It appears the Trump administration is further tightening its pressure on Venezuela, using one of the destroyers deployed to the Caribbean to spook a sanctioned shadow tanker from approaching Venezuela. Using tracking data, Bloomberg reports the sanctioned tanker...

Maritime investigators are yet again highlighting the dangers associated with free-fall lifeboats on commercial vessels after an inadvertent release sent a lifeboat flying into the water and caused serious injuries to a crewmember. The Transportation Safety Board of...

On a visit earlier this month to the headquarters of the IRGC Navy's 2nd Naval District in Bushehr, Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi stated that the presence of Iranian naval forces on Iran's maritime borders “instills such fear in...

New drone strikes on drug smuggling boats have not been holding back the Coast Guard's performance in daily cocaine seizures, according to a top USCG commander for the region. If anything, the numbers have been going up, as demonstrated by the new record set by...

A U.S.-bound cargo barge being towed by a U.S. tug reported that it was taking on water north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, while traveling along the Inside Passage. Officials said that the vessels were moved into a more secure location and that the...

Mystery still surrounds the seizure by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Marshall Island-flagged 73,000 dwt oil tanker MV Talara (IMO 9569994). The ship was seized 22 miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab...

Animal advocacy groups have been raising the alarm over the situation aboard livestock carrier Spiridon II, which was stranded off the Turkish coast for weeks due to irregularities in paperwork. 58 cows have already died, with another 140 pregnant cows...

Unions continue their resistance against efforts by ports and terminal logistics operators across the globe to automate processes in order to enhance efficiency. A group of unions announced that they formed an alliance aimed at fighting automation on the basis that it...

As the global VLCC community gathers in Dubai for Bahri Week, all eyes are once again on OPEC and Middle East production policy. OPEC+ members, led by Saudi Arabia, have begun unwinding their voluntary production cuts, and the return of supply is reshaping momentum...

The Greek-owned tanker Hellas Aphrodite was liberated on the afternoon of November 7, more than 24 hours after the vessel was boarded by pirates off the coast of Somalia. EUNAVFOR Atalanta reports that the 24 crewmembers are safe, having been able to remain...

The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, issued its monthly report on expected import volumes through the major U.S. container ports, projecting that volumes will fall below two million TEU per month and continue a steady decline through the first...

Residents are complaining of odors, and animal rights groups are protesting the situation, as Turkish officials continue to deny the offloading of a livestock carrier for more than two weeks. Problems with the documents for the animals aboard have caused the ship to...

Poor bridge resource management was a leading factor in the allision of the Maersk Shekou with the moored tall ship Leeuwin II in Fremantle last year, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.  In the early hours of August 30, 2024, Maersk Shekou was...

In November 2024, BIMCO launched a Ship Recycling Alliance to help accelerate safe and environmentally sound ship recycling of ships through the coordination of the voices of the ship recycling industry and the shipping industry. The alliance was also launched to...

China announced a green hydrogen policy last week, which will see the country’s state budget offer subsidies for the production of green fuels. Interestingly, the initiative came in the week that IMO member states failed to adopt a Net-Zero Framework for the global...

Hot on the heels of the completion of Port of Mobile's channel dredging project, Maersk-owned APM Terminals has agreed to build a new 1,300-foot container berth at its facility at the seaport, adding enough room to handle another ULCV alongside. The additional space...

The Panama Canal has launched what is expected to be a year-long process to select the operators for new terminals to be built at each end of the canal. At the same time, the authorities are considering the alternative for the existing terminals, which are operated by...

Iran appears to have accelerated the import of sodium perchlorate, the primary material used to manufacture ammonium perchlorate, which in turn makes up 70 percent of the standard fuel load of most of Iran’s solid-fueled ballistic missiles. Before the 12-Day War,...

Today’s mariners are enhancing their skills with AI, utilizing technology to support better decision-making and safer seas. AI and machine learning continue to be the bogeyman for many in the maritime industry. Mariners have always relied on experience-honed skills...

U.S. and Chinese officials are reporting that good progress has been made in the early phases for the launch of the first green shipping corridor on the Pacific. The sponsors of the project highlighted the progress during a conference in Shanghai while China’s...

The U.S. equity firm ONEX outlined its second phase of investments in its Greek shipyards while hosting a visit by the Greek Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos at the Neorion Shipyard on the island of Syros. The company has been pursuing the revitalization of...

Europe’s second-busiest port, Antwerp-Bruges, is facing one of its most challenging years in recent times, characterized by mounting crises that are significantly impacting performance. The port is reporting that global uncertainties, specifically the volatile trade...

More than 80 percent of the world’s goods, measured by volume, are transported by ship. This transport accounts for three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). “Many people probably think that we can simply...

A court in Trapani, Italy has handed the migrant rescue NGO community a symbolic but potentially consequential win. In a ruling this week, the presiding judge lifted a detention order on a rescue ship that had refused to divert to a distant port for disembarkation....

The investigation into the shadow fleet tanker that has been accused of various incidents, including the drones over Denmark, has deepened. The French news agency Agence France-Presse is reporting that the police have taken into custody two officers of the vessel,...

