Monday, August 17, 2026
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Destroyer

Wreck of British Warship Cut in Two by Cruiser Found 118 Years Later

Published Aug 16, 2026 8:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

The wreck of a Royal Navy destroyer that sank after being cut in two by another warship during an exercise, killing 35 men, has been discovered some 118 years after the collision. HMS Tiger sank in the English Channel in 1908, and her wreck has now been found at a depth of 60 meters, not far from the Isle of Wight. Divers with ProjectXplore spent five years working through archival material in search of Tiger, the last missing British 30-knot...

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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

Published Aug 16, 2026 7:53 PM by The Maritime Executive

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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SeaLead was used by Iranian sanctions-busting networks but appeared legitimate, even running sailings to Jacksonville with its 6,661 TEU container ship Hakuna Matata (JAXPORT press handout, 2022)

For Iran's Ruling Families, Corruption and Blockade Busting Run Deep

Published Aug 16, 2026 7:03 PM by The Maritime Executive

A new investigation using covert tip-offs from disgruntled insiders within Iran has revealed further connections between close relatives of hardline Iranian political leaders and the sanctions-busting activities from which they personally profit, often at the expense of the Iranian state. US Treasury sanctions notifications have highlighted the activities of two particularly famous “nepo” sons of prominent Iranian hardliners: Mohammed Hossein Shamkani, son of the late Iranian National Security Advisor Ali Shamkani; and Babak Zanjani, who is intermarried both with the...

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Ruet

Russian Escort Accused of Killing Senior Russian Navy Officer in Sevastopol

Published Aug 16, 2026 5:20 PM by The Maritime Executive

Russian authorities have arrested a Russian escort and accused her of killing a Russian Navy officer, ex-Ukrainian Navy defector Robert Shageev. Margarita Reut, 32, was detained in Sevastopol in connection with a covert attack. According to Russian accounts, on August 13 she placed a bomb in a trash bin on Stoljetovs'kyi (Stoletovsky) Avenue in anticipation that Shageev would walk past it. Shageev came down a flight of steps, accompanied by a friend, and the bomb detonated when he came near....

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MORE STORIES BY CATEGORY

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

LCU

Austal USA Delivers First LCU for the U.S. Navy

Defense shipbuilder Austal USA has delivered its first landing craft for the U.S. Navy, the first ever steel-hull vessel that the company has completed and delivered to its primary customer. “The delivery of LCU 1710 represents a major achievement for Austal USA and our shipbuilding team,” said Gene Miller, President of Austal USA. “It also demonstrates Austal USA’s ability to skillfully design, build and deliver highly complex steel vessels while continuing to support the Navy’s evolving mission requirements.” LCU 1710...

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Environment

Clear offender: a Chinese distant-water fishing vessel caught with illegal drift net gear at a position off Japan, 2008 (USCG file image)

Study: Wealthy Countries Fuel Illegal Fishing in Poor Countries

Consumers in wealthy nations are fueling a rampant illegal fishing trade that has become a multibillion-dollar industry, and the majority of the catch originates in the waters of poor countries, according to a comprehensive study from Canada’s University of British Columbia. Fishing is a socioeconomic lifeline for most coastal communities across the globe, with about 3.5 million fishing vessels plying the world’s oceans, providing livelihoods and food for millions. But the world seems to have resigned itself to being unable...

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Business

SeaLead was used by Iranian sanctions-busting networks but appeared legitimate, even running sailings to Jacksonville with its 6,661 TEU container ship Hakuna Matata (JAXPORT press handout, 2022)

For Iran's Ruling Families, Corruption and Blockade Busting Run Deep

A new investigation using covert tip-offs from disgruntled insiders within Iran has revealed further connections between close relatives of hardline Iranian political leaders and the sanctions-busting activities from which they personally profit, often at the expense of the Iranian state. US Treasury sanctions notifications have highlighted the activities of two particularly famous “nepo” sons of prominent Iranian hardliners: Mohammed Hossein Shamkani, son of the late Iranian National Security Advisor Ali Shamkani; and Babak Zanjani, who is intermarried both with the...

Continue Reading...