Tuesday, January 13, 2026
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Beninese navy

Pirates Kidnap Chinese Crewmembers From Fishing Vessel off Gabon

Published Jan 13, 2026 2:06 AM by The Maritime Executive

On Monday, armed pirates boarded a trawler off the coast of Gabon and kidnapped multiple foreign crewmembers, according to the Gabonese ministry of defense. At about 0200 hours local time, the Gabonese-flagged fishing vessel IB Fish 7 was under way and engaged in fishing about seven nautical miles off Ekwata, Gabon. Three armed pirates approached and boarded, and they kidnapped nine crewmembers, reports maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech. The abductees included five Chinese nationals and four Indonesians. The remaining six...

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The sailor sold secrets to the operation of amphib USS Essex, above (USN)

Former U.S. Navy Sailor Gets 16-Year Sentence for $12,000 Worth of Spying

Published Jan 12, 2026 11:18 PM by The Maritime Executive

A former U.S. Navy sailor who was paid a mere $12,000 over an 18-month period for spying for China has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison. Jinchao "Patrick" Wei, 25, was handed the lengthy 200 months prison sentence by a federal judge in San Diego following his conviction in August last year of espionage. Wu was guilty of selling technical and operating manuals for ships and operating systems to an intelligence officer working for China, the court...

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Arctic Sea hard aground (courtesy City of St. George)

Wrecked Crab Boat Spills Diesel off St. George

Published Jan 12, 2026 11:06 PM by The Maritime Executive

The rough winter weather of the Bering Sea is getting in the way of the response to the wreck site of a crab fishing boat that grounded on the coast of St. George, and the vessel has begun to leak oil, according to Alaskan officials. On January 5, the 134-foot crab boat Arctic Sea was under way on a fishing voyage to the north of St. George. In 50-knot winds, she drifted aground on the north side of the island....

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Oil platform

Ukraine's Special Forces Hit Three Russian Oil Platforms in the Caspian

Published Jan 12, 2026 8:20 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Sunday, Ukraine's military reported another round of long-range strikes on Russian oil platforms in the Caspian Sea, the latest in a series of attacks on vulnerable energy infrastructure. According to Ukraine's General Staff, the drone strikes hit the V. Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin and Valery Graifer platforms, all belonging to sanctioned Russian oil major Lukoil. In a statement, the general staff said that the strikes had resulted in direct hits, and that damage assessment was ongoing. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces...

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Offshore

offshore wind farm installation

Revolution Wind Receives Court Injunction Against Trump’s Stop-Work Order

The Revolution Wind offshore wind farm won a preliminary injunction against the Department of the Interior’s December stop-work order, which permits the company to resume offshore work while the case proceeds. The project being developed by Ørsted and a joint venture with a division of BlackRock is the first of the offshore wind projects to receive relief from the courts, while two other hearings are also set for later this week. Judge Royce Lamberth signed two orders on Monday afternoon,...

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Shipbuilding

A new P-17A class frigate, Mahendragiri, at launch at Mazagon Dock (Gov't of India)

Report: India Wants to Ramp Up its Warship Exports

India is reportedly working to expand warship exports as part of the ongoing push to revamp its shipbuilding industry. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) has already issued directives to the state-owned shipyards, instructing the facilities to build their capacities for export orders. According to a report by the defense news site Indian Defense Research Wing, the MOD’s directive covers expansion of docking and manufacturing infrastructure in the shipyards. In addition, the shipyards are expected to customize their blueprints for naval...

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Environment

wing sail on MR tanker

HMM and HD KSOE Start Demonstration and Testing of Wing Sail on Tanker

South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HMM are starting a demonstration and test period for Korea’s first domestically developed wing sail for wind-assisted propulsion. The shipbuilder has been developing its version of the technology as part of its efforts to advance value-added, green ship designs and technology. The wing sail was recently installed on the product tanker Oriental Aquamarine (50,000 dwt). The vessel was built in 2020 and has been owned by HMM since 2023. Registered in...

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Business

A Starlink satellite launch (SpaceX handout image)

China Begins Enforcing its Ban on Shipboard Starlink

China does not allow the use of Starlink internet connectivity in its waters, and prefers to route all traffic through networks that are subject to its own licensing process. The restriction is unpopular with seafarers, who like Starlink's high speeds and low latency for video calls and general-purpose browsing - but Chinese authorities are beginning to enforce their rules more rigorously. P&I correspondent Oasis reports that the first known Chinese investigation related to shipboard Starlink usage was launched in December,...

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