China Coast Guard vessel closing on Philippine supply ship

Chinese Coast Guard Vessel Hits Philippine Supply Boat in Spratly Islands

Maersk Confirms Reports of Large New Ship Order

Published Sep 18, 2026 4:18 PM by The Maritime Executive

Maersk is moving forward with a large new ship order, equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the carrier’s current total capacity in operation. The news comes after days of speculation in the industry that Maersk was placing large orders and adjusting its strategy, which over the past few years has mostly focused on fleet renewal. “We can confirm that Maersk has ordered 26 large container vessels as part of our ongoing fleet renewal program,” a spokesperson for Maersk told The...

Iran Exploits Attack on Small Product Tanker to Assert Hormuz Control

Published Sep 18, 2026 3:12 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy continues its campaign of attacking vessels and exploiting the incidents to assert that it has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. While it continues to exaggerate the claims in its propaganda warfare, it appears to have an effect, as the confirmed transits through the Strait of Hormuz remain low. In its latest report, it said a Togo-flagged tanker, Trend, was attacked. The IRGC claims the vessel was set ablaze and stopped from its...

China Upgrades Djibouti Naval Base as an Intelligence Site

Published Sep 18, 2026 9:25 AM by The Maritime Executive

China has recently enhanced the signals communication array at its base for the People’s Liberation Army (Navy) in Djibouti. An in-depth report produced by CSIS (the Center for Strategic and International Studies, based in Washington, D.C.) described the enhancements made at the base. The PLAN’s Overseas Support Base at Doraleh in Djibouti is the only acknowledged Chinese external base, but was supposed to be the first of several such bases to be constructed worldwide under the classified Project 141. Ream...

Somali Navy Reports Rescue of Crew from Bulker

Somalia’s fledgling navy is reporting the rescue of seafarers from a bulker in distress. Details of the incident are incomplete, but it is being cited as an example of the government’s efforts to enhance maritime security in a troubled area of the world. The Ministry of Ports and Maritime Transport said on September 17 it was monitoring the grounding of a bulker, which was also taking on water. It said there were 18 crewmembers from India, Syria, and Egypt aboard...

Tugs & Salvage

The newly-opened Sever Bay terminal at the head of the Yenisei River, with the shuttle tanker Akademik Gubnik alongside, September 4 (Sentinel-2)

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

With the opening up of the Russian Northern Sea Route, exploiting the reduction in ice in the sea corridor running across Russia’s northern coastline, the way is now open for the movement of oil and LNG along a route firmly under Russian control, with reduced exposure to dark fleet interdictions by others, and with less risk of oil terminal attacks by the long-range Ukrainian sanctions program. This is in keeping with President Putin’s plan to develop the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor...

Government

Africa’s Red Sea States Face Growing Risks as Houthis Expand Their Reach

[By Burak Sakir Seker] The Houthi takeover of parts of the Red Sea gives the armed group a new platform to challenge global shipping. The group has taken over the port of Mocha, the island of Mayyun, and the Zuqar and Hanish archipelago about 160km north of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. These areas were previously controlled by Yemeni government forces. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a narrow maritime chokepoint roughly 32km wide. Lying between the Arabian Peninsula to the north-east...

Corporate News

Pacific Marine & Supply Company Names Christian Talmage Vice President of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing

Christian Talmage Named VP of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing

[By: Pacific Marine & Supply Company] Pacific Marine & Supply Company (PMS) today announced its expansion into large-scale advanced manufacturing, hiring Christian Talmage as Vice President of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing to lead the effort. In this newly created role, Talmage will oversee the development of a new large-scale manufacturing facility and its strategic direction. Talmage joins PMS from N2 Ventures, an industrial technology-focused venture capital firm, where he served as an Operating Partner, working closely with defense and industrial companies....

Cruise Ships

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

Extended U.S. Navy deployments have periodically drawn public attention to what accumulated months at sea can do to a crew. Reporting on one recent deployment — an aircraft carrier at sea for more than eight months with no announced return date — described sailors reaching a breaking point under the sustained strain of the assignment, and a family member who received a single call from the ship's family-support liaison after a serious incident, then heard nothing further from the Navy...

Ports

South Africa to Boost East London Port’s Competitiveness with LNG Terminal

South Africa is hoping to boost the fortunes and competitiveness of its East London river port. Port operator Transnet has decided to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the facility. Located at the mouth of the Buffalo River, the Port of East London is the only commercial river port in South Africa. Though consisting of diversified cargo handling facilities for containers, bulk liquids, dry bulk free-flowing grains, and general breakbulk, the port’s core business has been supporting...

Shipping

Somali Navy Reports Rescue of Crew from Bulker

Tugs & Salvage

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

Government

Africa’s Red Sea States Face Growing Risks as Houthis Expand Their Reach

Corporate News

Christian Talmage Named VP of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing

Cruise Ships

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

Ports

South Africa to Boost East London Port’s Competitiveness with LNG Terminal

Offshore

US Offshore Wind Project Revolution Wind Installs Last Turbine

One of the few large offshore wind projects proceeding in the United States, Revolution Wind completed the installation of its 65th and final wind turbine. The project began delivering power in March despite repeated opposition from the Trump administration and now expects to complete its commissioning by the end of the year. Revolution Wind is being developed in a 50-50 partnership between Orsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. Media reports indicate it represents an investment of $6.2 billion to...

Shipbuilding

Maersk Confirms Reports of Large New Ship Order

Environment

Executive Interview: Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder & CEO, NAMEPA

Carleen Lyden Walker is one of the best-known figures in maritime – founder of her own marketing business, co-founder of NAMEPA, former IMO Maritime Ambassador, Chief Evolution Officer of SHIPPINGInsight and a fierce advocate for all things maritime. She's a frequent speaker and participant at maritime conferences around the world, advocating for seafarers' rights, environmental stewardship and the role of women in maritime while raising the profile of an industry that touches every aspect of human life. Welcome, Carleen, we're...

Business

Interview: John Rowley, CEO, Wallem Group

Welcome, John, great to have you! Let's start with your background and education. Tell us about yourself. Yes, thank you, I'm British. I was educated at the University of Reading in the U.K. and then the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and eventually the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in the U.S. I'm married, have two daughters and live in Hong Kong, where Wallem is headquartered. I previously lived in Singapore, Shanghai and Sydney, so have spent most of...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Chinese Coast Guard Vessel Hits Philippine Supply Boat in Spratly Islands

Maersk Confirms Reports of Large New Ship Order

Iran Exploits Attack on Small Product Tanker to Assert Hormuz Control

China Upgrades Djibouti Naval Base as an Intelligence Site

More Problems for Scotland’s Ferry Replacement Program

Somali Navy Reports Rescue of Crew from Bulker

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

Africa’s Red Sea States Face Growing Risks as Houthis Expand Their Reach

Christian Talmage Named VP of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

South Africa to Boost East London Port’s Competitiveness with LNG Terminal

Beyond Web-Based SaaS: The Cloud-Native Advantage

A Mediterranean Residence Worth Pursuing for American Families

The Next Generation of Marine Propulsion

Somali Navy Reports Rescue of Crew from Bulker

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

Africa’s Red Sea States Face Growing Risks as Houthis Expand Their Reach

Christian Talmage Named VP of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

South Africa to Boost East London Port’s Competitiveness with LNG Terminal

US Offshore Wind Project Revolution Wind Installs Last Turbine

Maersk Confirms Reports of Large New Ship Order

Executive Interview: Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder & CEO, NAMEPA

Interview: John Rowley, CEO, Wallem Group

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events