Libya to Secure Drifting Hulk of Russian Gas Carrier and Bring It to Port

A still from an Israeli drone video of the attack on IRINS Deylaman off Bandar Anzali, March 18 (Israel MoD)

Israel Protects Azerbaijan With Strike on Iran's Caspian Fleet

Published Mar 21, 2026 7:42 PM by The Maritime Executive

Israel's strike on Iranian naval assets in the Caspian Sea, which took place on the evening of March 18, were the first attacks on the Iranian Navy's Northern Fleet, but unusual in one other regard: on the surface, the assets destroyed did not immediately threaten Israel, which is normally a target qualification requirement. Although Israel did not publish the names of the vessels destroyed either in Bandar Anzali harbor or at sea, video of the attack is of sufficient quality...

North Korean Shipments of Shells to Russia Tail Off

Published Mar 21, 2026 3:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

Analysis carried out by Egor Feoktistov for the independent Russian research organization the Open Source Centre (OSC) has shown in detail how North Korean ammunition has been transferred to Russia, identifying the ships, personnel, routes, deception techniques used and the volumes being moved. The review suggests that the volume transferred appears to be tailing off. Since the North Koreans began shipping ammunition to Russia for its war on Ukraine, four cargo ships have been identified as carrying the ammunition, owned...

Shared Radar: Maritime Supply Chain Visibility in a Weaponized World

Published Mar 21, 2026 3:46 PM by Mikael Lind et al.

[by Mikael Lind, Wolfgang Lehmacher, Mattias Elfström, Sandra Haraldson, Johan Östling] Not long ago, supply chains were treated as background infrastructure: complex, certainly, but essentially neutral. That world is gone. Today, maritime transport and the logistics networks around it face an intense mix of risks: geopolitical shocks, data breaches, and disruptions that ripple across modes and jurisdictions. Governments have responded by tightening sanctions, building centralized trade and transport data platforms, and seeking ever-greater oversight of flows that are now recognized...

U.S. forces board a tanker full of Venezuelan oil in the Indian Ocean, Feb 2026 (USCG)

Op Ed: Keep Oil Prices Down or Sustain the Iranian Regime?

Published Mar 21, 2026 2:40 PM by The Maritime Executive

U.S. policymakers are faced with a dilemma, and one which is already being argued over in the domestic political arena. Should the U.S. allow sanctioned Iranian oil to continue to get to market, thereby keeping prices lower and reducing pressure on global supplies no longer being fed by oil from Iraq, Kuwait, the Saudi East Coast, Bahrain, Qatar and some UAE oilfields? There is currently no hindrance to tankers shipping Iranian oil moving through the Straits of Hormuz, and despite...

Shipping

Op-Ed: Arctic Metagaz Explosion Shows That LNG Carriers Have Risks

A recent explosive event involving a liquified natural gas (LNG) carrier laden with Russian Arctic gas should serve as a wake up call. The Arctic Metagaz, a 23 year old LNG carrier reportedly linked to Russia’s so-called "dark fleet," exploded and caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea in early March while en route to Port Said. Russia's foreign ministry claims that the explosion was caused by a Ukrainian drone strike, but Kyiv has not claimed responsibility. Fortunately, the crew escaped...

Tugs & Salvage

Libya to Secure Drifting Hulk of Russian Gas Carrier and Bring It to Port

Libya’s National Oil Company reports it has retained international experts specialized in incident response to address the drifting hulk of the gas carrier Arctic Metagaz. They expect the burnt-out vessel to be towed to one of the Libyan ports. The hulk of the vessel has been drifting in the Mediterranean since it was racked by a massive explosion and subsequent fire that consumed most of the 277-meter (909-foot) LNG carrier (77,551 dwt) on March 3. The crew was rescued and...

Government

Little Change at Strait of Hormuz After Trump's 48-Hour Threat

President Donald Trump has given the Iranian government until Monday evening to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which he has said that the U.S. does not need. If Iran does not do so, Trump said, the U.S. will destroy Iran's electrical power plants. The threat is unlikely to affect the choices of Iran's new hardline leadership, multiple analysts assess. For its part, Iran claims that the Strait is already open - for the right ships. A trickle of tonnage is...

Corporate News

Indian Register (IRS) Takes One of India’s Largest Crude Tankers into Class

[By Indian Register of Shipping (IRS)] Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) has taken into class Lila Jamnagar, a 298,997 DWT Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) and one of the largest vessels to sail under the Indian flag. The addition of the vessel marks an important milestone for India’s tanker fleet and highlights the growing role of Indian classification in supporting the country’s maritime ambitions. Owned by RFK Shipping IFSC Private Limited and operated through the Lila Global platform, Lila Jamnagar...

Cruise Ships

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

China marked the next milestone in its efforts at expanding the domestic cruise industry with the float-out of its second large domestically built cruise ship. Built for China’s Adora Cruises, the ship will enter service this year, and the company reported it intends to order two more cruise ships and take an option for a third newbuild. The second cruise ship, named Adora Flower City, is an enlarged version of the first domestically built ship, which was based on a...

