf and southern coast ports which used to handle 80 percent of Iran’s trade before the current conflict. Within the last week, air traffic to the outside world has also largely been cut. Some flights will still be leaving and entering, perhaps some military aircraft flying with disabled transponders, and perhaps a few to Russia...

Tugs & Salvage

Indian Coast Guard vessel and tanker in distress

Indian Coast Guard Stops Flooding on Product Tanker in Distress

A specialized damage control team from the Indian Coast Guard was able to arrest the flooding endangering a product tanker off the northeastern coast of India in the Bay of Bengal. The Chinese-owned vessel was being taken in tow to a secure anchorage off Paradip, India, for additional repairs. The Coast Guard received a distress call from the tanker Sea Gull 9 (11,131 dwt) early on Saturday morning, September 27. The vessel was approximately 37 nautical miles east-southeast of Paradip...

Government

Report: Eight U.S. Marines Were Injured in Iranian Strike on a Ship

Earlier this month, a Fox News correspondent reported that a "U.S.-contracted" vessel had been hit by an Iranian munition somewhere near the Strait of Hormuz, injuring U.S. personnel. NBC News has since obtained more details about the incident, and has confirmed that U.S. Marines were among those on board. Three U.S. officials told MSC that eight Marines were injured in an Iranian cruise missile strike on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The Marines sustained smoke inhalation injuries, along...

Corporate News

Launch of TSHD 1000 for Port Otago and Napier Port

[By: Damen Shipyards Group] At Damen partner yard 189 Shipyard in Vietnam, a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) 1000 for Port Otago and Napier Port has been successfully launched. The launch marks a major milestone in the construction of the new state-of-the-art dredger, which is being built to support harbour maintenance dredging operations in the two New Zealand ports. The TSHD is a fit-for- purpose dredger combining the latest technology with excellent manoeuvring properties for harbour maintenance dredging. Scheduled for...

Cruise Ships

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Ports

Corridor Sovereignty: Cooperation Without Surrendering Control

Consider a vessel arriving late at a port. Its revised arrival time is useful to the cargo owner only if the terminal, inland carrier and receiver can act on it. Who may share that information, who must respond, and who settles a disagreement about what happened? These are the questions behind what we call corridor sovereignty: the capacity to coordinate trade across borders without surrendering control over how sensitive information is used. We argue for federation: participants remain independent and...

Shipping

The Caspian Sea is Busy Between Russia and Iran

Tugs & Salvage

Indian Coast Guard Stops Flooding on Product Tanker in Distress

Government

Report: Eight U.S. Marines Were Injured in Iranian Strike on a Ship

Corporate News

Launch of TSHD 1000 for Port Otago and Napier Port

Cruise Ships

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Ports

Corridor Sovereignty: Cooperation Without Surrendering Control

Offshore

New Zealand Invests $20 Million in New Offshore Gas Projects

New Zealand has made further progress in restarting domestic gas production with a new round of funding targeting offshore exploration projects. Resources Minister Shane Jones and Associate Finance Minister Chris Bishop this week announced $21 million financing for two offshore gas projects. The financing will be made through the Gas Security Fund (GSF), a $113 million state-owned investment facility to ramp up gas production in New Zealand. One of the projects considered for funding in this round is EnZed Energy’s...

Shipbuilding

The parent hull design for Birdon's MUSV program (Birdon)

Birdon and C&C Begin Building MUSVs for U.S. Navy Competition

Australian-owned marine engineering firm Birdon has begun building its first "tranche" of Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels for the long-awaited U.S. Navy MUSV program, and at a fast pace of one vessel every two months. After several iterations of its MUSV acquisition strategy, the U.S. Navy has picked out seven different companies to compete for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program, including Sea Machines; Leidos; Saronic Technologies; Galliano Marine Services; PacMar Technologies; Birdon; and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), many in partnership...

Environment

Study: Shipping is Off Track for 2030 Emissions Goals

The shipping industry will likely miss its 2030 targets for vessels running on alternative fuels, according to a new study from the UCL Energy Institute, mainly due to the regulatory uncertainties surrounding the IMO Net-Zero Framework (NZF). According to the fifth edition of 'Climate action in shipping: Progress towards shipping's 2030 breakthrough', the industry is highly unlikely to meet targets of having zero-emission fuels accounting for 5-10 percent of total fuel usage, the goal set in the 2023 IMO Greenhouse...

Business

Does the Royal Caribbean-Sandals JV Signal a New Paradigm for Cruising?

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Ukraine to Prosecute Russian Captain for Transporting Stolen Grain

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Classic Liner Turned Cruise Ship Faces Uncertain Future

Does the Royal Caribbean-Sandals JV Signal a New Paradigm for Cruising?

Cruising on the Great Lakes Offers New Experiences

The Caspian Sea is Busy Between Russia and Iran

Indian Coast Guard Stops Flooding on Product Tanker in Distress

Report: Eight U.S. Marines Were Injured in Iranian Strike on a Ship

Launch of TSHD 1000 for Port Otago and Napier Port

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Corridor Sovereignty: Cooperation Without Surrendering Control

Global Industry Leaders to Take the Stage at IBIA Annual Convention 2026

Beyond Web-Based SaaS: The Cloud-Native Advantage

A Mediterranean Residence Worth Pursuing for American Families

The Caspian Sea is Busy Between Russia and Iran

Indian Coast Guard Stops Flooding on Product Tanker in Distress

Report: Eight U.S. Marines Were Injured in Iranian Strike on a Ship

Launch of TSHD 1000 for Port Otago and Napier Port

Construction is Underway on More Giants for Cruising

Corridor Sovereignty: Cooperation Without Surrendering Control

New Zealand Invests $20 Million in New Offshore Gas Projects

Birdon and C&C Begin Building MUSVs for U.S. Navy Competition

Study: Shipping is Off Track for 2030 Emissions Goals

Does the Royal Caribbean-Sandals JV Signal a New Paradigm for Cruising?

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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