US Forces Disable Small Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman

Trump Says U.S. Will End Naval Blockade of Iran

Published May 29, 2026 4:14 PM by The Maritime Executive

Listing out his conditions for the ceasefire agreement on social media on Friday, Donald Trump said the U.S. would lift its naval blockade. He did not give a timeline, but said ships caught in the region may start the process of “heading home.” Roughly a quarter of the large oil tankers trapped inside the Persian Gulf at the outbreak of the Iran war have managed to slip out, reports Bloomberg. Based on AIS signals and other data, it believes 29...

US Adds Sanctions on Tankers and Iranian Oil Awaiting Trump’s Decision

Published May 29, 2026 3:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

The United States Treasury and Department of State continued with their efforts of “maximum pressure” with sanctions on Iran as the decision on the new ceasefire to end the war was reportedly near. The United States has been increasing the financial pressure through sanctions and the blockade in an effort to bring Iran to the negotiations and win favorable terms. Donald Trump said he would be meeting with his advisers on Friday to review the status of the agreement. They...

Two Crew Injured as Russia Continues Attacks on Merchant Ships Near Odesa

Published May 29, 2026 2:19 PM by The Maritime Executive

A small, Turkish-owned cargo ship was set on fire, and two crewmembers sustained minor injuries as Russia continues to attack merchant ships sailing near Ukraine. Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded, repeating its concerns regarding the risk and threats posed by the recent escalation. The general cargo ship Ant (5,095 dwt) had sailed from the Odesa area and was heading to Turkey with an unspecified dry cargo. The ship was struck off the coast of Ukraine overnight on May 28....

Thai warship and Cambodian fishing boats

Thai Government Invests to Secure the Gulf of Thailand

Published May 29, 2026 1:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

The still relatively-new Thai government, reflecting a greater concern than previously over fractious relations with Cambodia, is further strengthening its defenses in areas where they might be particularly needed if conflict breaks out again, particularly in the Gulf of Thailand. Conflict between the two countries was focused last summer on the disputed border in Sa Kaeo, Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket provinces on Thailand’s southeastern border. Cambodian villagers who had built homes and farmed on the Thai side of...

Shipping

Two Crew Injured as Russia Continues Attacks on Merchant Ships Near Odesa

Tugs & Salvage

Cable Layer Holed in Collision with Boxship off Pakistan

Officials in Pakistan are investigating to understand what happened overnight on May 28 when a cable ship and a containership maneuvering outside the port of Karachi collided. No one was injured, but there are reports that containers have fallen overboard, and the hull of the cable ship is holed, and it is showing significant damage. The cable ship Niwa (7,900 dwt) is owned and managed from the UAE. The ship, which is 146 meters (479 feet) in length, was underway,...

Government

US Forces Disable Small Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman

CENTCOM reported on May 30 that U.S. forces had disabled a small cargo ship on May 29 that it asserted had ignored warnings and was heading toward an Iranian port. The ship is reported to be adrift, but the U.S. has not boarded it, sources told the Associated Press. The vessel is the Liam Star, a 1,600 dwt general cargo ship registered in Gambia. Its owners are listed as being in the UAE, and the ship, which was built in...

Corporate News

Fincantieri: Steel Cutting of Crystal Grace

[By Fincantierii} The first steel cutting ceremony for Crystal Grace, the new state-of-the-art, high-end cruise ship for the cruise line Crystal, took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for spring 2028 and will be followed by two sister ships. Attending the ceremony were Cristina Levis, CEO Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group (AKTG) for Crystal, Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager Merchant Ships Division of Fincantieri and Marco Lunardi , Director of the Marghera shipyard. Crystal Grace...

Cruise Ships

Silversea Cruise Ship Rescues Solo Sailor in North Pacific

On the tail end of a Pacific voyage to Tahiti and Hawaii, the cruise ship Silver Whisper had the opportunity to save a solo sailor whose yacht had been dismasted off the Pacific coast. On Tuesday, the crew of the Silver Whisper got a distress call from the Canadian-flagged sailboat April Alice. The small yacht was dismasted and disabled at a position about 420 nautical miles off the coast of Oregon, and the sole crewmember had sustained a shoulder injury....

