Sunday, August 16, 2026
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LCU

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

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Cosgrand Lake

Will Chinese Oil Imports Rebound After the Iran War?

Published Aug 14, 2026 7:33 PM by Erik Broekhuizen / Poten & Partners

For several decades, there has been one reliable growth engine for oil demand in the world: China. China’s massive growth in oil demand in the early 2000s was the primary driver of the tanker super cycle that lasted from roughly 2001 to 2009. It established China as the key driver of global oil and tanker demand. China has only limited domestic production and most of the oil needs to be imported, which is why tanker owners keep a close eye...

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Hormuz

Two More Tankers Attacked in the Strait of Hormuz

Published Aug 14, 2026 7:04 PM by The Maritime Executive

Two tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Thursday, according to UKMTO and UAE state oil company Adnoc. It was the latest round of strikes instigated by Iran in an attempt to reinforce Iranian control of the strait, and the latest in a long string of attempts to halt Adnoc's shipping operations. At about 1550 hours UTC, military authorities in the region informed UKMTO that a tanker was hit in the strait during an outbound transit. The vessel...

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The Philippine delegation presenting the official copy of NAMRIA Chart No. 1567 entitled “Bajo de Masinloc and Approach” with DOALOS Deputy Director Alice Hicuburundi, centre left (DFA Philippines)

Scarborough Shoal and the Philippines’ Paper Trail in the South China Sea

Published Aug 14, 2026 5:33 PM by The Lowy Interpreter

In the South China Sea, power is usually measured in ships, patrols and presence. In July, the Philippines opened a quieter front: the legal record. By depositing Chart No. 1567 with the United Nations(Opens in new window), setting out the baselines, territorial sea and contiguous zone of Bajo de Masinloc(Opens in new window), or Scarborough Shoal, Manila made a quiet but potentially enduring move. No ships changed course. No water cannon fired. Yet the filing may outlast the confrontations that...

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NCA

UK Seizes $300M Worth of Cocaine at London Gateway

Published Aug 14, 2026 3:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

Authorities in the United Kingdom have yet again thwarted a plot by South America cartels to smuggle cocaine into the country with a three-tonne bust at London Gateway. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said that on August 6, officers intercepted a 2.9 tonne consignment of cocaine that was hidden in a load of bananas, among the largest seizures in recent months. The drugs, which are estimated to have a street value of $313 million, originated from the banana-producing, cocaine-trafficking regions...

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Offshore

Prime Minister Modi in a hard hat mixes in amongst Indian construction workers (KARAM)

India's Big Boost for Maritime Oil & Gas Exploration

The Indian government is looking to reduce its 90% reliance on imported crude by providing an $8.8 billion boost to private sector maritime oil and gas exploration. India also imports 50% of its gas, and its heavy dependency on imported hydrocarbons has been highlighted by the continuing closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Much of India’s currently imported oil and gas comes from the Middle East. Although government announcement on Samudra Manthan did not dwell on this aspect of the...

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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

A boarding team crewmember inventories shark fins on a suspect vessel, May 2026 (NOAA Fisheries)

Canadian-Led Operation Reveals Scope of Illegal Fishing in North Pacific

A Canadian-led operation aimed at cracking down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has again exposed how the vast North Pacific continues to be a hotspot for criminal activity that poses a major threat to fish populations, marine environments and global seafood supply chains. Following the completion of the annual multinational mission known as Operation North Pacific Guard (Op. NPG), which involved more than two months of patrolling North Pacific waters at sea, in the air and by satellite,...

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Business

Hapag-Lloyd containership

Geopolitical Turmoil Drives Improved Results and Higher Costs for Boxships

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd both reported quarterly earnings on Thursday, August 13, and while they highlighted the turmoil in global markets, they also reported improved results driven in part by those same issues. While the two carriers are partnered in the Gemini Cooperation, they, however, experienced different impacts from the problems in the Middle East. Both carriers cited significantly higher spot rates and robust demand in the second quarter, as Hapag-Lloyd termed it. Maersk said the markets had “remained resilient,” pointing...

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