The sanctioned, Chinese-owned tanker Rich Starry transited the strait during the blockade, but turned around before reaching the enforcement zone (Pole Star Global)

U.S. Claims Success in First 24 Hours of Iranian Shipping Blockade

Fire near the gigantic Saudi oil processing hub at Abqaiq after a concerted Iranian strike campaign (Copernicus)

Report: Saudi Arabia Pushes U.S. to Lift Blockade on Iranian Traffic

Published Apr 14, 2026 3:00 PM by The Maritime Executive

Saudi officials are pushing the White House to abandon the brand-new blockade of Iranian shipping, hoping to avoid a new cycle of escalation that could further reduce oil exports from the Arabian Gulf, according to the Wall Street Journal. Iran has repeatedly attacked its neighbors since the start of the U.S./Israeli operation to remove its leadership. Its military has launched missile and drone strikes on refineries, pipelines, LNG liquefaction plants, desalination plants and powerplants in GCC nations, resulting in damage...

MAIB: Lost Trawler's Crew Couldn't Isolate Source of Flooding

Published Apr 13, 2026 10:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is yet again putting the spotlight on safety standards in the fishing industry after publishing the investigation report on the flooding, capsizing and foundering of a fishing trawler in Scottish waters in 2024. The prawn trawler Freedom II suffered engine room flooding at a position about 11 nautical miles southwest of Oban, Scotland, on February 21, 2024. The four crewmembers could not correctly identify the source of the flooding, and they had to...

Gianluigi Aponte Transfers World's Largest Container Line to His Children

Published Apr 13, 2026 9:31 PM by The Maritime Executive

Gianluigi Aponte, the founder and chairman of number-one container line MSC, has transferred the ownership of his company over to his daughter Alexa and his son Diego. MSC confirmed Monday that Gianluigi Aponte passed ownership of the company to his children at the end of last year. They both have extensive experience in the industry: Alexa is now the MSC Group's CFO, and Diego serves as the company's president. “With Diego and Alexa, I am confident the group will continue...

Construction Starts on Port of Montreal's Long-Delayed Container Terminal

Published Apr 13, 2026 9:31 PM by The Maritime Executive

Canada has finally started the construction on the new Contrecoeur container terminal at the Port of Montreal. The megaproject, which was first proposed nearly 40 years ago and has been the subject of delays and controversies, is expected to expand the capacity of the port by approximately 60 percent, making it the largest Atlantic coast port expansion in the country's history. The project will add up to 1.15 million TEU in annual container handling capacity, effectively eliminating capacity constraints that...

Shipping

The Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tamar calls Diego Garcia (U.S. Navy file image)

Chagos Climb-Down Calls for a New Plan

In the arcane fashion under which the unwritten British constitution works, a clear signal has been given that the Treaty under which the United Kingdom would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, has been abandoned. The deal would have seen the continued use of Diego Garcia by the United States in return for annual rent. In the short term, current arrangements remain in place, with the UK retaining sovereignty and the United States Naval Support Facility continuing operations...

Tugs & Salvage

MAIB: Lost Trawler's Crew Couldn't Isolate Source of Flooding

Government

Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, condemned the United States’ targeted blockade of Iranian ports and ships as “dangerous and irresponsible” and described reports of Chinese arms exports to Iran as fabricated (Chinese Foreign Ministry/IRInt video)

All at Sea: The Gulf in China's Foreign Policy Position

China has always sought to be friends with countries on both sides of the Gulf, sufficiently engaged politically to gain economic benefits from trading with all. To achieve this has meant keeping a low profile on divisive political questions, such as the ownership of the disputed islands in the Gulf occupied by Iran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates, and support to the Axis of Resistance. But up until now, this approach has been largely successful, with all the...

Corporate News

Zelim’s ZOE Becomes First Fully Certified Man-Overboard Detection System

[By: Zelim] “Cruise lines have been waiting for the availability of a certified system for a long time, and having the credibility of ZOE validated by Lloyd’s Register positions it as a pioneering and valuable solution to the industry’s long-standing challenge.” Zelim has announced that its AI-enabled ZOE man-overboard detection (MOB) system has received official ISO 21195:2020 certification from independent classification body Lloyd’s Register, following successful completion of testing. This follows extensive sea trials on board the Ambition vessel, managed...