Ports

First Ethanol-Methanol Bunkering Operation Completed in Rotterdam

In a closely watched development that is being called a groundbreaking bunkering, the Port of Rotterdam recently hosted the first ethanol-methanol operation. It comes as there is growing interest in the maritime sector of ethanol as a possible easy addition to alternative fuels. Singapore-based shipping company X-Press Feeders partnered with consultancy firm METHANAVE to trial the bunkering of the blended fuel on the container ship Eco Levant. The bunkering was conducted at the Port of Rotterdam, marking the first time...

Shipping

Two Crew Injured as Russia Continues Attacks on Merchant Ships Near Odesa

Tugs & Salvage

Cable Layer Holed in Collision with Boxship off Pakistan

Government

US Forces Disable Small Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman

Corporate News

Fincantieri: Steel Cutting of Crystal Grace

Cruise Ships

Silversea Cruise Ship Rescues Solo Sailor in North Pacific

Ports

First Ethanol-Methanol Bunkering Operation Completed in Rotterdam

Offshore

Australia's Ichthys LNG Project Dodges Labor Strike

The labor union for Australia's offshore oil and gas workers has called off plans for a strike at the giant Ichthys LNG terminal in Western Australia. The Offshore Alliance said that negotiations with management were proceeding, and the labor action that its members approved earlier in the month will be deferred. The news will be welcome for Asian utilities, which have been paying elevated prices for LNG since the start of the U.S./Israeli conflict with Iran; any interference with Ichthys'...

Shipbuilding

Vard Secures Norway’s Highest Value Order to Build Deep-Sea Research Vessel

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, signed its highest value single ship contract and the largest order of its kind for any Norwegian shipyard. Valued at nearly €700 million (US$816 million), the contract is for the design and construction of a deep-sea research vessel for US-based research organization Inkfish. The vessel, project-named RV11000, is based on a Vard design for specialized research vessels. Developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway, in close collaboration with Inkfish, RV11000 will...

Environment

Microplastics Could Affect the Ocean's Ability to Absorb Carbon

[By Ingebjørg Hestvik] “We study how plastic affects what we call ecosystem services, that is, the services we receive from ecosystems. When the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we consider it as a service the ocean performs for us,” says researcher Francesca Verones. Photo: Francesca Verones, NTNU You have probably heard this before: more than 70 per cent of our planet is covered by oceans. Nearly half of all photosynthesis on Earth takes place in the ocean, and...

Business

Victims’ Families Settle on the Eve of the Dali Civil Trial

With the civil trial due to start on Monday, June 1, additional settlements were reached with the families of those killed when the containership Dali destroyed the Baltimore roadway bridge, as well as some of the other plaintiffs. Experts have said the trial, which could run three weeks, could be one of the most consequential in U.S. maritime law. Shortly after the allision in which the containership Dali blacked out and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024,...

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US Forces Disable Small Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman

Trump Says U.S. Will End Naval Blockade of Iran

US Adds Sanctions on Tankers and Iranian Oil Awaiting Trump’s Decision

Two Crew Injured as Russia Continues Attacks on Merchant Ships Near Odesa

Thai Government Invests to Secure the Gulf of Thailand

Two Crew Injured as Russia Continues Attacks on Merchant Ships Near Odesa

Cable Layer Holed in Collision with Boxship off Pakistan

US Forces Disable Small Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman

Fincantieri: Steel Cutting of Crystal Grace

Silversea Cruise Ship Rescues Solo Sailor in North Pacific

First Ethanol-Methanol Bunkering Operation Completed in Rotterdam

Rethinking Hull Maintenance: The Problem Goes Deeper Than Fouling

PSSR Under MSC.560(108): What Seafarers Need to Know in 2026

An answer to many questions: Damen Fuel Flexible Tugs

Two Crew Injured as Russia Continues Attacks on Merchant Ships Near Odesa

Cable Layer Holed in Collision with Boxship off Pakistan

US Forces Disable Small Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman

Fincantieri: Steel Cutting of Crystal Grace

Silversea Cruise Ship Rescues Solo Sailor in North Pacific

First Ethanol-Methanol Bunkering Operation Completed in Rotterdam

Australia's Ichthys LNG Project Dodges Labor Strike

Vard Secures Norway’s Highest Value Order to Build Deep-Sea Research Vessel

Microplastics Could Affect the Ocean's Ability to Absorb Carbon

Victims’ Families Settle on the Eve of the Dali Civil Trial

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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