Iranian Navy Frigates Leave Bandar Abbas as Protests in Iran Intensify

Declining US Container Imports Contribute to Smallest Trade Gap Since 2009

Published Jan 8, 2026 6:42 PM by The Maritime Executive

New data shows that 2025 was completed with a small decline in total U.S. imports, which fluctuated during the year and closed with strong declines from China. As the rates fell in 2025, it, however, appears that it also contributed to a narrowing of the U.S. trade deficit, which Bloomberg reports is now the smallest it has been in 16 years. The U.S. Commerce Department released October 2025 figures with what Bloomberg terms an “unexpectedly narrowed” trade deficit. It highlights...

Hanwha Defense and HavocAI Team Up on Midsize Unmanned Vessels

Published Jan 8, 2026 6:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

Korean industrial conglomerate Hanwha has been expanding its portfolio of projects in the U.S. naval and defense space, and on Thursday it announced a new agreement with an American autonomous-vessel company to compete in the medium-sized unmanned warship space. The deal pairs Hanwha Defense USA and Hanwha Systems with HavocAI, a two-year-old startup run by two Navy veterans. Jointly, the firms will explore building a 200-foot-long autonomous surface vessel, and Hanwha Philly Shipyard is under consideration as the place of...

NTSB: Overlooking Degraded Steering System Caused 2024 Collision

Published Jan 8, 2026 5:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

The National Transport Safety Board finds that the “normalization of degradations” to a vessel’s steering system and crew inexperience with bridge controls resulted in a collision that caused more than $1 million in damage to an OSV and a cargo ship and injuries to two crewmembers. It is warning about complacency, the need to properly report maintenance issues and conditions impacting a vessel’s operations, and adhering to written procedures. The NTSB released a report on a March 17, 2024, collision...

Trump Administration Selects Ceraolo as Next USMMA Superintendent

Published Jan 8, 2026 4:33 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has picked a longtime member of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy team to lead the college. Rear Adm. (sel) Tony Ceraolo, a Coast Guard veteran, has been promoted from chief of staff to the post of superintendent, formalizing an appointment he has held in an acting capacity since last year. Capt. Anthony J. "Tony" Ceraolo (USCG, Ret'd) assumed command as acting superintendent of USMMA in July 2025, when his predecessor Vice Adm. Joanna Nunan announced...

Shipping

Shadow Fleet Tanker Diverts to Turkey After Reporting Drone Attack

A Chinese-owned and managed crude oil tanker is reporting that it was attacked by a suspected drone while sailing in the Black Sea. The tanker Elbus (159,000 dwt) was traveling only with ballast along the Turkish coast, reportedly bound for the Russian terminal at Novorossiysk. The vessel called for assistance on Wednesday, January 7, reporting it had been hit and sustained some damage. The reports are conflicting, and an apparently fake photo is circulating online showing smoke billowing from a...

Tugs & Salvage

Dead Whale on Boxship's Bow Prompts Investigation

A small container ship arrived in Camden, New Jersey last week with a dead fin whale on the bulbous bow, and an investigation into the cause of death is under way. Late Sunday night, Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay reported a deceased whale on the bow of a reefer boxship at the north end of the Gloucester City Marine Terminal, next to the Walt Whitman Bridge. NOAA and the nonprofit Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) were alerted, and MMSC tentatively...

Government

Iranian Navy Frigates Leave Bandar Abbas as Protests in Iran Intensify

While much of Western media has focused in recent days on the situation in Venezuela and connected maritime activity, protests, and sometimes violent demonstrations, which started at the end of December, have continued in Iran. Protests have affected almost all provinces, but with an emphasis on rural areas, Tehran, and the western provinces of Ilam and Lorestan bordering Iraq. As of the morning of January 8, an estimated 45 persons have been killed by security forces in these protests. While...

Corporate News

CTO Reaffirms Regional Resilience and Operational Stability

[By: Caribbean Tourism Organization] The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and our 25 member destinations have been closely monitoring geopolitical developments in Venezuela and addressing disruptions experienced by travelers due to the temporary closure of airspace this past weekend. The Caribbean has extensive experience managing external disruptions and has consistently demonstrated the resilience of its tourism industry. We are grateful to our airline partners for adding capacity to ensure travelers were able to continue with their plans, and to the accommodations...

