Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Media Kit
tanker

Iran Claims to Have Seized Tanker as It Continues Targeting UAE Shipping

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Diego Garcia lagoon

No Substance to Reports of Drone Sightings Over Diego Garcia

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

Reports on social media indicated that a drone had been sighted over the fuel tank farm on Diego Garcia last week. The Maritime Executive has not been able to find any supporting information for those claims. The Naval Support Facility on Diego Garcia remains an important support in depth for ongoing Central Command operations targeting Iran, particularly since the Strait of Hormuz has become contested ground, as it is no longer feasible operationally for U.S. naval assets to access logistic...

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oil tankers at offshore terminal

Tanker Struck Near Black Sea Terminal as Both Sides Continue Attacks

Published Aug 17, 2026 2:53 PM by The Maritime Executive

The pace of attacks and retaliations between Ukraine and Russia is continuing, with both sides reporting striking additional ships and infrastructure. An incident with a Greek-managed tanker, however, is raising concerns after reports last week that Ukraine had agreed to suspend some attacks targeting foreign-flagged vessels. The Greek-managed tanker Skiros is reported to have come under attack on Monday at midday from a drone. The vessel was struck with a small fire that the crew was able to contain. There...

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Royal Australian Air Force’s MC-55A Peregrine

Australia Improves its Surveillance Capability Over the South China Sea

Published Aug 17, 2026 1:42 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Royal Australian Air Force’s 10 Squadron has commenced its first operational intelligence collection flights over the South China Sea, marking a significant improvement in its collection capability over the area. The RAAF is taking delivery of four MC-55A Peregrine aircraft, a new platform replacing and supplementing a collection capability that used to be filled by the same squadron since 1968 using two Lockheed AP-3C (EW) Orion aircraft, both of which were retired some time ago. While the RAAF’s AP-3C...

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warship monitoring hijacked vessel

Somali Pirates Board Cargo Ship as Regional States Plan Security Effort

Published Aug 17, 2026 12:21 PM by The Maritime Executive

Reports are coming in of a new security incident off the coast of Somalia involving an unnamed cargo ship that was boarded. It is the latest in a series of ongoing incidents that have led the member states of the Djibouti Code of Conduct sponsored by the International Maritime Organization to initiate a new security task force. The security officer of the unnamed cargo ship reported the company’s vessel had been boarded on Monday, August 17, approximately 4.5 nautical miles...

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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

Clear offender: a Chinese distant-water fishing vessel caught with illegal drift net gear at a position off Japan, 2008 (USCG file image)

Study: Wealthy Countries Fuel Illegal Fishing in Poor Countries

Consumers in wealthy nations are fueling a rampant illegal fishing trade that has become a multibillion-dollar industry, and the majority of the catch originates in the waters of poor countries, according to a comprehensive study from Canada’s University of British Columbia. Fishing is a socioeconomic lifeline for most coastal communities across the globe, with about 3.5 million fishing vessels plying the world’s oceans, providing livelihoods and food for millions. But the world seems to have resigned itself to being unable...

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Business

AD Ports

AD Ports Received Buyout Proposal from the Abu Dhabi Government

AD Ports Group, which has grown rapidly into one of the largest ports, logistics, and shipping groups, has received an offer from one of the government’s sovereign wealth funds to buy the remaining shares of the company. L’IMAD Holdings, through Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ), will make a voluntary cash offer to take the company fully private at a valuation of approximately $8.6 billion, according to Reuters’ calculations. ADQ, which already owns just over 75 percent of the outstanding...

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