VLCC Majestic X seized on April 23 off Sri Lanka by teams from the USS Miguel Keith (background) (From INDOPACOM video)

Kinahan Cartel Linked to Iran’s IRGC Dark Fleet Operations

Treasury Blacklists Six More LPG Carriers for Moving Iranian Gas

Published Jun 7, 2026 3:19 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Friday, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control put sanctions on six more Iran-linked LPG carriers, adding to the long list of blacklisted vessels with connections to Iran's petroleum industry. The vessels listed on Friday include the MD 23 (IMO 9158240), which has been moving Iranian LPG since 2023, according to the Treasury; Glendale (IMO 9139945), responsible for moving millions of barrels of LPG since 2020; Amir Gas (IMO 9167409); Gas Lagoon (IMO 9386304); Mile (IMO 8910897); and Gaz...

Report: Preventable PSC Detentions are Increasing Across the Fleet

Published Jun 6, 2026 5:48 PM by The Maritime Executive

Port state control detentions have risen by about 70 percent over the past five years, even though the number of inspections has stayed flat, according to a new paper published by Survitec during Posidonia. The report draws on data from the main PSC inspection regimes and finds that detention is no longer a rare event confined to "problem" ships. Only half of all inspections now pass without deficiencies, and one in seven merchant ships will likely be detained at least...

Ghana’s New Drydock Project Progresses After Successful Financing Round

Published Jun 6, 2026 3:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

Ship diversions around Cape of Good Hope have seen vessel traffic growth along the West African coastline. Additionally, recent expansion of deepwater drilling operations by big oil companies is a development indicator for the offshore industry in West Africa. With these opportunities, the region is emerging as a global destination for ship repair and maintenance. In fact, several West Africa governments are ramping up plans to expand ship repair infrastructure. The latest milestone is from Ghana, with Takoradi Floating Dock...

USS Abraham Lincoln under way in the Arabian Sea, June 2026 (USN / Centcom)

Economic Fury Tightens Stranglehold on Iranian Dark Fleet

Published Jun 6, 2026 3:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

On June 2, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) tightened its controls on Iranian dark-fleet activities by designating Iran's leading crypto trader, Nobitex, and the three next largest firms (Wallex, Bitpin and Ramzinex) operating in Iran. The move will not only complicate Iranian attempts to conduct financial transactions for its dark-fleet oil-trading activities, but also make it harder for the Iranian authorities to receive payments from shipowners seeking to use Iranian channels to enter and leave the...

Shipping

Tanker Awaiting Scrapping Stuck in Limbo by US Sanctions

The Bangladeshi scrappers community and the cash buyers are dealing with what they termed a “highly unusual incident” after one of the ships that was in the process of changing hands for scrapping was suddenly included by the U.S. State Department on the sanctions list. The buyers point out that it creates a legal and commercial uncertainty as they are barred from trading in the vessel. The product tanker named Maymei was listed as sold for scrap as of May...

Tugs & Salvage

Mystery Surrounds Drone Explosion in Port of Constanta

On Friday, a Ukrainian naval drone was discovered in the Romanian port of Constanta, entangled in a pollution-control boom. The device later detonated, sending a cloud of debris high into the air over the port. Its origins and the means by which it found its way into the inner port remain a mystery. The drone boat was located at a pier used by search and rescue vessels, opposite a liquid bulk terminal and a grain terminal in the northern half...

Government

Israeli Counter Attacks Across Iran with Red Sea Transits at Risk

Israel has responded to four waves of IRGC missile attacks, none of which appear to have damaged their targets, with a series of attacks across Iran. Iran has claimed to have targeted Israeli airbases at Nevatim and Tel Nof, and after announcing its attacks would last for a week, then declared them to be at an end, dependent though on events in Lebanon. Israel will have been observing activity in Iran closely since the ceasefire began on April 8, and...

Corporate News

Port Everglades Contributes $48.3 Billion in Economic Impact

[By: Port Everglades] Port Everglades generates approximately $48.3 billion in economic activity and supports nearly 300,000 jobs throughout Florida, according to a new study by maritime industry analyst Martin Associates. This year’s report captured energy related user impacts to match industry reporting standards, which resulted in significant increases in overall calculated economic activity. Port Everglades is the state’s top seaport for receiving and distributing fuel such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, but the economic impacts had not been fully...

Cruise Ships

Plans for Spanish Cruise Line Delayed by Uncertain Market

Plans to launch a niche cruise line dedicated to the Spanish-speaking market have been delayed, with the new firm, called Corazul, reporting it has canceled its summer season in the Mediterranean due to launch in July. The new company says that it is continuing to move forward, but it will focus on a launch in the Brazilian market during the 2026-2027 season. Corazul announced in early 2026 its plans to relaunch a dedicated Spanish cruise operation. The market had been...

