Iran is Making Unimpeded Use of the Strait of Hormuz

Op-Ed: Kharg Island Strikes Have Little Effect if Iran's Tankers Sail On

Published Mar 15, 2026 2:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

It is unclear what the aim was behind the overwhelming air attack mounted against Kharg Island on March 13, which President Trump has described as “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East.” The raid however was restricted to the military sites and emplacements manned by the IRGC to defend the island, and apparently was designed not to damage the oil infrastructure of the terminal – which is believed to be still operational. Whereas...

US Targets Military on Iran’s Kharg Island Demanding Opening of Hormuz

Published Mar 13, 2026 9:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. military launched strategic bombing on Iran’s Kharg Island, the home of Iran’s oil export industry. In a posting on social media, Donald Trump announced on Friday evening the attack while saying this time it had been limited to military targets, while also demanding free and safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump called it “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East,” while saying that “Iran has no ability to defend...

French troops boarding vessel smuggling drugs

Supply Boat Caught Smuggling Drugs Now Issued a Distress Call off Australia

Published Mar 13, 2026 8:33 PM by The Maritime Executive

Nearly two months after French authorities intercepted a small vessel smuggling a large amount of cocaine across the Pacific, the same vessel has now turned up off Australia and issued a distress call. ABC News Australia reports the vessel was escorted into Sydney harbor on Friday, March 13, after the Australian Maritime Safety Authority became involved. The vessel named Raider is reported to have made a distress call on Thursday, reporting a shortage of food and fuel. A representative of...

South Africa Arrests and Fines Four Chinese Vessels for Illegal Fishing

Published Mar 13, 2026 7:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

South African authorities have intercepted and fined four Chinese distant-water fishing vessels that were suspected of engaging in illegal fishing. The boats entered South African waters without permits and repeatedly switched their automatic identification system (AIS) on and off. The four Chinese-flagged fishing vessels, Zhong Yang 231, Zhong Yang 232, Zhong Yang 233, and Zhong Yang 239, are said to have entered the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and territorial waters without the required authorization. The vessels are owned by...

Shipping

The rail ferry Slavyanin's wheelhouse burns, March 14 (HUR)

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

Ukraine has launched attacks on two railway ferries that Russia was using to supplement its rail line from the Russian mainland across the Kerch Strait Bridge to Crimea. In the attack, the 150-meter ro/ro rail/vehicle carrier Slavyanin (IMO: 8300169) was disabled and the 125-meter Avangard (IMO 9522403) was damaged. Rendering these two vessels unfit for sailing now means that Russian has no rail ferries left in service on the Black Sea. From imagery released by the Ukrainian military intelligence organization...

Tugs & Salvage

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Italian and Maltese authorities are working together closely monitoring the hulk of the Russian-flagged gas carrier Arctic Metagaz. Both countries remain on alert as the vessel has drifted back and forth, approaching each country, and then, with the tides and winds, has been driven further out to sea. The vessel has been in this precarious situation for days after it exploded on March 4 at a position approximately 150 miles south of Malta. At the time, it was in the...

Government

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, October 2025 (Chinese Foreign Ministry press handout)

Op-Ed: The Most Important Meeting in the World is About Oil

On the morning of March 1, a tanker called the Skylight was moving through the narrow waters north of Khasab, Oman, when a projectile struck its hull. Omani authorities said all 20 crewmembers were evacuated. Later reports confirmed that two had died. By the time news reached trading floors in London and Singapore, the Skylight had already become something larger than itself — a data point in a disruption that analysts were beginning to describe, with the careful hedging of...

Corporate News

U.S. Coast Guard Authenticates Keels for First 3 Waterways Commerce Cutters

[By: U.S. Coast Guard] The U.S. Coast Guard authenticated the keels for future Coast Guard cutters Allen Thiele, Fred Permenter and Samuel Wilson on Friday in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. In a special proceeding, the keels for three cutters were authenticated simultaneously, a departure from the traditional single-vessel ceremony. Keel authentication is a time-honored maritime tradition in which the ship’s sponsor welds their initials onto a ceremonial plate that is permanently affixed to the cutter, signifying the foundation of the...

