Report: US Amphibious Ships with Marine Unit Head to Middle East

Swedish helicopter boarding product tanker

Sweden Intensifies Crackdown on Stateless Vessels with Second Detention

Published Mar 13, 2026 10:22 AM by The Maritime Executive

Authorities in Sweden are intensifying a crackdown on unseaworthy vessels that they suspect could be linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. For the second time in a week, Sweden has boarded a vessel transiting through its territorial waters due to concerns of seaworthiness and the belief that the vessel was operating under a false flag. Late on Friday, prosecutors decided to arrest the captain as the investigation continues. On Thursday evening, March 12, the Swedish Coast Guard, aided by the police,...

Hormuz Shutdown Hits Key Industrial Commodities, Including Bunker Fuel

Published Mar 12, 2026 11:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Strait of Hormuz shutdown is having a direct effect on the price of oil and LNG, and in some downstream and byproduct markets, the impact is becoming acute. Net global oil supply is expected to fall by eight million barrels per day in March, according to the IEA. International commodity markets for sulfur, helium, urea, naphtha and petchem products are all linked to Mideast energy production, and shortages have knock-on effects on other sectors of the industrial economy -...

Iranians Commence Mining in the Strait of Hormuz

Published Mar 12, 2026 10:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

After a number of earlier unsubstantiated reports, US official sources have confirmed to the New York Times and CNN that the Iranians have commenced laying mines in the Straits of Hormuz, though the numbers deployed so far are few in number. The mines have apparently been laid in ones and twos from small boats. Any American plan to open the Strait of Hormuz would need to have an anti-mining component. So the fact that the Iranians have commenced mine laying...

Smoke rises from the Tikhoretsk pumping station, March 12 (Sentinel-2 / Radio Liberty)

Amidst Tightening Global Supplies, Ukraine Hits Russian Oil Export Pipeline

Published Mar 12, 2026 10:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

Amidst oil shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine has attacked an oil pipeline leading to Russia's export terminals on the Black Sea, hoping to restrict Moscow's access to revenue from energy sales. On Thursday, Ukrainian forces struck a key oil depot and pumping station at the town of Tikhoretsk, 135 miles inland from the Black Sea. Tikhoretsk is a major transfer point located between the Druzhba pipeline system in central Russia - which collects up production from Siberia...

Shipping

Sweden Intensifies Crackdown on Stateless Vessels with Second Detention

Tugs & Salvage

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Italian and Maltese authorities are working together closely monitoring the hulk of the Russian-flagged gas carrier Arctic Metagaz. Both countries remain on alert as the vessel has drifted back and forth, approaching each country, and then, with the tides and winds, has been driven further out to sea. The vessel has been in this precarious situation for days after it exploded on March 4 at a position approximately 150 miles south of Malta. At the time, it was in the...

Government

Report: US Amphibious Ships with Marine Unit Head to Middle East

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the Pentagon has approved the redeployment of possibly three USN amphibious vessels, along with a Marine Expeditionary Unit, to the Middle East. It comes as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. was increasing its strikes to the “highest number” while he said the U.S. was “dealing with” the attacks on shipping and the Strait of Hormuz. Citing information from three sources, The Wall Street Journal broke the news that the Pentagon approved...

Corporate News

FN and Damen to Develop Next-Generation Maritime Defence Solutions

[By: Damen Shipyards Group] Damen Shipyards Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FN Herstal, laying the foundation for a strategic industrial participation in maritime defence. With this, the two parties aim to collaborate closely on the integration of FN solutions with Damen vessels, and the development of the regional, European and NATO defence eco-systems. The agreement was signed at the BEDEX (Brussels European Defence Exhibition & Conference) event on March 12. The agreement provides for close collaboration...

Cruise Ships

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

The sail-powered cruise ship Orient Express Corinthian recently completed its propulsion tests, and builder Chantiers de l’Atlantique reports the ship achieved a speed first for a sailing ship of its size. The ship is preparing for its delivery and entry into service in May 2026 as Accor Group launches its first cruise offering. The Orient Express Corinthian is a 25,200 gross ton cruise ship that will have 54 suites with a capacity for 110 passengers. The ship measures 220 meters...

