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

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

Published Mar 21, 2026 10:51 PM by Elissama Menezes, Andrew Dumbrille and Dr. Sian Prior

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...

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...

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

Published Mar 21, 2026 5:07 PM by The Maritime Executive

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...

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...

Shipping

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

Tugs & Salvage

Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile (Fars News / CC BY SA 4.0)

Iranians Feint an Attack on Diego Garcia

Although the incident has been accompanied by much disinformation and confusion, it is evident that on or before March 20, Iran's IRGC attempted to fire two ballistic missiles at the US Naval Support Facility on the island of Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory. US sources reported that one missile had been shot down by an SM-3 missile, probably launched from an Arleigh Burke destroyer, and that the second "broke up in flight." Having reached a range of...

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 previously said that the U.S. does not need. If Iran does not reopen the strait, Trump said, the U.S. will "obliterate" Iran's electrical power plants. For its part, Iran claims that the strait is already open - for the right ships. A trickle of tonnage is getting past, according to tracking services, most of it using an Iranian-controlled lane past...

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

Lamu Port’s Cargo Throughput Jumps by 900%, Buoyed by Shipping Disruption

With ocean carriers drawing up contingency plans for cargo destined to the Gulf region, some ports on the East African coast have gained a strategic advantage. As the Hormuz blockade persists, major shipping lines have informed customers on potential rerouting of goods, with the option of leaving containers at safer ports. One such facility is Kenya’s little-used port of Lamu, which has greatly benefitted from re-routing of cargo destined to the Gulf region. There is a rise in car carriers...

Shipping

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

Tugs & Salvage

Iranians Feint an Attack on Diego Garcia

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

Lamu Port’s Cargo Throughput Jumps by 900%, Buoyed by Shipping Disruption

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...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Select any month to view events: March April May June July August September October November December January February

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

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

Israel Protects Azerbaijan With Strike on Iran's Caspian Fleet

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

North Korean Shipments of Shells to Russia Tail Off

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

Iranians Feint an Attack on Diego Garcia

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

Lamu Port’s Cargo Throughput Jumps by 900%, Buoyed by Shipping Disruption

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

Iranians Feint an Attack on Diego Garcia

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

Lamu Port’s Cargo Throughput Jumps by 900%, Buoyed by Shipping Disruption

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

Join the conversation.

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events