Iranian containership with US forces approaching

U.S. Releases Six Iranian Seafarers While Moving for Forfeiture of Tankers

wreck of containership grounded in Newfoundland Canada

Contract Awarded for the Removal of the MSC Baltic III Wreck

Published Apr 30, 2026 5:13 PM by The Maritime Executive

Fourteen months after the containership MSC Baltic III blacked out and washed ashore in a remote part of Newfoundland, Canada, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has awarded a contract for the removal of the wreck. It will be the second phase of the effort after a program in 2025 that focused on the potential pollutants aboard the containership. The MSC Baltic III (33,767 dwt) was lost on February 15, 2025, while outbound from Canada. The ship was caught in a fierce...

Ukraine Asks Sweden and Israel to Detain Ships with “Stolen Grain”

Published Apr 30, 2026 4:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

In its latest attempt to escalate its economic war against Russia, Ukraine is asking foreign countries to detain vessels carrying grain from the occupied areas of Ukraine, which it considers stolen assets. It issued requests to Sweden and Israel to detain vessels as an expansion of efforts that Ukraine has undertaken in its ports in the past. The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a brief statement that it seized a small cargo ship named Caffa (4,337 dwt) that it had...

King Charles Presents President Trump With HMS Trump's Bell

Published Apr 30, 2026 3:49 PM by The Maritime Executive

At a state dinner given in his honor, King Charles III has presented President Trump with a personal gift, the bell of the decommissioned HMS Trump (P533). HMS Trump was a T-class submarine launched in Barrow (where Britain’s nuclear submarines are still built) in March 1944. The boat, with a crew of 63 hands, was originally fitted out with 11 torpedo tubes, a 103mm deck gun and three anti-aircraft machine guns. Deployed to the Pacific Theater, HMS Trump operated as...

A drone boat homes in on a Russian patrol vessel (Courtesy Ukrainian Navy)

Ukrainian Drone Boats Hit Two Russian Patrol Vessels at Kerch Strait

Published Apr 29, 2026 11:52 PM by The Maritime Executive

Ukraine's drone forces have hit and damaged two guard ships at the Kerch Strait Bridge, according to officials in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Navy identified the target vessels as the FSB patrol boat Sobol and "anti-sabotage" boat Grachonok, and said that they had been heavily damaged. "As a result of the strike, the enemy suffered irrecoverable and sanitary losses," the service claimed in a statement. ???????????? ??????? ?????? ??, ??? ????????? ??????????? ??????????????https://t.co/9CvatVrXOD pic.twitter.com/kE44wXpJb3— ?????????-??????? ???? ?? ??????? (@UA_NAVY) April 30,...

Shipping

people on boat with lifejackets and hands up

Israeli Forces Intercept Boats from Activist Flotilla Seeking to Reach Gaza

For the second time, Israeli forces have acted to stop a flotilla of small boats loaded with activists that were attempting to reach Gaza and creating an international spectacle. Last October, Israeli forces intercepted the boats close to the Israeli shore, but this time Israeli forces sought to stop the flotilla while it was in international waters near Greece. The group, calling itself the Global Sumud Flotilla, had initially set out from Barcelona on April 12. Last week, they had...

Tugs & Salvage

U.S. Navy Destroyer Suffers Serious Fire in the Indo-Pacific

U.S. officials have confirmed that a fire seriously damaged a guided missile destroyer operating in the Indo-Pacific Command area of operations. Multiple officials told CBS that a significant fire had occurred aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Higgins. One official confirmed that the blaze took out propulsion and electrical power - a significant development if true. A casualty would have to affect both of the Burke-class' two fully redundant, compartmentalized engine rooms in order to disable the vessel. The USS...

Government

Maryland Plans to Replace its Contractor for Key Bridge Reconstruction

The state of Maryland has decided to change contractors for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was destroyed by a ship strike in March 2024. The demolition of the wreckage was a highly complex salvage operation, and took months to complete. In the meantime, the state's engineers and consultants began designing a bigger, better replacement: a cable-stayed design built to modern standards for survivability, with 300 feet of additional width in the center span and an extra...

Corporate News

Voith Appoints Denise Kurtulus to Board of Management & CEO of Voith Turbo

[By: Voith Group] The Voith Group appoints Denise Kurtulus as CEO of Voith Turbo and Member of the Corporate Board of Management of the Voith Group effective September 1, 2026. She succeeds Cornelius Weitzmann, who left the company at his own request at the end of 2025. Until her appointment, Dirk Hoke, CEO of the Voith Group, will continue to manage the Group Division Turbo on an interim basis. Denise Kurtulus joins Voith from Rolls-Royce Power Systems, where she was...

Cruise Ships

Carnival Firenze, seen here as the Costa Firenze (Carnival press handout)

Cruise Ship Passenger Dies in Fall Near Catalina Island

On Monday, a passenger fell to her death from her balcony aboard the cruise ship Carnival Firenze. The circumstances of the fall are under investigation, and the FBI has joined the inquiry. The Carnival Firenze got under way Sunday from Los Angeles for a coastal cruise to Mexico. On Monday, while the vessel was transiting off Catalina Island, the victim fell from her balcony onto a deck below. In a statement, Carnival said that it would be supporting the victim's...