Ports

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Reports indicate the U.S. import container volume was down significantly in February 2026, but despite the uncertainties in trade, the view was that the volumes were beginning to normalize. Descartes Systems Global, in its monthly report, highlighted that February 2026 was ranked as the fourth-strongest February on record, but the impact from the conflict in Iran adds new uncertainty. “While February volumes suggest underlying demand remains relatively stable, the military conflict in the Middle East, evolving U.S. tariffs, and ongoing...

Shipping

Sweden Intensifies Crackdown on Stateless Vessels with Second Detention

Tugs & Salvage

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Government

Report: US Amphibious Ships with Marine Unit Head to Middle East

Corporate News

FN and Damen to Develop Next-Generation Maritime Defence Solutions

Cruise Ships

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

Ports

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Offshore

Second "Big Beautiful" Offshore Lease Sale Draws Fewer Big Spenders

The U.S. Department of the Interior has completed the second offshore oil and gas auction of its revised lease plan, and the outcome was quieter this time. The auction generated $47 million in high bids for a total of 140,000 acres in 25 blocks, down from the previous auction's total of $280 million. A total of about 80 million acres were up for auction, but the majority received no bids. 13 companies participated in bidding, down from 30 in the...

Shipbuilding

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

The third newly built U.S. training ship for the merchant marine, the State of Maine, was handed over to TOTE Services and delivered to the U.S. Maritime Administration. It will be the fifth training vessel, and the first purpose-built vessel, to be operated by the Maine Maritime Academy, located in Castine, Maine. The handover to the U.S. government took place at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, and the vessel is scheduled to depart for Maine in the coming days. Once it...

Environment

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

A new meta-study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that ocean warming has an outsize impact on the total amount of fish in the water, enough to have major implications for global fisheries. The study, led by researchers at Spain's Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, looked at hundreds of thousands of studies of fish populations in the Northern Hemisphere over a period of nearly 30 years, spanning 1993-2021. The vast data set covered more than 1,500 fish species and...

Business

ONE and Chinese Shipbuilder Increase Investment in Owner/Lessor Seaspan

Three years after taking Seaspan, the leading owner/lessor of containerships to the leading carriers, private Ocean Network Express is set to become its largest shareholder, along with the addition of Chinese shipbuilder Yangzijiang Shipbuilding as an investor. The deal sees the lead investors in the go-private transaction beginning to cash out as Seaspan reaches new leads in its ownership and management of shipping assets. Seaspan was started in 2000 and was mostly working with China’s COSCO Shipping and Yang Ming,...

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Report: US Amphibious Ships with Marine Unit Head to Middle East

Sweden Intensifies Crackdown on Stateless Vessels with Second Detention

Hormuz Shutdown Hits Key Industrial Commodities, Including Bunker Fuel

Iranians Commence Mining in the Strait of Hormuz

Amidst Tightening Global Supplies, Ukraine Hits Russian Oil Export Pipeline

Sweden Intensifies Crackdown on Stateless Vessels with Second Detention

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Report: US Amphibious Ships with Marine Unit Head to Middle East

FN and Damen to Develop Next-Generation Maritime Defence Solutions

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Connecting Opportunities: The Power of Integrated E-Navigation

Collaborative Delivery Models Reshape Port Infrastructure Development

IMO Approved Echosounder and Speed Log System With a Single Sensor

Sweden Intensifies Crackdown on Stateless Vessels with Second Detention

Italy and Malta Monitor Burnt-Out Gas Carrier Drifting Between Their Shores

Report: US Amphibious Ships with Marine Unit Head to Middle East

FN and Damen to Develop Next-Generation Maritime Defence Solutions

World’s Largest Sail Yacht Cruise Ship Sets New Mark on Trials

U.S. Container Volumes had Normalized Before Iran Despite Uncertainties

Second "Big Beautiful" Offshore Lease Sale Draws Fewer Big Spenders

Third US Training Ship State of Maine Delivered to MARAD

Study: Ocean Warming Puts "Constant Negative Pressure" on Fish Populations

ONE and Chinese Shipbuilder Increase Investment in Owner/Lessor Seaspan

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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