For almost 40 years, Swiss flow solutions provider GF has been a trusted partner for thermoplastic piping systems in the marine industry, from pipes and fittings to measurement, control, automation, and jointing equipment. GF created the “Design Smarter. Build...

The investigation into the shadow fleet tanker that has been accused of various incidents, including the drones over Denmark, has deepened. The French news agency Agence France-Presse is reporting that the police have taken into custody two officers of the vessel,...

The Spanish-based Boluda Towage continues its aggressive path of acquisitions to consolidate the towages and global expansion with the acquisition of operations in Australia and Papua New Guinea from Royal Boskalis. The company highlights that the latest deal expands...

With extensive help from Chinese interests, Russian gas producer Novatek is making headway in its efforts to circumvent Western sanctions on its Arctic LNG 2 plant in the Siberian Arctic.  The remote Arctic LNG 2 facility was designed to be assembled at a large...

New York is moving forward with its plan to expand port operations through the revitalization of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT). Once a key part of the operations, the plan seeks to end 50 years of disinvestment and decay while supporting the transformation of the...

In this episode of The Maritime Executive's podcast series, editor-in-chief Tony Munoz caught up with Mike LaFleur, a licensed mariner who serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Port of San Diego.  Just eight miles north of the border with Mexico, San...

The Court of Investigation convened by Mauritius released a new report into the 2020 casualty of the bulker Wakashio, which broke apart after grounding and caused significant environmental damage. While much of the report covers details previously released in a...

The Port of Los Angeles has started the first public steps in what could be a decade’s decade-long effort to develop its next container terminal.  The port published a Request for Proposal from interested parties to participate in the pre-development of the new...

The U.S. government has revoked a sanctions exemption policy on Iran’s Chabahar port, a move seen as likely to affect the India-led development in the facility. In the past few months, the U.S. has declared a maximum pressure policy to isolate the Iranian regime, with...

Broward County's Port Everglades is in the top 20% worldwide for container port performance, holding its No. 3 position in North America and No. 1 ranking in Florida, according to the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence's 2024 Container Port...

As shipping moves to align with the IMO's ambitious Net Zero Framework, ammonia has emerged as a leading zero-carbon fuel candidate.  With more clarity emerging from upcoming MEPC meetings, nearly 400 ammonia-capable vessels have now entered global orderbooks....

The Italian Coast Guard and the port of Naples report that a bulker has been detained after its port state inspection due to a long list of concerns. They are citing issues ranging from hygiene in areas of the vessel and issues impacting crew welfare to mechanical and...

The shipping industry is poised at a critical crossroads, and no matter what decisions emerge in October, they will dramatically reshape the future of the industry. Not only is the International Maritime Organization (IMO) seeking member adoption of its...

The maritime industry has undertaken a range of tests exploring the use of biofuels, blending fats with diesel to create a more environmentally friendly transition fuel, with the latest test confirming the long-term operational feasibility of biodiesel. The results...

After a period from March to May in which Iranian exports of crude oil to China fell substantially, in the three months from June to August sales have resumed their upward trend. According to Kpler, Chinese ports unloaded 1.68 million barrels per day in August, an...

Marine archaeologists in Greece have recovered artifacts from the wreck of the HMHS Britannic, a sister ship of the Titanic and the largest vessel lost during the First World War. Britannic was built at Harland & Wolff at the height of WWI and delivered...

Days after India’s large private port operator, Adani Group, was reported to have issued a ban on handling sanctioned tankers, it appears to have impacted one vessel. Others, however, are still proceeding to India and Adani’s Mundra port in northwest...

Efforts are continuing in the Port of Long Beach to clean up from last week’s container collapse. The Unified Command overseeing the operations reported as of Sunday, September 14, that nearly half of the containers estimated to have fallen from the vessel have been...

Prosecutors and defense lawyers made their final statements on Friday, September 12, in Helsinki District Court in the trial of the captain and two officers from the product tanker Eagle S on charges that their negligence caused the damage on December 25,...

A brand new Russian fishing vessel broke down near the strategic southern entrance of the Oresund over the weekend, drifting in the sea lanes and attracting the attention of NATO member security forces.   The crab vessel Mechanic Stepanov was built at...

Criminal syndicates stealing vehicles in the U.S. and shipping them to countries in West Africa are becoming daring, reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Its officers were recently surprised when they found a stolen bulldozer being smuggled out of the...

The Philippines' western allies are lining up to voice opposition to China's plan to declare an "environmental zone" around Scarborough Shoal, a land feature in the Philippine EEZ that China has occupied since 2012. Manila views the declaration as a pretext, designed...

Conrad Shipyard proudly announces that its Amelia facility has achieved a significant safety milestone—two consecutive years without a recordable incident. The Amelia facility is currently constructing YRBM vessels for the U.S. Navy, alongside projects for...

Ceremonies in Mumbai on September 4 marked the completion of the Phase 2 expansion of the JN Port-PSA Mumbai Terminal, which doubled its capacity and became the largest container terminal in the country. The Prime Ministers of India and Singapore joined the ceremony...