damaged Kuwaiti oil tanker in Persian Gulf

Iran Strikes Second Tanker and Third Ship in New Surge Targeting Shipping

Japan Demands Chinese Research Vessel Stop Unauthorized Activity in EEZ

Published Apr 1, 2026 6:47 PM by The Maritime Executive

Japan is reporting its first altercation of 2026 with vessels from China operating in the disputed region around the uninhabited islands it calls Senkaku, and China is making claims to as the Diaoyu islands. The Japan Coast Guard reported detecting a research vessel and then said four China Coast Guard vessels also entered the disputed zone. Japan administers the zone. The research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 27 (3,300 gross tons) was detected entering Japan’s EEZ on Tuesday afternoon, March 31....

Taiwan detained Chinese-owed vessel on suspicion it damaged subsea cables

Taiwan Orders Jailed Chinese Captain to Pay $560,000 for Damages to Cable

Published Apr 1, 2026 5:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

A court in Taiwan awarded Chunghwa Telecom more than half a million US dollars in compensation for the damage a Chinese vessel caused to a subsea telecom cable. The financial award comes on top of a three-year prison sentence Taiwan imposed in June 2025 on the Chinese national who was commanding a decrepit vessel with a murky identity. The Taiwan Coast Guard had reported it was monitoring the vessel, which was broadcasting an identity of Hongtai 168 and reporting registry...

A U.S. Navy destroyer escorts a merchant ship through the Strait of Hormuz in quieter times (USN file image)

Trump Resumes Strait of Hormuz Threats

Published Apr 1, 2026 5:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

As the reality of the Strait of Hormuz energy restriction begins to set in for overseas markets, President Donald Trump has reinstated his pledge to reopen the waterway, having previously signaled that the task would be up to other nations. On Monday, Trump said that the strait was enough of a priority that the U.S. would destroy Iran's potable water supplies if Iran didn't give it up. "If the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude...

Paul Watson Activists Hit Krill Fishing Vessel in “Direct Intervention”

Published Apr 1, 2026 4:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

Activists sailing aboard the Bandero, a vessel of The Captain Paul Watson Foundation, reported they undertook “direct intervention” as part of a strategy they described as “aggressive nonviolence” to interrupt krill fishing in Antarctica. The Norwegian company Aker Qrill told the Associated Press it was a “deliberate attack” and that it would be pursuing all available legal action. Best known for the Sea Shepherd organization in the 1970s, the foundation credits its founder, Paul Watson, for having stopped whaling in...

Shipping

Iran's IRGC is Charging Millions in Cryptocurrency for Hormuz Transits

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has begun to implement a formal system of payment and permitting for merchant ships requesting passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Bloomberg. The commercial terms are negotiated case-by-case, but are based on a tiered pricing system with payment in cryptocurrency or Chinese yuan - measures which reduce exposure to the U.S. financial system. According to Bloomberg's industry sources, the pattern of the transactions is well-established now. A front company for the IRGC receives...

Tugs & Salvage

Malta Monitoring Hulk of Russian LNG Carrier After Libya Towed it to Sea

Monitoring efforts are continuing on the wreck of the Arctic Metagaz with fresh concerns raised as a strong storm is moving across the Mediterranean. Officials from the Armed Forces of Malta confirmed to Malta Today that they are monitoring the movement of the ship but denied reports that it is back in the Maltese zone of the Mediterranean. The latest indications are that the tugs Misrata and Samida sent to reposition the wreck away from the Libyan coast have taken...

Government

USS Theodore Roosevelt in an UNREPS evolution (U.S. Navy file image)

Fourth Aircraft Carrier Deploys From the U.S.

On Tuesday, the Nimitz-class carrier USS George H.W. Bush deployed from Norfolk, and she is expected to join carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford on station in the Mideast. On Sunday, a fourth carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, quietly departed San Diego for a mission in the Indo-Pacific. The Pentagon did not announce the departure and it was reported several days later by San Diego's NBC affiliate. As is standard, the ship is under way for the purpose...

Corporate News

Laborde Products Powers Newbuild M/V Beth Williams for Maritime Partners

[By: Laborde Products] Laborde Products powered the newbuild M/V Beth Williams, constructed for Maritime Partners at FMT Shipyard & Repair, LLC in Harvey, Louisiana. The twin-screw towboat is equipped with a pair of Mitsubishi Tier 3 S6R2 main engines, each rated at 803 horsepower at 1,400 RPM. In addition to main propulsion, the vessel is fitted with two Laborde-supplied generator sets rated at 65 kW to support onboard electrical loads during operation. From the outset, the Beth Williams was planned...

