The Maritime Executive’s Ship Management Edition is Now Online
(Article originally published in July/Aug 2026 edition.)
DOG DAYS
It's been a long, hot summer with record temperatures in Europe and the U.S., on-and-off-again hostilities in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Dog days of summer? Dog days of war? Take your pick.
And maritime has been right in the middle of it.
The Wallem Group and its fearless leader, John Rowley, grace this edition's cover. Educated at Sandhurst and having served five years as a paratrooper in the British Army, Rowley knows all about war. And that has served him well in his subsequent business career. Since taking the helm at Wallem in 2024, he's guided the 123-year-old company to two successive years of exceptional growth despite the ongoing global turmoil.
Read all about it in this issue's Case Study and Executive interview!
Rowley is a tough act to follow, but Senior Editor Jack O'Connell's interview with Carleen Lyden Walker, the co-founder of NAMEPA and a host of other organizations, is a close second. Carleen's boundless energy and passion for all things maritime are infectious, and Jack gives you the inside story in his Executive Achievement column.
It's a great read, and you don't want to miss it.
Jack's Upgrades & Downgrades column, "Reading the MAP," is a clever riff on the Trump Administration's Maritime Action Plan, which he confesses to have finally read and thoughtfully decided to share his findings with the rest of us. Lucky us.
In a similar vein, Eye on Energy columnist Allen Brooks asks whether the time-honored Jones Act is a help or a hindrance when it comes to implementing the MAP. His answer may surprise you, as will the wealth of information he provides along the way.
Geopolitics is the sujet du jour for both Erik Kravets and Brigadier Jonathan Campbell-James. In “Your Papers, Please," Erik gives a witty account of the so-called “shadow fleet,” the impact of E.U. sanctions and the meanderings of the vessel Phoenix while the Brigadier applies his finely honed intelligence skills to the Hormuz situation and concludes that it's “A War Gone Wrong.”
"Scaling Up” is the title of News Editor Paul Benecki's report on the ship management industry, which continues to gain clients as the business of owning and operating ships becomes increasingly complicated, challenging and dangerous. To help meet those challenges, maritime academies and institutes are diversifying their approach and teaching new skills to the next generation of seafarers, as reported by maritime consultant Chad Fuhrmann in his fine article, "Maritime Renaissance."
The rapid rise of methanol as a favored alternative fuel is the subject of Singapore-based Sean Holt's article. After consulting with two experts, Sean concludes that "The Ship Has Outpaced the Fuel.” (Okay, you'll just have to read the article to find out what that means!) In a like manner, Pat Zeitler describes how AI is sweeping the maritime world and asks if it's an “Ill Wind or Tailwind?”
Rounding out this edition – and it's a big one – are Sean Hogue's article on the “Big Three" ship registries (Liberia, Panama and Marshall Islands) and Tom Peters' survey of breakbulk ports, aptly titled "Oversized." Sean tells us how the "big three" are upgrading the entire industry while Tom describes the challenges involved in handling large, bulky items like wind turbine blades and huge generators.
It's a lot to handle, so take your time, kick back, and relax. It's the dog days, remember? – MarEx
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Tony Munoz is the Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Maritime Executive.
To read the latest edition of the magazine, go to The Maritime Executive July/August 2026 Ship Management edition. To subscribe to the magazine, please go to https://www.maritime-executive.com/subscribe.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
