As Suez Traffic Cautiously Returns, Houthis Make New Threats

US Plans $1.5B Investment to Modernize Peru’s Naval Base at Callao Port

Published Jan 16, 2026 3:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Department of State announced that it has approved a plan to modernize Peru’s naval base at the port of Callao and delivered the required notification to the U.S. Congress. The plan, which is valued at an estimated $1.5 billion, is seen as a move to counter China’s influence while the State Department highlighted U.S. interest in South America. The naval base, which is the main facility for Peru’s navy, is located to the north of the commercial port...

Dominion Energy Received Injunction Against Offshore Wind Stop-Work Order

Published Jan 16, 2026 2:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

Virginia’s Dominion Energy, which is developing the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, became the third developer this week to receive an injunction against the Trump administration’s December 2025 stop-work order. Five projects received the order, with three now having received preliminary injunctions, and the other two projects in court seeking similar orders. Judge Jamar Walker in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a similar option to the judges hearing cases for Revolution Wind and Empire...

Have U.S. Tariffs Failed To Bite?

Published Jan 16, 2026 12:55 PM by The Conversation

[By Jiao Wang] The numbers are in, and they paint a picture that defies the conventional wisdom of Washington’s trade hawks. In 2025, China’s trade surplus surged to a record high of US$1.2 trillion (£900 billion). In December alone, the surplus reached US$114 billion, driven by a higher-than-expected 6.6% growth in exports and 5.7% growth in imports. The trade surplus refers to the amount by which Chinese exports outnumber its imports. And far from being strangled by external pressure –...

Ukrainian drone boats attack a shadow fleet tanker in the Black Sea, December 2025 (Courtesy Security Service of Ukraine)

Russian and Ukrainian Strikes Are Raising War Risk Insurance Costs

Published Jan 15, 2026 11:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

War risk insurance is one of the biggest factors affecting whether shipowners will trade in a conflict zone, and high insurance rates are an effective means of deterring vessel traffic. When excessive, it adds hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost for every week spent in the coverage area. The recent intensification of conflict in the Black Sea has raised the stakes for insurers, and the costs are getting passed on to shipowners: costs are now as high as one...

Shipping

Spain Busts Drug Smugglers Who Used “Monkey” Method and Hijacked Containers

Spanish authorities are reporting that they successfully broke up a large drug smuggling operation that had been responsible for bringing large amounts of cocaine from Colombia. They described a number of methods, including so-called “monkeys” to get the drugs aboard the containerships, dropping off near Spain, and hijacking vessels and small boats to retrieve the smuggled narcotics. The investigation involved the National Police, Civil Guard, and Tax Agency, and they reported that it spanned months. Three different organizations were involved...

Tugs & Salvage

Video: Shadow Tanker Attacked by Ukraine Refloated After 12 Days Aground

Turkish officials reported they have finally been able after 12 days to refloat a grounded shadow fleet tanker. The ship was pulled from the rocks near Bozcaada, south of the Canakkale Strait. The ship named Qendil and reporting registry in Qatar has been operating for the past three years in the shadow fleet, making frequent trips between the Russian oil terminals near St. Petersburg and India. It was during the return from one of those trips that the tanker was...

Government

Closing the Gap: EU Harmonization and the Future of Ship Recycling

Global ship recycling no longer suffers from a lack of rules. It suffers from a failure to connect them. What is often described as a compliance gap is, in reality, a governance failure created by fragmented legal regimes that refuse to engage with where and how ship recycling actually takes place. The result is a system that is legally dense, institutionally complex, and operationally incoherent. Bangladesh and India are today the world’s two largest ship-recycling states when measured by annual...

Corporate News

Birdon Awarded US Coast Guard Contract for Response Boat–Small Demonstrator

[By: Birdon America, Inc.] Birdon America, Inc. has been awarded a firm fixed price contract to build a Response Boat-Small (RB-S) Demonstrator for the United States Coast Guard (USCG). This award underscores Birdon’s commitment to providing its customers with innovative, reliable solutions that ensure mission success in maritime operations. The RB-S Demonstrator program is a critical initiative by the USCG to evaluate advanced capabilities for key missions such as Search and Rescue (SAR); Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security (PWCS); Drug...

Cruise Ships

Disney’s Ultra-Large Cruise Ship Makes U.S. Stop on Delivery Run to Asia

The ultra-large Disney Adventure (208,108 gross tons) is making a brief appearance in the United States during its delivery run to Asia. The cruise ship pulled into Port Canaveral, Florida, on January 15 for a reported 12-day stopover before she resumes the trip, which will ultimately arrive in Singapore, her year-round homeport. Acquired by Disney in November 2022 from the bankrupt MV Werften shipbuilding, the ship was completed by Meyer Werft and reconfigured for the Disney brand. The company, according...