Ports

PortMiami’s Director Ousted as County Seeks Fisher Island Fuel Terminal

A messy two-year land battle that drew national attention to PortMiami and Miami-Dade County took a new turn as the county’s mayor ousted key officials and announced they would proceed with an eminent domain action. At stake is the fuel depot that supplies PortMiami’s ships. The situation began in 2024 when a small, approximately 10-acre parcel of land on the tony Fisher Island that sits to the east of the port in Miami Bay went up for sale. Once the...

Shipping

Tanker Awaiting Scrapping Stuck in Limbo by US Sanctions

Tugs & Salvage

Mystery Surrounds Drone Explosion in Port of Constanta

Government

Israeli Counter Attacks Across Iran with Red Sea Transits at Risk

Corporate News

Port Everglades Contributes $48.3 Billion in Economic Impact

Cruise Ships

Plans for Spanish Cruise Line Delayed by Uncertain Market

Ports

PortMiami’s Director Ousted as County Seeks Fisher Island Fuel Terminal

Offshore

FID Go-Ahead for First US Floating LNG Plant and World’s Largest FLNG

Delfin Midstream and its investor group have reached a financial investment decision to proceed with Delfin FLNG 1, which will become the first floating LNG project in the United States and the largest FLNG project globally. To be positioned off the coast of Louisiana, the project is expected to have an initial export capacity of 4.4 million tonnes of LNG per year. It is the first stage of a proposed project that would have a total capacity of 13.2 MTPA...

Shipbuilding

Ghana’s New Drydock Project Progresses After Successful Financing Round

Environment

Northern Lights Proceeds with Fleet Expansion with MISC and K Line

The first commercial cross-border carbon transport and storage program, Norway’s Northern Lights, is moving forward with its announced fleet expansion as it completed a second charter agreement with MISC Group and K Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha). This follows the January 2026 announcement that the company would add four more vessels and the recent delivery of its newest ship to Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement. Northern Lights was started in 2021 as a joint venture between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies in support of...

Business

Podcast: Marcura CEO Henrik Hyldahn on AI for Modern Vessel Operations

In this edition of The Maritime Executive's podcast series, Marcura Group CEO Henrik Hyldahn joined TME to talk about the advent of AI tools for shipping professionals. Hyldahn started his corporate career at Coca-Cola and Carlsberg in Denmark, but a meeting with a Norwegian shipowner convinced him to try out the maritime world instead. He became CEO of the digital marketplace platform ShipServ in 2020, then took over as CEO of Marcura Group after the company acquired ShipServ in 2023-4....

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Kinahan Cartel Linked to Iran’s IRGC Dark Fleet Operations

Treasury Blacklists Six More LPG Carriers for Moving Iranian Gas

Report: Preventable PSC Detentions are Increasing Across the Fleet

Ghana’s New Drydock Project Progresses After Successful Financing Round

Economic Fury Tightens Stranglehold on Iranian Dark Fleet

Tanker Awaiting Scrapping Stuck in Limbo by US Sanctions

Mystery Surrounds Drone Explosion in Port of Constanta

Israeli Counter Attacks Across Iran with Red Sea Transits at Risk

Port Everglades Contributes $48.3 Billion in Economic Impact

Plans for Spanish Cruise Line Delayed by Uncertain Market

PortMiami’s Director Ousted as County Seeks Fisher Island Fuel Terminal

The Hidden Clause Contradictions Driving Demurrage Claims

Six Estonian Maritime Companies Solving Retrofit and Port Challenges

Rethinking Hull Maintenance: The Problem Goes Deeper Than Fouling

Tanker Awaiting Scrapping Stuck in Limbo by US Sanctions

Mystery Surrounds Drone Explosion in Port of Constanta

Israeli Counter Attacks Across Iran with Red Sea Transits at Risk

Port Everglades Contributes $48.3 Billion in Economic Impact

Plans for Spanish Cruise Line Delayed by Uncertain Market

PortMiami’s Director Ousted as County Seeks Fisher Island Fuel Terminal

FID Go-Ahead for First US Floating LNG Plant and World’s Largest FLNG

Ghana’s New Drydock Project Progresses After Successful Financing Round

Northern Lights Proceeds with Fleet Expansion with MISC and K Line

Podcast: Marcura CEO Henrik Hyldahn on AI for Modern Vessel Operations

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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