Ports

First Commercial Bunkering of Ammonia Completed on Exmar Ship in Ulsan

The emerging market for ammonia-fueled commercial shipping achieved its next milestone with the first-ever port-to-ship bunkering on an ocean-going vessel. Previously, the only bunkering had been done as demonstrations, while extensive work has been underway by port authorities, classification societies, and others to develop the processes for safely handling highly toxic ammonia as a marine fuel. The Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) in South Korea announced that the first ammonia bunkering operation had been carried out on April 23. The gas...

Shipping

Israeli Forces Intercept Boats from Activist Flotilla Seeking to Reach Gaza

Tugs & Salvage

U.S. Navy Destroyer Suffers Serious Fire in the Indo-Pacific

Government

Maryland Plans to Replace its Contractor for Key Bridge Reconstruction

Corporate News

Voith Appoints Denise Kurtulus to Board of Management & CEO of Voith Turbo

Cruise Ships

Cruise Ship Passenger Dies in Fall Near Catalina Island

Ports

First Commercial Bunkering of Ammonia Completed on Exmar Ship in Ulsan

Offshore

UAE Exits OPEC, Casting Shadow Over the Oil Cartel's Future

The United Arab Emirates has announced a decision to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a major blow to the supply cartel that has exerted influence over global oil prices since 1960. "The UAE’s decision to exit from OPEC reflects a policy-driven evolution aligned with long-term market fundamentals," said UAE energy minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei in a statement. "We thank OPEC and its member countries for decades of constructive cooperation. We remain committed to energy security, providing...

Shipbuilding

First of Canadian Coast Guard’s New Arctic-Offshore Patrol Ships Launched

Canada marked the next milestone in its efforts to renew the fleets of the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard with the floatout of the first of its new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships. The future CCGS Donjek was successfully transferred from the building hall on a barge and floated out in Halifax. The construction is part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, a long-term plan for what they are proudly saying are “Built by Canadians, for Canada” vessels. Irving Shipbuilding has...

Environment

Study: MPAs are Unusually Vulnerable to Wastewater Runoff

Researchers have long understood that land-based pollution sources are a leading cause of environmental harm in the ocean, from plastic wastes to nutrient runoff. Land-based sewage is an issue as well, and it turns out that marine protected areas (MPAs) might be more affected by this form of pollution than the average acre of unprotected ocean, a new study in Ocean & Coastal Management has determined. Working together, researchers from the University of Queensland and the New York-based Wildlife Conservation...

Business

Bankrupt Retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Wins Record $45M FMC Claim Against OOCL

A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge awarded a record $45.6 million in reparations to the administrator of the bankrupt retailer Bed Bath & Beyond in its claim against Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) stemming from denied service and higher shipping rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case has the potential to be a precedent-setting decision for the shippers' complaints against the business practices of carriers during the pandemic. The bankruptcy administrator for the former retailer now known as DF-Butterfly...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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U.S. Releases Six Iranian Seafarers While Moving for Forfeiture of Tankers

Contract Awarded for the Removal of the MSC Baltic III Wreck

Ukraine Asks Sweden and Israel to Detain Ships with “Stolen Grain”

King Charles Presents President Trump With HMS Trump's Bell

Ukrainian Drone Boats Hit Two Russian Patrol Vessels at Kerch Strait

Israeli Forces Intercept Boats from Activist Flotilla Seeking to Reach Gaza

U.S. Navy Destroyer Suffers Serious Fire in the Indo-Pacific

Maryland Plans to Replace its Contractor for Key Bridge Reconstruction

Voith Appoints Denise Kurtulus to Board of Management & CEO of Voith Turbo

Cruise Ship Passenger Dies in Fall Near Catalina Island

First Commercial Bunkering of Ammonia Completed on Exmar Ship in Ulsan

Containers Don’t Lie Symposium: Actionable Forum in Chaotic Times

From Fossil Fuels to Shore Power With the Port of San Diego

From Local to Global: Genoa Maritime Forum to Bring the Industry Together

Israeli Forces Intercept Boats from Activist Flotilla Seeking to Reach Gaza

U.S. Navy Destroyer Suffers Serious Fire in the Indo-Pacific

Maryland Plans to Replace its Contractor for Key Bridge Reconstruction

Voith Appoints Denise Kurtulus to Board of Management & CEO of Voith Turbo

Cruise Ship Passenger Dies in Fall Near Catalina Island

First Commercial Bunkering of Ammonia Completed on Exmar Ship in Ulsan

UAE Exits OPEC, Casting Shadow Over the Oil Cartel's Future

First of Canadian Coast Guard’s New Arctic-Offshore Patrol Ships Launched

Study: MPAs are Unusually Vulnerable to Wastewater Runoff

Bankrupt Retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Wins Record $45M FMC Claim Against OOCL

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events