Ports

Panama Responds to Hutchison Calling Accusations “Scandalous”

The back-and-forth between China, Panama, and CK Hutchison heated up as Panama’s President, Jose Raul Mulino, met the press on Thursday in his weekly session. He dismissed the accusations made by the Panama Ports Company (PPC) and CK Hutchison in the ongoing dispute resulting from Panama's annulment of the Chinese company’s long-standing concession to operate the port terminals in Balboa and Cristobal. PPC at the beginning of the week asserted that Panama had missed the filing deadline for its international...

Shipping

Op-Ed: Arctic Metagaz Explosion Shows That LNG Carriers Have Risks

Tugs & Salvage

Libya to Secure Drifting Hulk of Russian Gas Carrier and Bring It to Port

Government

Little Change at Strait of Hormuz After Trump's 48-Hour Threat

Corporate News

Indian Register (IRS) Takes One of India’s Largest Crude Tankers into Class

Cruise Ships

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

Ports

Panama Responds to Hutchison Calling Accusations “Scandalous”

Offshore

Chouest Expands in the U.S. Gulf With Acquisition of Diving Company CEES

Champagne Energy and Environmental Solutions (CEES) has joined Edison Chouest Offshore. The acquisition, announced on March 19, will give Chouest Group the tools to provide turn-key offshore decommissioning services. CEES was founded by Robbie Champagne in 2008 as C-Dive LLC. Based out of Houma, Louisiana, Robbie leveraged his experience, industry contact sand his "sixth sense" for the business to accelerate his company’s growth during a time when diving hegemons like Caldive, Global Industrial Solutions LLC and Epic Divers and Marine...

Shipbuilding

Fincantieri Floats for Viking "First Hydrogen-Powered Cruise Ship"

Fincantieri marked another milestone in cruise ship development as it floated out the Viking Libra (54,300 gross tons), which is being billed as the “world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship.” It advanced the ambitions for zero-emission shipping and the long-held vision of Viking CEO Torstein Hagen to produce a hydrogen-powered ship. According to the companies, the project has been developed with strong attention to environmental aspects to ensure the ship will be capable of navigating and operating with zero emissions, allowing...

Environment

Op-Ed: Ships Should Meet the Polar Code Before Entering Canadian Arctic

The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Polar Code in November 2014 to reduce loss of life at sea caused by inadequate preparedness for operations in polar regions, which are more isolated and challenging than lower-latitude waters. The Code entered into force on January 1, 2017 and initially applied to seagoing vessels of 500 gross tonnage (GT) and above, as well as certain vessel classes such as cruise ships. On January 1, 2026, the IMO expanded the categories...

Business

Analysis: Foreign-Flag Waiver Doesn't Put Jones Act Fleet at Risk

On March 18, 2026, the Trump administration announced the approval of a 60-day Jones Act waiver to allow foreign-flagged ship to move cargoes between U.S. ports. The Jones Act (official name: Merchant Marine Act of 1920), is a federal statute that requires the use of U.S.-flagged, U.S.-built, U.S.-owned (at least 75%) and U.S.-operated (at least 75% crewed by U.S. citizens) vessels to move any cargo between U.S. ports. The White House referenced the need to "ensure that U.S. airfields and...

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Libya to Secure Drifting Hulk of Russian Gas Carrier and Bring It to Port

Israel Protects Azerbaijan With Strike on Iran's Caspian Fleet

North Korean Shipments of Shells to Russia Tail Off

Shared Radar: Maritime Supply Chain Visibility in a Weaponized World

Op Ed: Keep Oil Prices Down or Sustain the Iranian Regime?

Op-Ed: Arctic Metagaz Explosion Shows That LNG Carriers Have Risks

Libya to Secure Drifting Hulk of Russian Gas Carrier and Bring It to Port

Little Change at Strait of Hormuz After Trump's 48-Hour Threat

Indian Register (IRS) Takes One of India’s Largest Crude Tankers into Class

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

Panama Responds to Hutchison Calling Accusations “Scandalous”

Port Everglades: A Diversified Cargo Gateway Built for Performance

One Net Unifies Four Maritime Tech Brands Under One Umbrella

Could Earlier Warning Systems be the Answer to Risk Reduction in Terminals?

Op-Ed: Arctic Metagaz Explosion Shows That LNG Carriers Have Risks

Libya to Secure Drifting Hulk of Russian Gas Carrier and Bring It to Port

Little Change at Strait of Hormuz After Trump's 48-Hour Threat

Indian Register (IRS) Takes One of India’s Largest Crude Tankers into Class

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

Panama Responds to Hutchison Calling Accusations “Scandalous”

Chouest Expands in the U.S. Gulf With Acquisition of Diving Company CEES

Fincantieri Floats for Viking "First Hydrogen-Powered Cruise Ship"

Op-Ed: Ships Should Meet the Polar Code Before Entering Canadian Arctic

Analysis: Foreign-Flag Waiver Doesn't Put Jones Act Fleet at Risk

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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