Cruise Ships

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

River cruising continues to be one of the hottest segments in the cruise industry, with strong growth continuing, especially in the European market. Analysts report there are over 380 river cruise ships currently sailing, with an additional 10 percent currently under construction and continuing new orders. The UK division of Germany’s TUI Group announced that it has ordered two more new builds, and these ships are being designed and built for the next generation of alternative fuels. The company reports...

Ports

Ukraine Sustains Unrelenting Nightly Attacks on Russia’s Baltic Oil Ports

Ukrainian officials are reporting that they have maintained a series of unrelenting attacks designed to dramatically impact the oil export operations on the Baltic. Overnight into Sunday, they staged what they said was the fifth consecutive nightly attack on the Russian terminal at Ust-Luga. The governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, confirmed the attacks in a series of social media postings. He warned residents, initially saying they had destroyed 29, then 31, and then 36 drones. He also warned...

Shipping

Iran's IRGC is Charging Millions in Cryptocurrency for Hormuz Transits

Tugs & Salvage

Malta Monitoring Hulk of Russian LNG Carrier After Libya Towed it to Sea

Government

Fourth Aircraft Carrier Deploys From the U.S.

Corporate News

Laborde Products Powers Newbuild M/V Beth Williams for Maritime Partners

Cruise Ships

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

Ports

Ukraine Sustains Unrelenting Nightly Attacks on Russia’s Baltic Oil Ports

Offshore

QatarEnergy’s U.S. LNG Plant Achieves First Production at Critical Time

Just as the world is looking for alternative sources of LNG, Golden Pass LNG in Texas reported it has achieved first production. The project, which has been in planning and development for 15 years, is set to start export shipments in the second quarter, coming online to help fill some of the shortfall from Qatar and the Middle East. The United States is already setting records for LNG shipments and has been rivaling Qatar for the title of the largest...

Shipbuilding

Strike Ends at Bath Iron Works After One Week

The members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association ratified a new contract on Saturday, March 28, ending a strike at Bath Iron Works that had begun on the prior Monday. It was the first strike in six years at the critical government contractor and impacted about a tenth of the total workforce, specifically among designers, clerks, and technicians. The union reported that it had been negotiating for about three weeks and was unable to come to terms with one of...

Environment

Japan Demonstrates Hydrogen-Fueled Engine for Large Commercial Vessels

Japan reports a breakthrough with the demonstration of a large hydrogen-fueled engine being developed by Japan Engine Corporation, working with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, for a demonstration project for an ocean-going vessel. It points out that most work so far with hydrogen is on smaller engines for coastal vessels, making this a major technological milestone toward the practical use of hydrogen-fueled vessels. While interest has developed in hydrogen, to date, the Japanese project points out that most of the initiatives are...

Business

MARAD Increases Funding for Grants for Small Shipyards

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) reported that it is increasing the funding pool available for the 2026 grants in the Small Shipyard Grant Program. It follows the launch of the 2026 Port Infrastructure Development Program application period last week and is part of the Trump administration's strategy to increase support for the U.S. maritime industry. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlights that the grant pool for small shipyards is being increased by 200 percent to $35 million versus June 2025, when just...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Iran Strikes Second Tanker and Third Ship in New Surge Targeting Shipping

Japan Demands Chinese Research Vessel Stop Unauthorized Activity in EEZ

Taiwan Orders Jailed Chinese Captain to Pay $560,000 for Damages to Cable

Trump Resumes Strait of Hormuz Threats

Paul Watson Activists Hit Krill Fishing Vessel in “Direct Intervention”

Iran's IRGC is Charging Millions in Cryptocurrency for Hormuz Transits

Malta Monitoring Hulk of Russian LNG Carrier After Libya Towed it to Sea

Fourth Aircraft Carrier Deploys From the U.S.

Laborde Products Powers Newbuild M/V Beth Williams for Maritime Partners

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

Ukraine Sustains Unrelenting Nightly Attacks on Russia’s Baltic Oil Ports

Cyber Risk in Shipping: From Technical Threat to Business Reality

Architecture of Adaptability: Designing Vessels to Stand the Test of Time

Improve Fleet Value With Digital Optimization of Cruise Ship Hotel Areas

Iran's IRGC is Charging Millions in Cryptocurrency for Hormuz Transits

Malta Monitoring Hulk of Russian LNG Carrier After Libya Towed it to Sea

Fourth Aircraft Carrier Deploys From the U.S.

Laborde Products Powers Newbuild M/V Beth Williams for Maritime Partners

TUI Orders First Methanol River Cruise Ships as Sector Growth Continues

Ukraine Sustains Unrelenting Nightly Attacks on Russia’s Baltic Oil Ports

QatarEnergy’s U.S. LNG Plant Achieves First Production at Critical Time

Strike Ends at Bath Iron Works After One Week

Japan Demonstrates Hydrogen-Fueled Engine for Large Commercial Vessels

MARAD Increases Funding for Grants for Small Shipyards

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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