Four Killed in Firefight Between American Speedboat and Cuban Patrol Boat

VLCC Day Rates Soar to Rare Heights

Published Feb 25, 2026 11:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

Daily charter rates for VLCC tankers on the Middle East to Asia run have reached their highest level since those which prevailed during the COVID pandemic in 2020. LSEG Data & Analytics, quoted by Reuters on February 24, estimated the daily rate as $170,000, whilst Bloomberg and tanker owner Frontline reported that rates had risen to $200,000. Tankers International has reported that VLCC DHT Jaguar (IMO 9733947) has been signed up for a rate of $208,000 per day by Saudi...

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) prepares for takeoff of the Viasat-3 F2 satellite (Viasat)

Case Study: Satcom Giant Inmarsat

Published Feb 25, 2026 9:18 PM by Paul Benecki

The maritime industry is a conservative business. It tends to favor the established option over the innovative solution. Inmarsat – the original name in maritime satcom – has managed to compete in a tough market by combining both, leveraging its reputation for reliability to bring a new concept into the mainstream. In 2024, it debuted a bonded connectivity service, pairing a speedy low-earth-orbit connection with the reliability of its geostationary fleet. This multi-orbit, multi-network service – NexusWave – has revitalized...

U.S. Offshore Wind Projects Report Progress After Resuming Offshore Work

Published Feb 25, 2026 8:25 PM by The Maritime Executive

Three of the five offshore wind projects under construction in the northeast U.S. have each signaled this week strong progress. It comes after each project received preliminary injunctions against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which had imposed stop-work orders in late December. Speaking to investors on February 25, the executives of Iberdrola, one of the partners in Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts, said as far as they are concerned,...

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

Published Feb 25, 2026 6:19 PM by The Maritime Executive

A new meta-study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that ocean warming has an outsize impact on the total amount of fish in the water, enough to have major implications for global fisheries. The study, led by researchers at Spain's Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, looked at hundreds of thousands of studies of fish populations in the Northern Hemisphere over a period of nearly 30 years, spanning 1993-2021. The vast data set covered more than 1,500 fish species and...

Shipping

Seized Shadow Tanker is Departing Scotland Bound for U.S. Reports BBC

Seven weeks after U.S. forces boarded and seized the shadow fleet tanker Marinera (Bella 1), the vessel is reported to be leaving Scotland bound for the U.S. BBC Scotland is reporting the ship was being escorted out of the Moray Firth on the first leg of a trip to an unnamed U.S. destination. The tanker drew worldwide attention as it became the first to be seized by the U.S. after days of pursuit from the Caribbean to the waters between...

Tugs & Salvage

Salvors Successfully Refloat Wrecked Barge at San Juan's Harbor Entrance

Salvors from Donjon-SMIT have successfully refloated and removed the fuel barge that went aground at the entrance to San Juan's harbor earlier this month, the Coast Guard reported Wednesday. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, as the tide was coming in, salvors pumped out the barge's tanks and prepared to tow it away using a large tug, the Lobo Grande. Just before high tide, the Defiant came free and floated off. The Coast Guard and the salvage team evaluated...

Government

Nine U.S. Navy Sailors Accused of Gang Ties After Violent Assault

Nine U.S. Navy enlisted sailors have been arrested in connection with suspected gang violence in San Diego County last year, according to the local sheriff's office. Sheriff's deputies allege that the men - identified as Navy personnel Jaharai Wiggins, Robert Green, Isaiah Pearson, Answer Adams, Gary Cannon, Eric Frierson, Timothy Blair, Demario Ricks and Lawrence Hodge - were involved in an assault in May 2025 at a private residence in the town of Jamul, a rural area just east of...

Corporate News

GIT Coatings Unlocks New Era of Hull Performance Management with XGIT-FORCE

[By: GIT Coatings] GIT Coatings, a global leader in sustainable high-performance marine coatings, today announced the launch of its next-generation graphene-base hard foul-release coating, XGIT-FORCE™. This launch marks a fundamental shift in the maritime industry, moving beyond traditional biocide-based antifouling protection to a new era of hull performance management. With first applications already underway across a global fleet, XGIT-FORCE™ is engineered to unlock up to 10% fuel savings and provide the highest return on investment of any antifouling coating on...

