Wednesday, April 15, 2026
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Vesselfinder

Two Sanctioned Tankers May Have Bypassed U.S. Navy Blockade on Iran

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Launch of the TEE-01B imagery satellite from Jiuquan in June 2024 (The Earth Eye Co)

Iran Using Chinese Satellite to Target US and GCC Countries

Published Apr 15, 2026 1:28 PM by The Maritime Executive

Further startling information has been unveiled in a Financial Times report on how Chinese technology and weapons systems have been aiding the Iranians in their missile and drone campaign against neighboring states and US military targets in the region. The FT report appears to be a product of its own investigations and analysis, rather than a leak from an intelligence agency seeking to influence. The FT report says that China supplied Iran with access to a TEE-01B imagery satellite built...

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Inspection

A Hierarchy of Controls

Published Apr 14, 2026 10:38 PM by Pat Zeitler

PASSENGER SAFETY: A HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS **By Pat Zeitler** Those in the business of industrial safety are familiar with the concept, "hierarchy of controls." It's predicated on the belief that health and safety risks are controlled through a hierarchy of actions that can best be described as an inverted cone or pyramid with the most effective control on top, narrowing down to the final and least effective control on the bottom. At the top of the pyramid is elimination, followed...

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Cruise industry executives

Cruising Demonstrates Resiliency as Mainstream Vacation Business

Published Apr 14, 2026 9:49 PM by The Maritime Executive

The executives leading the major cruise corporations point to the business demonstrating its resilience as they believe cruising has finally evolved into a mainstream option from its long-term position as an alternative vacation. However, they still point to the challenges of gaining recognition for the value proposition and achievements in areas such as sustainability and addressing issues of overtourism. The executives presented an upbeat report card on the state of the industry in the opening general session of Seatrade Cruise...

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NITC tankers

Report: U.S. Navy Destroyer Turns Back Two Iran-Linked Tankers

Published Apr 14, 2026 9:08 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping is unfolding successfully so far, according to U.S. Central Command, including enforcement along the Gulf of Oman coastline. Two tankers that attempted to leave Chabahar were interdicted by a U.S. Navy destroyer and instructed to turn around, officials told Reuters late Tuesday. Separately, officials told the New York Times that six Iran-linked vessels had turned around after U.S. forces contacted them by radio and directed them to return to an Iranian port. Inbound traffic...

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Offshore

Chinese offshore wind farm

China Commissions Wind Farm At Its Deepest Offshore Position

Chinese officials highlighted the commissioning of its newest offshore wind farm, which is also setting a record for the country’s deepest fixed-bottom wind turbines and is located far out to sea. They highlighted the complex geology and challenges of extreme sea conditions in developing and operating the 504 MW wind farm, the Huaneng Shandong Peninsula North L Site. The wind farm was developed by the state-owned China Huaneng Group and will be managed and operated by the Yantai Power Plant....

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Shipbuilding

The Navy has selected a Damen design for the future LSM, to be build under a VCM contract model (Damen illustration)

Fincantieri Wins Design & Procurement Contract for Landing Ship Medium

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's U.S. division has secured an initial contract for the U.S. Navy's Landing Ship Medium program, giving it a longer runway after the Navy’s serial decisions to reduce small-combatant procurement, first for the Littoral Combat Ship series and then for the Constellation-class frigate program. The U.S. subsidiary of Fincantieri Marine Group said it has been awarded a $30 million contract covering early engineering work and the purchase of long-lead materials for the first four vessels. The award follows...

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Environment

Carbon carrier vessels for CCS storage

Buildout Continues of Emerging Category of CO2 Carriers for CCS

A new segment of shipping, purpose-built CO2 carriers designed to support the emerging efforts at carbon capture and storage (CCS), continues to grow. The first of the commercial operations is beginning, and the sector is driving the development of the ships. Northern Lights, a partnership between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies was the first to enter the segment, starting commercial operations in 2025. It was designed with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year and has already announced plans...

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Business

Areiram / CC BY SA 4.0

Op-Ed: Mideast Conflict Provides a Test of Economic Resilience

[By Adi Imsirovic and Antonio Fatas] The world economy survived the shocks of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which has had limited impact on economic growth. But the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East has transformed what had been, until early 2026, a surprisingly benign outlook into a far more uncertain one. It has created the ultimate test for how resilient the world economy really is. Amid stalled ceasefire negotiations, the US president, Donald Trump, has threatened a blockade of vessels...

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