Mexico Seeks ID of Tanker Responsible for Oil Discharge as Cleanup Proceeds

HD Hyundai Moving Forward with Humanoid Welding Robot for Shipyards

Published Mar 23, 2026 6:59 PM by The Maritime Executive

HD Hyundai has been working on several projects to develop technology that would support the use of humanoid robots to undertake precision tasks at its shipyard. The company announced on March 23 that it had completed a positive evaluation and is now moving to the next phase of the project. The parent company said HD Kore Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediary holding company for its shipyards, will be partnering with HD Hyundai Robotics and a U.S.-based industrial humanoid robotics...

Designers and Technicians Go on Strike at Bath Iron Works

Published Mar 23, 2026 5:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

A small group of workers at the Bath Iron Works walked off the job on Monday, March 23, in the first strike in six years at the critical government contractor. The strike is being conducted by about a tenth of the total workforce, specifically among designers, clerks, and technicians. The Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association launched the strike for its 620-plus members out of a total yard workforce of more than 6,800 people. The union is a local within the UAW...

Loading terminal at Ras Laffan (Matthew Smith / CC BY 2.0)

Iran's Strike on Ras Laffan Could Raise LNG Prices for Years

Published Mar 23, 2026 5:26 PM by The Conversation

[By Dr. Adi Imsirovic] On March 19, Ras Laffan, the largest liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal in the world, supplying one-fifth of the world’s super-chilled fuel, was hit by Iranian missiles and drones. The Qatari terminal suffered substantial damage in the strikes – fires were raging across the gas-to-liquids facility within the complex, which covers 295 square kilometres – the size of a large city. Investments worth tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars disappeared into thin air. Damage...

US to Repay TotalEneriges $1B for Wind Leases Redirected to LNG Investments

Published Mar 23, 2026 4:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

TotalEnergies confirmed it has entered into settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of the Interior, which will see the company redirect nearly $1 billion invested in leases for two offshore wind leases into investments in the LNG sector. The deal had first been reported last week as a new means by the Trump administration to stop future offshore wind development. Under the terms of the agreement, the company will recover the lease fees paid to the United States in 2022...

Shipping

Securing the Strait: The Need to Reclaim the Disputed Islands

Predictably, given that their control over the Strait of Hormuz is their strongest negotiating card, the Iranian regime has ignored President Donald Trump's demand that they reopen the waterway to international traffic. President Trump says that constructive talks are now underway with Iran, something that Iran denies, although President Trump has followed up by suspending his threat to destroy Iran's power infrastructure. Any such attempt would no doubt in turn bring an Iranian response in kind, albeit with the power...

Tugs & Salvage

A small craft for deploying floating mines (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)

Report: Floating and Bottom Mines Detected in Strait of Hormuz

Reports of Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz have circulated for weeks, but the most detailed signal yet comes from CBS, which now reports that U.S. intelligence has detected at least a dozen advanced mines of two types in the waterway. U.S. officials who are familiar with the latest intelligence told CBS that there are two types of Iranian mines emplaced in the strait. The first is an update on a familiar but deadly design: the buoyant, moored, high-explosive...

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

Updates to Guidelines on the Application of ILO Maritime Labour Convention

[By: International Chamber of Shipping] The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has released the fifth edition of its Guidelines on the Application of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention, urging the global shipping industry to take note of the latest amendments ahead of their entry into force and to ensure vessels are fully prepared to remain compliant, safe, and fit to trade internationally. This new edition provides the most up?to?date and practical guidance on the mandatory and recommended employment standards set...

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

Ukraine Attacks Russia’s Baltic Oil Terminals and Starts Fire at Primorsk

Ukrainian and Russian officials are both acknowledging a large attack overnight from March 22 to March 23, focusing on Russia’s oil infrastructure on the Baltic. It comes after Ukraine protested the Trump administration’s waiver of Russian oil sanctions as Ukraine urged Europe to keep the pressure up on Russia. Operations at both the ports of Primorsky and Ust-Luga were reportedly suspended as the barrage unfolded. The governor for the Leningrad region, Alexander DroZdenko claimed that more than 70 aerial targets...

Shipping

Securing the Strait: The Need to Reclaim the Disputed Islands

Tugs & Salvage

Report: Floating and Bottom Mines Detected in Strait of Hormuz

Government

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

Corporate News

Updates to Guidelines on the Application of ILO Maritime Labour Convention

Cruise Ships

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

Ports

Ukraine Attacks Russia’s Baltic Oil Terminals and Starts Fire at Primorsk

Offshore

Blast Shakes Valero's Port Arthur Refinery

On Monday, an explosion and fire hit the Valero refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, rattling windows and startling nearby residents. The refinery is one of the 10 largest in the United States, and any outage could have an effect on refined product prices during a period of peak global demand. The blast was reported at about 1700 hours at a processing unit inside of the plant, followed by flame and heavy smoke. The City of Port Arthur issued a shelter-in-place...

Shipbuilding

HD Hyundai Moving Forward with Humanoid Welding Robot for Shipyards

Environment

Mexico Seeks ID of Tanker Responsible for Oil Discharge as Cleanup Proceeds

Mexican authorities reported over the weekend that cleanup efforts have intensified for an oil spill that it has been battling along the Gulf coast since nearly the beginning of the month. At the same time, they have said they suspect an unnamed tanker for the release and that they will continue the efforts to identify the vessel and take action under the environmental legislation. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, told reporters in her weekly press conference that they have...

Business

A station closed due to fuel shortages during the 1973 oil shock (David Falconer / public domain)

IEA Chief: Gulf Energy Crisis is More Severe Than 1970s Oil Shocks

Benchmark Brent and WTI oil futures eased on Monday in response to the White House's claims of new peace talks with Iran, but the near-term energy outlook remains challenging, according to some of the world's leading authorities. IEA chief Fatih Birol told a press conference in Australia on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz shutdown is the equivalent of both 1970s oil shocks and the Ukraine-Russia natural gas shock of 2022, all rolled into one. "This crisis, as things stand,...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Mexico Seeks ID of Tanker Responsible for Oil Discharge as Cleanup Proceeds

HD Hyundai Moving Forward with Humanoid Welding Robot for Shipyards

Designers and Technicians Go on Strike at Bath Iron Works

Iran's Strike on Ras Laffan Could Raise LNG Prices for Years

US to Repay TotalEneriges $1B for Wind Leases Redirected to LNG Investments

Securing the Strait: The Need to Reclaim the Disputed Islands

Report: Floating and Bottom Mines Detected in Strait of Hormuz

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

Updates to Guidelines on the Application of ILO Maritime Labour Convention

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

Ukraine Attacks Russia’s Baltic Oil Terminals and Starts Fire at Primorsk

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?

Securing the Strait: The Need to Reclaim the Disputed Islands

Report: Floating and Bottom Mines Detected in Strait of Hormuz

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

Updates to Guidelines on the Application of ILO Maritime Labour Convention

China Floats Second Cruise Ship and Orders Ships for International Market

Ukraine Attacks Russia’s Baltic Oil Terminals and Starts Fire at Primorsk

Blast Shakes Valero's Port Arthur Refinery

HD Hyundai Moving Forward with Humanoid Welding Robot for Shipyards

Mexico Seeks ID of Tanker Responsible for Oil Discharge as Cleanup Proceeds

IEA Chief: Gulf Energy Crisis is More Severe Than 1970s Oil Shocks

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events