Monday, September 28, 2026
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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...

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Portuguese cruise ship Funchal

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...

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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,...

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Great Lakes cruise ship

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...

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Offshore

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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...

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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...

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Environment

Maersk

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...

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Business

Royal Caribbean cruise ships at Coco Cay

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

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,...

Continue Reading...