Cruise Ships

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Hawaii’s hotly contested and closely followed “Green Fee,” a new tax on hotels, short-stay rentals, and cruises, suffered a setback just hours before it was due to go into effect. It is the first tax of its kind imposed on tourists to contribute to the state’s costs of addressing environmental issues. Two judges on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court granted on New Year’s Eve (December 31) a last-minute request for an injunction in a suit brought by the cruise industry...

Ports

Oregon Relaunches Its Only Container Terminal After Scheduled Closing

Officials gathered on January 7 at the Port of Portland, Oregon, to mark what they are calling a fresh start for a reborn container shipping terminal. The only one in the state, the small facility known for years as Terminal 6, had faced an imminent closure due to mounting financial losses and the lack of an operator. Oregon’s Governor Tina Kotek intervened to save the operation while highlighting its critical contribution to the state’s economy and local businesses. The state...

Shipping

Shadow Fleet Tanker Diverts to Turkey After Reporting Drone Attack

Tugs & Salvage

Dead Whale on Boxship's Bow Prompts Investigation

Government

Iranian Navy Frigates Leave Bandar Abbas as Protests in Iran Intensify

Corporate News

CTO Reaffirms Regional Resilience and Operational Stability

Cruise Ships

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Ports

Oregon Relaunches Its Only Container Terminal After Scheduled Closing

Offshore

Ørsted Files Additional Lawsuit Challenging Stop-Work Order on Sunrise Wind

Danish offshore energy developer Ørsted has filed its second lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s December 2025 stop-work order on five under-construction wind farms along the U.S. Atlantic coast. The company says the latest suit challenges the lease suspension and is seeking a preliminary injunction against the stop-work order. The suit follows a similar action filed by Ørsted last week as the joint owner of the Revolution Wind project. In addition, Equinor, which is developing the Empire Wind project, as well...

Shipbuilding

Hanwha Defense and HavocAI Team Up on Midsize Unmanned Vessels

Environment

Researchers Say the Oceans Have Passed a Milestone for Acidification

[By Anna Napolitano] The past 12 months have been worrying for researchers who study the chemistry of the ocean. More and more evidence has been published showing that human activities are fundamentally altering this chemistry in an acidic direction. At the end of 2025, it seems clear ocean acidification is pushing the largest habitat on Earth into a risky zone. Ocean acidification is part of the global carbon cycle. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid. This...

Business

MSC Posts Guarantee to Release Vessel as India Pursues Compensation Claims

Eight months after the loss of the MSC Elsa 3 off the coast of India, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has posted a bond with the Kerala High Court as the government continues to pursue its compensation claims. The bond was accepted in December and permitted the release of an MSC containership that had been detained since July to protect the claim. The Kerala state government filed a claim of more than $1 billion, asserting that there had been significant environmental...

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Iranian Navy Frigates Leave Bandar Abbas as Protests in Iran Intensify

Declining US Container Imports Contribute to Smallest Trade Gap Since 2009

Hanwha Defense and HavocAI Team Up on Midsize Unmanned Vessels

NTSB: Overlooking Degraded Steering System Caused 2024 Collision

Trump Administration Selects Ceraolo as Next USMMA Superintendent

Shadow Fleet Tanker Diverts to Turkey After Reporting Drone Attack

Dead Whale on Boxship's Bow Prompts Investigation

Iranian Navy Frigates Leave Bandar Abbas as Protests in Iran Intensify

CTO Reaffirms Regional Resilience and Operational Stability

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Oregon Relaunches Its Only Container Terminal After Scheduled Closing

California Protects Blue Whales and Blue Skies With Historic State Law

One Event. World Of Maritime. This February, Copenhagen is the Place to Be

Drew Marine Insights Tour: Connecting Expertise with Shipboard Challenges

Shadow Fleet Tanker Diverts to Turkey After Reporting Drone Attack

Dead Whale on Boxship's Bow Prompts Investigation

Iranian Navy Frigates Leave Bandar Abbas as Protests in Iran Intensify

CTO Reaffirms Regional Resilience and Operational Stability

Appeals Court Suspends Hawaii’s “Green Fee” for Cruise Ships Pending Appeal

Oregon Relaunches Its Only Container Terminal After Scheduled Closing

Ørsted Files Additional Lawsuit Challenging Stop-Work Order on Sunrise Wind

Hanwha Defense and HavocAI Team Up on Midsize Unmanned Vessels

Researchers Say the Oceans Have Passed a Milestone for Acidification

MSC Posts Guarantee to Release Vessel as India Pursues Compensation Claims

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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