Monday, April 20, 2026
Media Kit
USS Spruance (U.S. Navy file image)

U.S. Navy Attacks and Seizes First Vessel in Blockade of Iran's Seaports

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StormGeo bridge

Time, Not Distance

Published Apr 19, 2026 8:29 PM by Chad Fuhrmann

For centuries, the great circle route has been an elegant solution addressing the shortest path between two points. Modern shipping, however, operates in a world where distance alone is an incomplete metric. Climate volatility, the economics of fuel, charter party complexity, congestion, safety and even wildlife migration patterns have turned voyage planning into a complex, multi-variable equation. How's the weather? In an industry where small weather interruptions can cascade into significant delays, disputes and increased risk exposure, even a few...

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Sola Gratia

Inland Cargo Vessel Sinks Near Port of Antwerp

Published Apr 19, 2026 4:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

An inland freighter struck mooring bollards and sank near the port of Antwerp over the weekend, forcing the crew to abandon ship, according to Belgian media. Overnight Friday, the cargo ship Sola Gratia was inbound for the port of Antwerp on the Scheldt, carrying a load of sand. Near the Royers Lock complex, it struck mooring bollards on the side of the river. The master told responders that the vessel had lost maneuverability, according to local outlet NT. The master...

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Jawahrlal

India Commits $1.4 Billion to the Creation of a Domestic P&I Club

Published Apr 19, 2026 4:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

India has made progress in establishing a local P&I club to protect the country’s shipping interests. Over the weekend, the cabinet approved creation of Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMI), supported by a sovereign guarantee amounting to about $1.4 billion. The cabinet said that this domestic insurance pool will ensure Indian vessels have access to affordable maritime insurance, even when transiting volatile routes – like the sanctioned oil trade with Russia. The proposal to create an Indian P&I club was initially...

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Russia's giant Ust-Luga oil export terminal, before recent Ukrainian strikes (Gazprom)

United States Ambivalent to Russian Oil Sanctions

Published Apr 19, 2026 1:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

Particularly in the United States, where the constitution was designed to incorporate checks and balances between the different parts of government, democracies do not always speak with one clear voice. So in examining what America’s attitude is towards the imposition and enforcement of oil sanctions, there may be discrepancies between what various arms of government are saying. For example, sanctions listings published as executive orders by the US Treasury’s OFAC, and even speeches from key figures in Congress, may not...

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Offshore

Chinese offshore wind farm

China Commissions Wind Farm At Its Deepest Offshore Position

Chinese officials highlighted the commissioning of its newest offshore wind farm, which is also setting a record for the country’s deepest fixed-bottom wind turbines and is located far out to sea. They highlighted the complex geology and challenges of extreme sea conditions in developing and operating the 504 MW wind farm, the Huaneng Shandong Peninsula North L Site. The wind farm was developed by the state-owned China Huaneng Group and will be managed and operated by the Yantai Power Plant....

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Shipbuilding

The approximately 300-metre-long hole at Tyholt in Trondheim is big enough to accommodate the London Eye, Oslo Plaza and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris – one next to the other. Photo: Statsbygg

Norway is Building the Most Advanced Testing Basin Ever Constructed

[By Henriette Louise Krogness and Tore Stensvold] It was no easy task for Statsbygg when the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre was given the go-ahead to put shovels in the ground at Tyholt in Trondheim, Norway. Statsbygg oversees the Norwegian government’s building and property development affairs. “I have never had a more challenging task in my entire career,” says Statsbygg project director Arild Mathisen. “That’s because nothing like this has ever been built in Norway, or anywhere else in the world,”...

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Environment

Calcasieu pass

Riding the LNG Wave

The age of global LNG is upon us. In the latter half of 2025, the global supply increased nearly seven percent. This came largely from North America, which frankly has LNG down to a science. It's abundant here. We know how to extract it in an environmentally conscious manner, and we have the infrastructure to process, store and move it. New U.S. LNG projects reaching final investment decisions in 2025 included Louisiana LNG, Corpus Christi Trains 8 & 9, CP2...

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Business

A VLCC in ballast arrives at Port of Corpus Christi (file image courtesy Port of Corpus Christi)

"Energy Dominance" In Action

The crisis in the Middle East and in particular the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has upended global oil markets. Both crude oil and refined products are now in short supply. Refiners around the world are desperate to get their hands on alternative sources of crude oil, almost at any price. However, the options are limited and dwindling. The volume of Russian and Iranian oil in floating storage is shrinking fast since the U.S. has lifted some of...

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