The End of Predictable Shipping: Supporting Seafarers in an Ocean of Geopolitical Tensions
The US domestic and global maritime industry in 2026 stands at a critical crossroads, caught between structural labor deficits and an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. Shipping has undergone a transition since Covid-19, moving away from decades of relative stability with defined trade flows toward operating conditions that grow more complex and volatile by the year. Historic energy routes have shifted…
Chick Sexing, Wire Rope and AI
Chick sexing is a core concept for an experienced engineer. Fortunately, maritime engineers do not have to perform chick sexing, but the concept is extremely important and ties into engineering intuition and experience.We all know engineers and mechanics who have an amazing ability to diagnose certain problems that completely elude solution by the rest of the community.It is often called intuition…
Marine Group Boat Works Wins Contract to Build Low-Emissions Catalina Express Ferry
Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW), a boatbuilding and repair company operating a shipyard in Chula Vista, California, has been selected to begin construction of a new low-emissions passenger ferry for Catalina Express. The vessel is expected to be launched and begin sea trials in the third quarter of 2027.Catalina Express is part of the LA MER (Los Angeles Marine Emission Reduction) project, a collaborative initiative between CARB and the Port of Los Angeles.
Russian Wheat Export Prices Soar Amidst Escalating Hostilities
Russian wheat export prices surged last week amid difficult shipping conditions in the Black Sea and a new wave of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, analysts said on Monday.Forecasts for July wheat shipments from Russia continued to fall, even as domestic wheat prices declined sharply across all regions this week, they added, noting that weak demand at the Azov Sea and Volga terminals was impacting…
10 Dead in Russian Missile Strike on Corn Ship in Black Sea
A Russian missile strike on a ship carrying corn near Ukraine's southern port of Odesa killed 10 people, Ukrainian officials said on Monday, in the deadliest attack in a weeks-long flare-up of violence in the Black Sea.Russia hit the Golden Leo – a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by a crew from India and Syria – with three cruise missiles, causing a fire on Sunday, Ukraine's navy wrote on the Telegram…
Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfers in Gulf of Oman Slow After Recent Vessel Attacks
Oil transfers between tankers in waters outside the Strait of Hormuz have slowed following a wave of recent attacks on vessels by Iranian forces, according to satellite analysis and sources.Since the start of the Iran war in late February, ship-to-ship (STS) transfers between tankers have helped enable oil to leave the Gulf despite the threats to commercial vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.Under the practice…
Houthis Announce Naval Blocked on Saudi Arabia
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that opens a new front against the United States in its war on Iran and widens the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.The Houthis made their announcement despite signs that Tehran and Washington want to resume diplomacy to halt a worsening cycle of attacks that has all but…
Wärtsilä, Carnival Corporation Sign Lifecycle Agreement to Support Cruise Fleet Performance
Wärtsilä and Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, have entered into an 8-year Lifecycle Agreement covering four cruise vessels within the Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line fleets, including two newbuild vessels currently under construction. The agreement marks the first service contract between the companies covering Carnival Corporation’s LNG-fuelled cruise ships. Under the agreement…
Natalie Carroll Appointed as ICMA's Head of Competence and Training
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has appointed Natalie Carroll as Head of Competence and Training, where she will lead the association's initiatives to strengthen workforce capability, improve skills transferability, and support the delivery of IMCA's People and Skills Plan.Natalie brings more than 20 years of experience in competence, training, and learning development across offshore energy, subsea, defense, and financial services.
Balenciaga Returns to Shipbuilding After AD Ports Unit Takeover
Spain's Balenciaga Shipyard has restarted operations with the keel laying of its first vessel under new owner SAFEEN Drydocks, marking the revival of the historic Basque shipbuilder following its acquisition by the AD Ports Group subsidiary.The vessel is an offshore support tug and is one of two tugs currently in the yard's order book, which the company said positions Balenciaga to compete for work in the European offshore and renewable energy sectors.The keel laying ceremony…
DEME to Install Foundations at Zeevonk Offshore Wind Farm
Belgium marine contractor DEME has secured a contract to transport and install foundations for the first phase of the Zeevonk offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.The project, jointly owned by Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners through its Energy Transition Fund I, will have a total installed capacity of about 1 GW.Under the contract, valued between $170 million and $340 million (€150 million and €300 million)…
Fourth NSMV Lone Star State Christened for Texas A&M Maritime Academy
The fourth of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), Lone Star State, was christened on July 17 at Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, marking another milestone in the U.S. Maritime Administration's next-generation training ship program.Built by Hanwha Philly Shipyard under the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) model managed by TOTE Services, the vessel will be delivered to Texas A&M Maritime Academy this fall…
Shipbuilding Contract Awarded for Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels
Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) and TOTE Services were selected to deliver the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIV). TOTE Services will serve as vessel construction manager (VCM), and HPSI will build the ships at its Philadelphia shipyard.The MRIV will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which currently support missile range instrumentation missions, and were constructed in 1965 and 1970, respectively.
Iran Claims Two Oil Tankers Exploded in Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that two oil tankers had exploded and been immobilised after attempting to transit what it described as an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz, alleging they had been encouraged by the U.S. military to use the passage.Reuters could not immediately verify the incident. The statement gave no details on the vessels' names, flags, crews or any casualties.The Guards said the waterway would remain unsafe as long as what it called U.S.
Guyana Ferry Disaster Leaves Dozens Feared Dead
Dozens of people were feared dead after a ferry carrying 133 people capsized off the coast of Guyana late on Saturday, with authorities suggesting an inaccurate passenger list and drug use by the crew might have contributed to the situation.No survivors have been found since Sunday afternoon, when Guyanese authorities announced they had rescued 67 people, including 15 children.The captain and other crew members are now in police custody…
Projectile Strike Sets Dynacom Tanker Ablaze Near Oman
Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its managed vessels were hit by projectiles of unknown origin on Monday while sailing off the coast of Oman.The re-escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran is again threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces target vessels and the U.S. moves to enforce its blockade of the country's ports.Dynacom said Kavomaleas — a Malta-flagged Panamax-sized tanker — was struck by two projectiles…
Oil Tanker Attacked by Drone in the Black Sea
An oil tanker chartered for loading oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal off Russia's Black Sea coast was attacked and damaged by two drones on Friday, CPC said.Sources told Reuters the vessel, the Suezmax-class Nordic Zenith, had been chartered by ExxonMobil.CPC did not identify any party as responsible for the incident. The past week has seen a sharp escalation in attacks by both Russia and Ukraine on shipping in the Black and Azov seas…
Armed Assailants Seize Chemical Tanker Off Yemen
Armed assailants boarded the chemical tanker Asana off the southern coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden on Friday and are in control of the vessel, maritime security officials said.Based on initial assessments, the incident appeared to be related to Somali piracy rather than Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia, one of the maritime security sources said.Attempted attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden have risen in recent weeks…
US Proposes Seabed Mining Lease of Blocks Off American Samoa
The U.S. Interior Department has proposed a lease of more than 31 million acres off the coast of American Samoa for seabed mining, part of President Donald Trump's broader push to boost U.S. critical minerals production.The waters around the Pacific Ocean territory are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles…
US, Iran Renew Conflict With Strikes on Bridge, Desalination Plant
The United States struck bridges and an airport in Iran on Friday, provoking Tehran to respond by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, as the warring foes risked further escalation by expanding their targets to include infrastructure.At sea, where the renewed conflict has again cut off energy supplies from the Gulf, U.S. Marines boarded a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. Another vessel was seized by armed men off Yemen…
