Sunday, October 18, 2026
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A suspected Chinese drone captured in the Philippines (PCG)

China's Unconventional Naval Warfare Capabilities are Evolving

Published Oct 18, 2026 2:46 PM by CIMSEC

[By Jack Lindstrom] The evolution of maritime warfare has largely moved in expanding the form of conflict and the direction of it. Originating from largely surface conflict and eventually amphibious assaults, maritime conflict shifted to expanded domains, attacks from below by submarines and above by aircraft carriers. However, in the continued evolution of maritime conflict since World War II, various new technologies and strategies have shifted the way war is conducted, as well as preparations for war. This is reflected...

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Hundreds of shipyard workers gather for the keel-laying for the future CCGS Imnaryuaq, with a nearly-completed naval auxiliary in the background (CCG)

Seaspan Lays the Keel for Canada's Biggest Domestically-Built Icebreaker

Published Oct 16, 2026 10:52 PM by The Maritime Executive

Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards has carried out the keel-laying ceremony for the Canadian Coast Guard's next polar icebreaker, the future CCGS Imnaryuaq. It has been 15 years since the initial contract was awarded for Imnaryuaq, and the long-awaited vessel is now formally under way towards completion. Delivery is expected in 2032. At 520 feet long and 26,000 tonnes displacement, Imnaryuaq will be the largest icebreaker ever built in Canada. The ship will be constructed to Polar Class 2 standards for service...

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pirates giving up

Maritime Piracy in 2026 Fell to 1992 Levels Despite Somalia-Yemen Surge

Published Oct 16, 2026 6:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

The waters off the Horn of Africa are now the most dangerous for the merchant shipping industry owing to the resurgence of Somali piracy, a development that comes as global piracy and armed robbery incidents have plunged to their lowest levels in decades. In its quarterly report on violence against seafarers, the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) highlighted the renewed threat from Somali pirates while saying vigilance needs to be maintained in all areas of the globe, The overall tone...

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HMAS Leeuwin

Australia Investigates Hidden Camera Found in Women’s Bathroom on Navy Ship

Published Oct 16, 2026 6:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Australian Defence Force is reporting that a person of interest has been identified and is cooperating with its investigation into a hidden camera that was found aboard one of its vessels. The camera located in a women’s bathroom on HMAS Leeuwin has turned into a national embarrassment and is being treated as an act of sexual violence. The video recording device was discovered aboard HMAS Leeuwin on October 11 while the ship was at its berth in Cairns, Queensland....

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Offshore

Rumor

Despite Rumors, Logistical Shortfalls Rule Out Russian-Iranian Oil Blending

Speculation has recently mounted that Iran is managing to export its crude oil using routes over the Caspian Sea. Given the Iranian regime’s sanctions-breaking expertise, developed over nearly 50 years, one might expect the Iranians capable of putting such diversions in place. But as yet there is little public evidence that they have managed to do so in any appreciable quantity. Iranian oil is produced onshore in the southwestern province of Khuzestan (from the Ahvaz, Gachsaran, Marun and Aghajari oilfields)...

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Shipbuilding

Ecovix shipyard

Tanker Operator Transpetro's Fleet Expansion Creates Local Jobs in Brazil

Brazil's Estaleiro Rio Grande has formally begun construction on a 13-vessel order placed by Transpetro, the logistics arm of Petrobras. Last week, the Ecovix-operated yard laid the keel of the first of four Handymax tankers ordered by Transpetro in February 2025. The deal was valued at $278 million, equivalent to $69.5 million per vessel. The keel-laying ceremony followed a steel-cutting event for the first hull in April. These events are seen as notable progress in Transpetro's expansion strategy. Through its...

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Environment

Outlaw ocean project

Investigating the Hidden Costs of World’s Farmed Seafood

For nearly a decade, the Outlaw Ocean Project, the non-profit journalistic organization that I founded, has produced high-impact investigative stories about lawlessness at sea and the variety of threats posed to the people and biodiversity of a space that covers two thirds of our planet. The oceans bear a heavy and largely invisible burden. The public usually takes it for granted, a forever self-replenishing resource that we use to fill our stomachs or line our wallets. Our journalism intends to...

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Business

A refinery in Moscow burns after a Ukrainian drone strike, June 2026 (Russian social media)

IEA: Russian Diesel Deal Won't Change Tight Global Energy Market

The tight global market for diesel fuel is likely to extend well into 2027, according to the latest analysis from the International Energy Agency, meaning that record prices may be here to stay through at least the first quarter of 2027 - and maybe longer, depending upon the conflicts in the Mideast and Ukraine. The disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on refineries in the GCC states, and Ukraine's concerted campaign of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have all...

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