Cruise Ships

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

The sail-powered cruise ship Orient Express Corinthian recently completed its propulsion tests, and builder Chantiers de l’Atlantique reports the ship achieved a speed first for a sailing ship of its size. The ship is preparing for its delivery and entry into service in May 2026 as Accor Group launches its first cruise offering. The Orient Express Corinthian is a 25,200 gross ton cruise ship that will have 54 suites with a capacity for 110 passengers. The ship measures 220 meters...

Ports

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

Canada’s push to increase exports to overseas markets, particularly in Asia owing to increasing protectionism by its key trading partner, the U.S, is having the desired effects. The country’s largest port, Vancouver, has seen cargo throughput hit record highs. The Port of Vancouver is highlighting the impacts of the government’s efforts to double exports to non-U.S. markets, reporting record cargo volumes in 2025. The port handled 170.4 million metric tonnes (mmt) of cargo during the year, an eight percent increase...

Shipping

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

Tugs & Salvage

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Government

Op-Ed: The Most Important Meeting in the World is About Oil

Corporate News

U.S. Coast Guard Authenticates Keels for First 3 Waterways Commerce Cutters

Cruise Ships

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

Ports

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

Offshore

Second "Big Beautiful" Offshore Lease Sale Draws Fewer Big Spenders

The U.S. Department of the Interior has completed the second offshore oil and gas auction of its revised lease plan, and the outcome was quieter this time. The auction generated $47 million in high bids for a total of 140,000 acres in 25 blocks, down from the previous auction's total of $280 million. A total of about 80 million acres were up for auction, but the majority received no bids. 13 companies participated in bidding, down from 30 in the...

Shipbuilding

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

The third newly built U.S. training ship for the merchant marine, the State of Maine, was handed over to TOTE Services and delivered to the U.S. Maritime Administration. It will be the fifth training vessel, and the first purpose-built vessel, to be operated by the Maine Maritime Academy, located in Castine, Maine. The handover to the U.S. government took place at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, and the vessel is scheduled to depart for Maine in the coming days. Once it...

Environment

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

A new meta-study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that ocean warming has an outsize impact on the total amount of fish in the water, enough to have major implications for global fisheries. The study, led by researchers at Spain's Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, looked at hundreds of thousands of studies of fish populations in the Northern Hemisphere over a period of nearly 30 years, spanning 1993-2021. The vast data set covered more than 1,500 fish species and...

Business

ONE and Chinese Shipbuilder Increase Investment in Owner/Lessor Seaspan

Three years after taking Seaspan, the leading owner/lessor of containerships to the leading carriers, private Ocean Network Express is set to become its largest shareholder, along with the addition of Chinese shipbuilder Yangzijiang Shipbuilding as an investor. The deal sees the lead investors in the go-private transaction beginning to cash out as Seaspan reaches new leads in its ownership and management of shipping assets. Seaspan was started in 2000 and was mostly working with China’s COSCO Shipping and Yang Ming,...

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Iran is Making Unimpeded Use of the Strait of Hormuz

Op-Ed: Kharg Island Strikes Have Little Effect if Iran's Tankers Sail On

US Targets Military on Iran’s Kharg Island Demanding Opening of Hormuz

Supply Boat Caught Smuggling Drugs Now Issued a Distress Call off Australia

South Africa Arrests and Fines Four Chinese Vessels for Illegal Fishing

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Op-Ed: The Most Important Meeting in the World is About Oil

U.S. Coast Guard Authenticates Keels for First 3 Waterways Commerce Cutters

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

Connecting Opportunities: The Power of Integrated E-Navigation

Collaborative Delivery Models Reshape Port Infrastructure Development

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Op-Ed: The Most Important Meeting in the World is About Oil

U.S. Coast Guard Authenticates Keels for First 3 Waterways Commerce Cutters

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

Second "Big Beautiful" Offshore Lease Sale Draws Fewer Big Spenders

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

ONE and Chinese Shipbuilder Increase Investment in Owner/Lessor Seaspan

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events