Iran is Making Unimpeded Use of the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Navy tanker convoy, Operation Earnest Will, 1987 (USN file image)

Report: White House Expects to Announce Hormuz Escort Mission Soon

Published Mar 15, 2026 6:41 PM by The Maritime Executive

The White House expects to announce plans for an international coalition to operate a naval escort corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, officials told the Wall Street Journal. It is the latest gambit by the Trump administration to address the rising energy prices caused by Iran's decision to blockade the strait. After U.S. strikes on Tehran on February 28, which killed most of the Iranian regime's senior leadership, surviving Iranian forces moved quickly to close the strait to merchant shipping...

Maran Homer (Cengiz Tokgöz / VesselFinder)

Greek-Operated Tanker Hit by Unknown Assailants Near CPC Terminal

Published Mar 15, 2026 5:27 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Greek-owned tanker Maran Homer (IMO 9761372) has been hit by an attack while awaiting loading at the port of Novorossiysk, Russia, according to Greece's shipping ministry. Operator Maran Tankers Management reports that Maran Homer was struck by an unknown object at 0435 local time on Saturday. The tanker was located in international waters of the Black Sea and was awaiting instructions to load Kazakh-origin oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) single-point mooring terminal. The tanker sustained only minor...

Lack of Infrastructure Risks Undermining the Promise of Carbon Capture

Published Mar 15, 2026 2:35 PM by Marcos Salido

Shipping is rapidly approaching the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030 checkpoints, by which the maritime industry must demonstrate at least a 20% total annual GHG emission reduction – measured against 2008 baselines – as established in the IMO’s 2023 Revised GHG Strategy. As 2030 approaches, supported by more stringent regulatory frameworks, shipping has experienced an acceleration in the development of innovative clean technologies for the reduction of GHG emissions. Prominent among these new solutions is the development and implementation of...

Op-Ed: Kharg Island Strikes Have Little Effect if Iran's Tankers Sail On

Published Mar 15, 2026 2:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

It is unclear what the aim was behind the overwhelming air attack mounted against Kharg Island on March 13, which President Trump has described as “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East.” The raid however was restricted to the military sites and emplacements manned by the IRGC to defend the island, and apparently was designed not to damage the oil infrastructure of the terminal – which is believed to be still operational. Whereas...

Shipping

The rail ferry Slavyanin's wheelhouse burns, March 14 (HUR)

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

Ukraine has launched attacks on two railway ferries that Russia was using to supplement its rail line from the Russian mainland across the Kerch Strait Bridge to Crimea. In the attack, the 150-meter ro/ro rail/vehicle carrier Slavyanin (IMO: 8300169) was disabled and the 125-meter Avangard (IMO 9522403) was damaged. Rendering these two vessels unfit for sailing now means that Russian has no rail ferries left in service on the Black Sea. From imagery released by the Ukrainian military intelligence organization...

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

Sailors load a mine countermeasures drone boat into the hangar aboard a U.S. Navy LCS, 2025 (USN)

As Iran Lays Mines, Two Gulf-Based Minesweepers Moved to Malaysia

The White House is urging allied navies to commit to a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring Iran's blockade to an end, even threatening consequences for NATO allies who do not contribute. But at the same time as the administration asks allies to send assets, it appears that two specialized U.S. Navy mine countermeasures vessels have departed for Malaysia, 3,000 nautical miles away. The two hulls in question are the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships USS Tulsa and...

Corporate News

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

[By: Glamox] Glamox has secured a contract from SHE CO., LTD, on behalf of Hyundai Engineering & Steel Industries (HESI), to supply marine lighting for the Shinan Ui offshore wind farm, which will be South Korea’s largest offshore wind farm. Glamox will deliver around 1,000 specialised marine lights for the jacket transition pieces of 26 fixed wind farm turbines. These turbines will produce 390 Megawatts of renewable electricity, which is currently greater than the combined total of all of South...

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

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

Canada’s push to increase exports to overseas markets, particularly in Asia owing to increasing protectionism by its key trading partner, the U.S, is having the desired effects. The country’s largest port, Vancouver, has seen cargo throughput hit record highs. The Port of Vancouver is highlighting the impacts of the government’s efforts to double exports to non-U.S. markets, reporting record cargo volumes in 2025. The port handled 170.4 million metric tonnes (mmt) of cargo during the year, an eight percent increase...

Shipping

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

Tugs & Salvage

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

Government

As Iran Lays Mines, Two Gulf-Based Minesweepers Moved to Malaysia

Corporate News

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Cruise Ships

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

Ports

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

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

Lack of Infrastructure Risks Undermining the Promise of Carbon Capture

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Iran is Making Unimpeded Use of the Strait of Hormuz

Report: White House Expects to Announce Hormuz Escort Mission Soon

Greek-Operated Tanker Hit by Unknown Assailants Near CPC Terminal

Lack of Infrastructure Risks Undermining the Promise of Carbon Capture

Op-Ed: Kharg Island Strikes Have Little Effect if Iran's Tankers Sail On

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

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

As Iran Lays Mines, Two Gulf-Based Minesweepers Moved to Malaysia

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

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

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

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

With Ferry Strikes, Ukraine Narrows Russia's Options at Kerch Strait

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

As Iran Lays Mines, Two Gulf-Based Minesweepers Moved to Malaysia

Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

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

Vancouver Posts Record Growth in Throughput as Canada Diversifies Trade

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

Lack of Infrastructure Risks Undermining the Promise of Carbon Capture

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events