Cruise Ships

Oceania's Marina (Christian Ferrer / CC BY 4.0)

The Joys of Cruising

As most of you savvy MarEx readers know, I love to cruise. The food, the accommodations, the service, the amenities. The ships themselves are marvels of human engineering, full of wondrous sights and sounds and hidden alcoves and sudden discoveries. And the destinations? Limited only by your imagination. You can go anywhere you want and be pampered every step of the way. It's a great way to escape, and you can see the world while you're at it. Yet surprisingly...

Ports

AD Ports Sees New Opportunities in Black Sea Market

Barely a month after DP World sold its stake in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Pivdennyi, another UAE-based operator, AD Ports, has entered the region through an investment partnership in Romania. AD Ports this week announced that it has signed an agreement with the National Company Maritime Ports Administration SA, the administrator of the Port of Constanta in Romania. The agreement effectively opens the door for AD Ports to pursue development opportunities in the Black Sea’s largest port. The expansion...

Shipping

Chagos Climb-Down Calls for a New Plan

Tugs & Salvage

MAIB: Lost Trawler's Crew Couldn't Isolate Source of Flooding

Government

All at Sea: The Gulf in China's Foreign Policy Position

Corporate News

Zelim’s ZOE Becomes First Fully Certified Man-Overboard Detection System

Cruise Ships

The Joys of Cruising

Ports

AD Ports Sees New Opportunities in Black Sea Market

Offshore

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....

Shipbuilding

Meyer Werft Presents “Vision” for a Battery-Electric Cruise Ship

The German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, well known for its innovation in cruise ship design and construction, is presenting a new concept for the world’s first 100 percent battery-electric cruise ship with a size of more than 80,000 gross tons, which it aptly named Project “Vision.” It reports that the concept study demonstrates how sustainable innovations can redefine the future of the cruise industry while emphasizing the technology concepts that already exist to make a large, battery-electric cruise ship a reality....

Environment

Buildout Continues of Emerging Category of CO2 Carriers for CCS

A new segment of shipping, purpose-built CO2 carriers designed to support the emerging efforts at carbon capture and storage (CCS), continues to grow. The first of the commercial operations is beginning, and the sector is driving the development of the ships. Northern Lights, a partnership between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies was the first to enter the segment, starting commercial operations in 2025. It was designed with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year and has already announced plans...

Business

Op-Ed: Mideast Conflict Provides a Test of Economic Resilience

[By Adi Imsirovic and Antonio Fatas] The world economy survived the shocks of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which has had limited impact on economic growth. But the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East has transformed what had been, until early 2026, a surprisingly benign outlook into a far more uncertain one. It has created the ultimate test for how resilient the world economy really is. Amid stalled ceasefire negotiations, the US president, Donald Trump, has threatened a blockade of vessels...

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U.S. Claims Success in First 24 Hours of Iranian Shipping Blockade

Report: Saudi Arabia Pushes U.S. to Lift Blockade on Iranian Traffic

MAIB: Lost Trawler's Crew Couldn't Isolate Source of Flooding

Gianluigi Aponte Transfers World's Largest Container Line to His Children

Construction Starts on Port of Montreal's Long-Delayed Container Terminal

Chagos Climb-Down Calls for a New Plan

MAIB: Lost Trawler's Crew Couldn't Isolate Source of Flooding

All at Sea: The Gulf in China's Foreign Policy Position

Zelim’s ZOE Becomes First Fully Certified Man-Overboard Detection System

The Joys of Cruising

AD Ports Sees New Opportunities in Black Sea Market

Estonian Solutions Support Cruise Industry’s Green Transition

Cyber Risk in Shipping: From Technical Threat to Business Reality

Architecture of Adaptability: Designing Vessels to Stand the Test of Time

Chagos Climb-Down Calls for a New Plan

MAIB: Lost Trawler's Crew Couldn't Isolate Source of Flooding

All at Sea: The Gulf in China's Foreign Policy Position

Zelim’s ZOE Becomes First Fully Certified Man-Overboard Detection System

The Joys of Cruising

AD Ports Sees New Opportunities in Black Sea Market

China Commissions Wind Farm At Its Deepest Offshore Position

Meyer Werft Presents “Vision” for a Battery-Electric Cruise Ship

Buildout Continues of Emerging Category of CO2 Carriers for CCS

Op-Ed: Mideast Conflict Provides a Test of Economic Resilience

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events