Ports

US Plans $1.5B Investment to Modernize Peru’s Naval Base at Callao Port

Shipping

Spain Busts Drug Smugglers Who Used “Monkey” Method and Hijacked Containers

Tugs & Salvage

Video: Shadow Tanker Attacked by Ukraine Refloated After 12 Days Aground

Government

Closing the Gap: EU Harmonization and the Future of Ship Recycling

Corporate News

Birdon Awarded US Coast Guard Contract for Response Boat–Small Demonstrator

Cruise Ships

Disney’s Ultra-Large Cruise Ship Makes U.S. Stop on Delivery Run to Asia

Ports

US Plans $1.5B Investment to Modernize Peru’s Naval Base at Callao Port

Offshore

Dominion Energy Received Injunction Against Offshore Wind Stop-Work Order

Shipbuilding

A new P-17A class frigate, Mahendragiri, at launch at Mazagon Dock (Gov't of India)

Report: India Wants to Ramp Up its Warship Exports

India is reportedly working to expand warship exports as part of the ongoing push to revamp its shipbuilding industry. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) has already issued directives to the state-owned shipyards, instructing the facilities to build their capacities for export orders. According to a report by the defense news site Indian Defense Research Wing, the MOD’s directive covers expansion of docking and manufacturing infrastructure in the shipyards. In addition, the shipyards are expected to customize their blueprints for naval...

Environment

HMM and HD KSOE Start Demonstration and Testing of Wing Sail on Tanker

South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HMM are starting a demonstration and test period for Korea’s first domestically developed wing sail for wind-assisted propulsion. The shipbuilder has been developing its version of the technology as part of its efforts to advance value-added, green ship designs and technology. The wing sail was recently installed on the product tanker Oriental Aquamarine (50,000 dwt). The vessel was built in 2020 and has been owned by HMM since 2023. Registered in...

Business

Dry Bulk Takeover Battle Heats Up Between Diana and Genco

Two of the leaders in the dry bulk space, Genco Shipping & Trading and Diana Shipping, are trading public jabs in the brewing takeover battle that calls for consolidating the dry bulk sector. Both companies issued public statements six weeks after Diana first went public with its rumored efforts to buy Genco. Both companies emphasize the opportunities they see emerging in the dry bulk sector. Combined, they would have a fleet of approximately 80 vessels with approximately 9 million dwt....

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As Suez Traffic Cautiously Returns, Houthis Make New Threats

US Plans $1.5B Investment to Modernize Peru’s Naval Base at Callao Port

Dominion Energy Received Injunction Against Offshore Wind Stop-Work Order

Have U.S. Tariffs Failed To Bite?

Russian and Ukrainian Strikes Are Raising War Risk Insurance Costs

Spain Busts Drug Smugglers Who Used “Monkey” Method and Hijacked Containers

Video: Shadow Tanker Attacked by Ukraine Refloated After 12 Days Aground

Closing the Gap: EU Harmonization and the Future of Ship Recycling

Birdon Awarded US Coast Guard Contract for Response Boat–Small Demonstrator

Disney’s Ultra-Large Cruise Ship Makes U.S. Stop on Delivery Run to Asia

US Plans $1.5B Investment to Modernize Peru’s Naval Base at Callao Port

Navigating Port Funding Uncertainty: Adaptation Unlocks Opportunities

California Protects Blue Whales and Blue Skies With Historic State Law

One Event. World Of Maritime. This February, Copenhagen is the Place to Be

Spain Busts Drug Smugglers Who Used “Monkey” Method and Hijacked Containers

Video: Shadow Tanker Attacked by Ukraine Refloated After 12 Days Aground

Closing the Gap: EU Harmonization and the Future of Ship Recycling

Birdon Awarded US Coast Guard Contract for Response Boat–Small Demonstrator

Disney’s Ultra-Large Cruise Ship Makes U.S. Stop on Delivery Run to Asia

US Plans $1.5B Investment to Modernize Peru’s Naval Base at Callao Port

Dominion Energy Received Injunction Against Offshore Wind Stop-Work Order

Report: India Wants to Ramp Up its Warship Exports

HMM and HD KSOE Start Demonstration and Testing of Wing Sail on Tanker

Dry Bulk Takeover Battle Heats Up Between Diana and Genco

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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