Monday, April 13, 2026
Media Kit
Hormuz

The U.S. Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz Begins

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Oceania's Marina (Christian Ferrer / CC BY 4.0)

The Joys of Cruising

Published Apr 13, 2026 3:36 PM by Jack O'Connell

As most of you savvy MarEx readers know, I love to cruise. The food, the accommodations, the service, the amenities. The ships themselves are marvels of human engineering, full of wondrous sights and sounds and hidden alcoves and sudden discoveries. And the destinations? Limited only by your imagination. You can go anywhere you want and be pampered every step of the way. It's a great way to escape, and you can see the world while you're at it. Yet surprisingly...

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Boat strike

U.S. Southern Command Conducts Two More Lethal Strikes on Drug Boats

Published Apr 13, 2026 1:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

U.S. Southern Command has resumed its campaign of strikes on drug-smuggling boats on the maritime corridors off South and Central America, resulting in additional fatalities. On Saturday, the counter-smuggling task force carried out two strikes on drug boats in the Eastern Pacific. Two suspects were killed in the first strike, leaving one survivor; three were killed in the second strike. The Coast Guard has been notified of the survivor so that it can launch a search and rescue operation. In...

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Another busy day in the Singapore Straits, April 13 (Pole Star Global)

Singapore's Straight Talking on Strait Blockade

Published Apr 13, 2026 11:51 AM by The Maritime Executive

Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has outlined to the parliament in Singapore why his country strongly supports the global status quo position that nations bordering straits should not hamper transit passage even through territorial waters, nor charge transit fees. In a particularly powerful speech, given Singapore’s respected and even-handed position globally, he noted that more oil and containers passed through the Strait of Malacca than through the Strait of Hormuz. At its narrowest, the Strait of Malacca is only...

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Shirase

Japan's Navy Withdraws From Operating Antarctic Research Icebreaker

Published Apr 13, 2026 11:51 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force will cease to operate the country’s Antarctic research vessel Shirase due to military personnel shortages. According to reports in local media, Japan’s navy will hand over the operations of the polar vessel by the early 2030s. This coincides with the expected decommissioning of Shirase in 2034. The navy’s withdrawal is planned to be gradual, leaving only a support unit to assist with duties such as ice navigation. Currently, 180 MSDF personnel are assigned to...

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Offshore

Chinese offshore wind farm

China Commissions Wind Farm At Its Deepest Offshore Position

Chinese officials highlighted the commissioning of its newest offshore wind farm, which is also setting a record for the country’s deepest fixed-bottom wind turbines and is located far out to sea. They highlighted the complex geology and challenges of extreme sea conditions in developing and operating the 504 MW wind farm, the Huaneng Shandong Peninsula North L Site. The wind farm was developed by the state-owned China Huaneng Group and will be managed and operated by the Yantai Power Plant....

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Shipbuilding

battery electric cruise ship concept

Meyer Werft Presents “Vision” for a Battery-Electric Cruise Ship

The German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, well known for its innovation in cruise ship design and construction, is presenting a new concept for the world’s first 100 percent battery-electric cruise ship with a size of more than 80,000 gross tons, which it aptly named Project “Vision.” It reports that the concept study demonstrates how sustainable innovations can redefine the future of the cruise industry while emphasizing the technology concepts that already exist to make a large, battery-electric cruise ship a reality....

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Environment

Carbon carrier vessels for CCS storage

Buildout Continues of Emerging Category of CO2 Carriers for CCS

A new segment of shipping, purpose-built CO2 carriers designed to support the emerging efforts at carbon capture and storage (CCS), continues to grow. The first of the commercial operations is beginning, and the sector is driving the development of the ships. Northern Lights, a partnership between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies was the first to enter the segment, starting commercial operations in 2025. It was designed with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year and has already announced plans...

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Business

iStock

Net Zero by 2050? This Decade's Fuel Choices Will Decide

Green-hydrogen based synthetic fuels are stalled by a coordination problem across industries. Pooling demand and investment across sectors could unlock the production scale needed for shipping and other hard-to-abate industries, while strengthening energy security in the transition to net zero. The debate over whether net zero is possible by 2050 may continue for years, while global emissions and temperatures continue to rise. But the question of green hydrogen’s role in achieving it has swung from hype to skepticism to a...

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