Monday, August 17, 2026
Media Kit
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

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A U.S. Navy destroyer operates in Hormuz during the last reported American transit, April 2026 (USN)

Trump Pledges to Make Hormuz a "Territory of the United States"

Published Aug 16, 2026 3:33 PM by The Maritime Executive

Amidst the ongoing Iranian campaign to control and close the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump promised Friday to make the waterway a "territory of the United States" - the first American overseas territory comprised of water rather than land. "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump said in a speech Friday in New York. "We have the blockade. No ships...

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

India's Big Boost for Maritime Oil & Gas Exploration

Published Aug 16, 2026 2:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

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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Bleaching coral heads (NOAA file image)

Op-Ed: Marine Heatwaves are Cooking Ocean Ecosystems, And Will Get Stronger

Published Aug 16, 2026 1:00 PM by The Conversation

[By Sina Pinter and Nicole L. Jones] You may have heard reports of fish die-offs or seen photos of hauntingly bleached coral. Those are just two signs a marine heatwave has swept through the sea. Marine heatwaves happen when the ocean remains abnormally hot for an extended period. While they may be invisible from the shore, their impacts can wreak havoc underwater – killing various kinds of coral, seagrass and fish. As climate change continues to warm the ocean, marine...

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Lala as of August 14 (NOAA / GOES)

Hawaii's Ports Prepare for Tropical Storm Lala

Published Aug 14, 2026 11:40 PM by The Maritime Executive

Tropical Storm Lala is approaching Hawaii and shaping up to turn into a Category 1 hurricane, and the U.S. Coast Guard is taking steps to make sure that harbors and mariners are ready. Effective Friday night and Saturday morning, the Coast Guard is shutting down ports across the island chain in preparation for the storm's arrival. Port condition Zulu will be set for all of Hawaii's counties by 0800 local time Saturday morning. The declaration requires vessels of 200 GT...

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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

Rasi (foreground) at the time of her arrival at Chattogram (Ferdous Steel)

Nine Killed in Toxic Gas Accident at HKC-Certified Shipbreaking Yard

On Friday, nine shipbreaking workers were killed and six more injured by exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas at the Ferdous Steel shipbreaking yard in Chattogram, raising questions in Bangladesh about safety at "green"-certified ship recyclers. It was the largest fatal shipbreaking accident in recent memory, approaching in scale the dramatic explosion at Gadani, Pakistan in 2016, which killed an estimated 27 people and injured 58 more. The casualty occurred aboard the LNG carrier Rasi (formerly Ras Laffan, IMO 9176008). Ferdous...

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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...

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