Trump Could Add 25 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods to Get Leverage on Iran

cocaine displayed on dock after being seized from ship

Spanish Operation “White Tide” Makes Largest Cocaine Seizure at Sea

Published Jan 12, 2026 2:33 PM by The Maritime Executive

Spain’s National Police are reporting its largest ever cocaine seizure at sea, completed last week near the Canary Islands. While calling it a historic blow to maritime cocaine trafficking, they are reporting that the seizure faced complications as the target vessel ran out of fuel. An international operation led by Spain, with assistance from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal, continued the efforts to target and disrupt cocaine smuggling. The Spanish dubbed the effort “Operation White Tide,”...

Finland Releases Ship Suspected of Cable Damage as Investigation Proceeds

Published Jan 12, 2026 12:59 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Finnish Border Guard, midday on Monday, January 12, escorted the cargo ship Fitburg out to sea after nearly two weeks of detention. The police reported that the phase of the investigation into the damage to subsea telecommunication cables has proceeded so that the vessel is no longer required. The Fitburg flagged in St Vincent and the Grenadines and owned by a Turkish company with links to Russia, was permitted to get underway with its AIS signal showing the ship...

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

Published Jan 11, 2026 11:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

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...

U.S. forces board and capture the tanker Olina (Courtesy U.S. Southern Command)

Venezuela Tanker Seizures Have Set a New Precedent, and More May Follow

Published Jan 11, 2026 10:48 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. government has seized five shadow fleet tankers to date in its campaign to control Venezuela's energy exports, and it plans to market the seized oil on board. With the new government in Caracas agreeing to cooperate with U.S. authorities on the marketing and sale of the crude, there will likely be fewer need for at-sea seizures after the current roundup of a dozen-odd fugitive vessels has been completed. Four "escapee" vessels voluntarily returned to port in Venezuela over...

Shipping

Spanish Operation “White Tide” Makes Largest Cocaine Seizure at Sea

Tugs & Salvage

Coast Guard responders hoisted the survivor from the rocks (USCG)

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Surfer Who Survived 30 Hours on Rocks Offshore

On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued a surfer who went adrift and wound up on the rocks on an isolated shore, beating the odds of survival. On Thursday afternoon, a 68-year-old man went surfing off a beach at Aguandilla, Puerto Rico. He dropped out of contact, and when he did not return by the following evening, the operator of the Airbnb where he was staying reported him missing. In response, the U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a Jayhawk helicopter to...

Government

Trump Could Add 25 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods to Get Leverage on Iran

On Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced that the White House will impose a 25 percent tariff on all countries that transact with the Islamic Republic of Iran. China is Iran's biggest trading partner by a wide margin, and if the administration follows through in full, Trump's announcement would require a new 25 percent tariff on all Chinese goods - across the board. "Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of...

Corporate News

Casablanca Cruise Port Opens New Cruise Chapter with Silver Muse Call

[By: Global Ports Holding] Casablanca Cruise Port marked the start of the cruise season with the arrival of Silver Muse of Silversea Cruises on 6th January, welcoming its first cruise call under the management of Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world’s largest cruise port operator. For the 2026 cruise season, Casablanca Cruise Port is expected to welcome over 100 cruise calls, with passenger volumes projected at approximately 135k, reflecting increasing cruise line interest in Casablanca as a regional hub. The...

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

Two U.S. Ports Add New STS Cranes to Boost Competitiveness

Two ports in the U.S. are enhancing their competitiveness by investing in new ship to shore cranes, which will improve operational efficiency, advance environmental goals and push growth. Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) in Florida and California’s Port of Oakland have both made big strides with new infrastructure for business growth. Jaxport reports that two new 50-gauge ship-to-shore container cranes have started operations at its Blount Island marine terminal, a move that significantly expands cargo-handling capabilities at the facility. Installed at...

Shipping

Spanish Operation “White Tide” Makes Largest Cocaine Seizure at Sea

Tugs & Salvage

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Surfer Who Survived 30 Hours on Rocks Offshore

Government

Trump Could Add 25 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods to Get Leverage on Iran

Corporate News

Casablanca Cruise Port Opens New Cruise Chapter with Silver Muse Call

Cruise Ships

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

Ports

Two U.S. Ports Add New STS Cranes to Boost Competitiveness

Offshore

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,...

Shipbuilding

Report: India Wants to Ramp Up its Warship Exports

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

Union Condemns Pace of Investigation Into P&O Ferries' 2022 Ferry Layoffs

A trade union in the United Kingdom is reawakening the ghosts of the 2022 unilateral sacking of about 800 seafarers by P&O Ferries after condemning a government agency for delays in concluding civil investigations against the company’s bosses. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has criticized the Insolvency Service over delays in launching a civil trial against P&O Ferries. RMT believes the delayed civil investigation is eroding confidence and allowing senior figures involved in the layoffs...

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Trump Could Add 25 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods to Get Leverage on Iran

Spanish Operation “White Tide” Makes Largest Cocaine Seizure at Sea

Finland Releases Ship Suspected of Cable Damage as Investigation Proceeds

Report: India Wants to Ramp Up its Warship Exports

Venezuela Tanker Seizures Have Set a New Precedent, and More May Follow

Spanish Operation “White Tide” Makes Largest Cocaine Seizure at Sea

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Surfer Who Survived 30 Hours on Rocks Offshore

Trump Could Add 25 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods to Get Leverage on Iran

Casablanca Cruise Port Opens New Cruise Chapter with Silver Muse Call

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

Two U.S. Ports Add New STS Cranes to Boost Competitiveness

Navigating Port Funding Uncertainty: Adaptation Unlocks Opportunities

California Protects Blue Whales and Blue Skies With Historic State Law

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

Spanish Operation “White Tide” Makes Largest Cocaine Seizure at Sea

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Surfer Who Survived 30 Hours on Rocks Offshore

Trump Could Add 25 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods to Get Leverage on Iran

Casablanca Cruise Port Opens New Cruise Chapter with Silver Muse Call

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

Two U.S. Ports Add New STS Cranes to Boost Competitiveness

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

Report: India Wants to Ramp Up its Warship Exports

Researchers Say the Oceans Have Passed a Milestone for Acidification

Union Condemns Pace of Investigation Into P&O Ferries' 2022 Ferry Layoffs

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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