Friday, April 24, 2026
Media Kit
aircraft carrier George HW Bush

CENTCOM Says for First Time in 23 Years Three Carriers Are in Middle East

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sea drone exploding

Ukraine Destroys Sea Drone as Russian Strikes Odesa Ports and Cargo Ships

Published Apr 24, 2026 12:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

Ukrainian officials report that Russia continues to target the port infrastructure in the Greater Odesa region in an effort to disrupt commercial trade. They assert the recent strikes on commercial shipping are deliberate acts by the enemy. Overnight, another cargo ship was struck while sailing in the corridor that Ukraine has maintained for two and a half years for commercial shipping. According to the reports, it was the third commercial ship struck recently, however the Ukrainian Navy also released images...

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A PLA Navy amphibious assault drill (PLA file image)

China's Naval Drills Show Growing Focus on Capturing Taiwan

Published Apr 23, 2026 10:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

China's military has been conducting exercises near the self-governing island of Taiwan for years, simulating naval blockades, air incursions and landings. But a round of drills conducted last fall appeared to be a much more "focused, realistic and sophisticated" simulation of an amphibious assault on the island, down to the distances between exercise locations and the conditions found near shore, according to a new analysis by four scholars at the U.S. Naval War College. The report arrives amidst news of...

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Sapphire Princess (file image courtesy Sabung Hamster / CC BY SA 4.0)

Cruise Ship Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies From the Mediterranean

Published Apr 23, 2026 9:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Tuesday, the crew of the cruise ship Sapphire Princess took on the difficult task of recovering five bodies from the waters of the western Mediterranean. After departing Cagliari on Monday evening on a routine voyage to Cartagena, Sapphire Princess encountered signs of a distress situation at a position about 80 nautical miles to the northwest of Algiers. After a lifejacket was spotted in the water, the crew turned back on their course and launched a rescue boat to investigate....

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Tanker escort in the Arabian Gulf, Operation Earnest Will, 1987 (USN)

U.S.-Backed War Risk Cover for Hormuz Will Have to Wait for Convoys

Published Apr 23, 2026 9:33 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Trump administration has worked out a co-insurance arrangement to provide war risk cover for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Gulf, to be administered by NYSE-listed insurer Chubb. The program has yet to start, Chubb CEO and Chairman Evan Greenberg says, because it is conditioned on the use of U.S. Navy convoys and escorts. At present, the Iranian threat in the strait remains elevated, and the Navy's attention is focused on blockading Iran's commercial traffic. "The government...

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Offshore

offshore wind farm

U.S. is Negotiating to Cancel More Offshore Wind Leases

Executives at the French company Engie confirmed today that they are in discussions with U.S. officials about possibly canceling their offshore wind farm leases. Last month, the administration agreed to reimburse TotalEnergies for its offshore wind leases and hinted it might use the same technique with others, although advocates and lawmakers are questioning the legal authority. The Trump administration said in March that it had agreed to reimburse TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion it had paid to acquire a large lease...

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Shipbuilding

Ballast discharge

Paying the Piper

The average merchant ship has a service life of 20-25 years, in some cases more. That's a long time to stay in compliance with all the rules that govern shipping, and owners know they have to set themselves up for success. It's not enough to meet regulations on day one: Every ship system has to be supported throughout a lifetime of industrial service if it's going to satisfy inspectors on day 5,000. Without solid backing from the original equipment manufacturer...

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Environment

Auramarine

Winning Formula

For residents living near ports, seafarers working aboard ships and passengers stepping ashore, the question is no longer abstract: Why am I still breathing this? Sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from ship exhausts are a daily reality in many port cities. A 2023 World Bank report estimated that more than 250 million people globally are exposed to air pollution around ports, underscoring that maritime emissions are not only a climate issue but a public-health issue....

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Business

Tanker escort in the Arabian Gulf, Operation Earnest Will, 1987 (USN)

U.S.-Backed War Risk Cover for Hormuz Will Have to Wait for Convoys

The Trump administration has worked out a co-insurance arrangement to provide war risk cover for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Gulf, to be administered by NYSE-listed insurer Chubb. The program has yet to start, Chubb CEO and Chairman Evan Greenberg says, because it is conditioned on the use of U.S. Navy convoys and escorts. At present, the Iranian threat in the strait remains elevated, and the Navy's attention is focused on blockading Iran's commercial traffic. "The government...

Continue Reading...