Wednesday, April 01, 2026
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Taiwan detained Chinese-owed vessel on suspicion it damaged subsea cables

Taiwan Orders Jailed Chinese Captain to Pay $560,000 for Damages to Cable

Published Apr 1, 2026 5:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

A court in Taiwan awarded Chunghwa Telecom more than half a million US dollars in compensation for the damage a Chinese vessel caused to a subsea telecom cable. The financial award comes on top of a three-year prison sentence Taiwan imposed in June 2025 on the Chinese national who was commanding a decrepit vessel with a murky identity. The Taiwan Coast Guard had reported it was monitoring the vessel, which was broadcasting an identity of Hongtai 168 and reporting registry...

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A U.S. Navy destroyer escorts a merchant ship through the Strait of Hormuz in quieter times (USN file image)

Trump Resumes Strait of Hormuz Threats

Published Apr 1, 2026 5:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

As the reality of the Strait of Hormuz energy restriction begins to set in for overseas markets, President Donald Trump has reinstated his pledge to reopen the waterway, having previously signaled that the task would be up to other nations. On Monday, Trump said that the strait was enough of a priority that the U.S. would destroy Iran's potable water supplies if Iran didn't give it up. "If the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude...

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activists and fishing vessel collide

Paul Watson Activists Hit Krill Fishing Vessel in “Direct Intervention”

Published Apr 1, 2026 4:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

Activists sailing aboard the Bandero, a vessel of The Captain Paul Watson Foundation, reported they undertook “direct intervention” as part of a strategy they described as “aggressive nonviolence” to interrupt krill fishing in Antarctica. The Norwegian company Aker Qrill told the Associated Press it was a “deliberate attack” and that it would be pursuing all available legal action. Best known for the Sea Shepherd organization in the 1970s, the foundation credits its founder, Paul Watson, for having stopped whaling in...

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drifting LNG carrier wreck

Malta Monitoring Hulk of Russian LNG Carrier After Libya Towed it to Sea

Published Apr 1, 2026 3:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

Monitoring efforts are continuing on the wreck of the Arctic Metagaz with fresh concerns raised as a strong storm is moving across the Mediterranean. Officials from the Armed Forces of Malta confirmed to Malta Today that they are monitoring the movement of the ship but denied reports that it is back in the Maltese zone of the Mediterranean. The latest indications are that the tugs Misrata and Samida sent to reposition the wreck away from the Libyan coast have taken...

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MORE STORIES BY CATEGORY

Offshore

US LNG export terminal at Sabine Pass

QatarEnergy’s U.S. LNG Plant Achieves First Production at Critical Time

Just as the world is looking for alternative sources of LNG, Golden Pass LNG in Texas reported it has achieved first production. The project, which has been in planning and development for 15 years, is set to start export shipments in the second quarter, coming online to help fill some of the shortfall from Qatar and the Middle East. The United States is already setting records for LNG shipments and has been rivaling Qatar for the title of the largest...

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Shipbuilding

Bath Iron works destroyer

Strike Ends at Bath Iron Works After One Week

The members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association ratified a new contract on Saturday, March 28, ending a strike at Bath Iron Works that had begun on the prior Monday. It was the first strike in six years at the critical government contractor and impacted about a tenth of the total workforce, specifically among designers, clerks, and technicians. The union reported that it had been negotiating for about three weeks and was unable to come to terms with one of...

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Environment

hydrogen-fueled multi-purpose vessel

Japan Demonstrates Hydrogen-Fueled Engine for Large Commercial Vessels

Japan reports a breakthrough with the demonstration of a large hydrogen-fueled engine being developed by Japan Engine Corporation, working with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, for a demonstration project for an ocean-going vessel. It points out that most work so far with hydrogen is on smaller engines for coastal vessels, making this a major technological milestone toward the practical use of hydrogen-fueled vessels. While interest has developed in hydrogen, to date, the Japanese project points out that most of the initiatives are...

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Business

shipyard

MARAD Increases Funding for Grants for Small Shipyards

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) reported that it is increasing the funding pool available for the 2026 grants in the Small Shipyard Grant Program. It follows the launch of the 2026 Port Infrastructure Development Program application period last week and is part of the Trump administration's strategy to increase support for the U.S. maritime industry. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlights that the grant pool for small shipyards is being increased by 200 percent to $35 million versus June 2025, when just...

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