Cruise Ships

Four Seasons I cruise ship under construction

Fincantieri Delivers First Ultra-Luxury Yacht Cruise Ship for Four Seasons

The delivery of the ultra-luxury Four Seasons I was completed at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard on February 25. The first of two cruise ships on order for the storied hotel and lifestyle brand, it is also seen as a pivotal moment in the already surging luxury segment of cruising. The cruise ship is 35,040 gross tons with just 95 luxury suites and accommodations for 222 people. The ship measures 207 meters (679 feet) in length. The joint owner/operator Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings...

Ports

Port of Balboa container terminal Panama

China and Hutchison Condemn “Illegal Takeover” of Port Terminals

The Hong Kong Government and CK Hutchison condemned the actions of the Government of Panama, saying they would seek legal recourse after Panama took possession of the terminals in Balboa and Cristobal and signed new operating contracts with Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). Hutchison confirmed that its subsidiary, the Panama Ports Company, has ceased operations. Hutchison asserts that the representatives of Panama “made direct physical entry into the terminals,” saying they “arrived without invitation.” It further asserts that representatives...

Shipping

Seized Shadow Tanker is Departing Scotland Bound for U.S. Reports BBC

Tugs & Salvage

Salvors Successfully Refloat Wrecked Barge at San Juan's Harbor Entrance

Government

Nine U.S. Navy Sailors Accused of Gang Ties After Violent Assault

Corporate News

GIT Coatings Unlocks New Era of Hull Performance Management with XGIT-FORCE

Cruise Ships

Fincantieri Delivers First Ultra-Luxury Yacht Cruise Ship for Four Seasons

Ports

China and Hutchison Condemn “Illegal Takeover” of Port Terminals

Offshore

U.S. Offshore Wind Projects Report Progress After Resuming Offshore Work

Shipbuilding

Hanwha and Greece’s Onex Shipyards Partner to Expand U.S. Shipbuilding

A new trilateral agreement was formalized between Onex Shipyards & Technologies, which is working to revitalize Greek shipbuilding, and South Korea’s Hanwha Power Systems, with American officials looking on during the signing event. According to the reports, the effort will support the efforts in Greece but also looks to leverage the emerging opportunities in the United States under the Trump administration’s U.S. Maritime Action Plan. Onex reports that the agreement focuses on the development of newbuildings with LNG capacity as...

Environment

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

Business

Case Study: Satcom Giant Inmarsat

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Select any month to view events: February March April May June July August September October November December January

Four Killed in Firefight Between American Speedboat and Cuban Patrol Boat

VLCC Day Rates Soar to Rare Heights

Case Study: Satcom Giant Inmarsat

U.S. Offshore Wind Projects Report Progress After Resuming Offshore Work

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

Seized Shadow Tanker is Departing Scotland Bound for U.S. Reports BBC

Salvors Successfully Refloat Wrecked Barge at San Juan's Harbor Entrance

Nine U.S. Navy Sailors Accused of Gang Ties After Violent Assault

GIT Coatings Unlocks New Era of Hull Performance Management with XGIT-FORCE

Fincantieri Delivers First Ultra-Luxury Yacht Cruise Ship for Four Seasons

China and Hutchison Condemn “Illegal Takeover” of Port Terminals

The Hybrid Adjustable Tip Propeller: Adaptability and Efficiency

Environmental Remediation at Aging Ports

Beyond Sanctions Lists: Navigating Fragmented Enforcement in Maritime Trade

Seized Shadow Tanker is Departing Scotland Bound for U.S. Reports BBC

Salvors Successfully Refloat Wrecked Barge at San Juan's Harbor Entrance

Nine U.S. Navy Sailors Accused of Gang Ties After Violent Assault

GIT Coatings Unlocks New Era of Hull Performance Management with XGIT-FORCE

Fincantieri Delivers First Ultra-Luxury Yacht Cruise Ship for Four Seasons

China and Hutchison Condemn “Illegal Takeover” of Port Terminals

U.S. Offshore Wind Projects Report Progress After Resuming Offshore Work

Hanwha and Greece’s Onex Shipyards Partner to Expand U.S. Shipbuilding

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

Case Study: Satcom Giant Inmarsat

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Join the conversation.

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events