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A cargo ship reported a suspected attack as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz close to the coast of Oman on Thursday, British navy agency UKMTO said.The UN's International Maritime Organization is currently assisting ships escape the Gulf, hundreds of which have been stranded there since the Iran war began at the end of February.The ship reported being struck on its starboard side by a projectile 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's port of Dahit, the UKMTO said.Another maritime security source said the vessel was likely targeted by a drone…

Crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose this week to their highest level since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began in February after a ceasefire deal reopened the waterway, data showed on Thursday.Concerns about how long the strait would stay open also boosted trade.Still, while there was an increase in oil shipments amid strong demand, especially in Asia after months of disruptions, overall sailings are still a fraction of the daily average of 125 ships passing…

For decades, floating nuclear power occupied a niche position in the energy debate – technically feasible, strategically intriguing, but commercially marginal. Today, however, combined pressures of decarbonization, energy security, land constraints, rising electricity demand and water scarcity are making floating nuclear power a more serious proposition for policymakers, utilities, and infrastructureFloating Nuclear offers a potential source of reliable, low-carbon electricity and heat (and…

After several years of strong activity, the Middle East offshore market has become more volatile, with geopolitical tensions disrupting day-to-day operations. Following US and Israeli military action and subsequent Iranian attacks on neighbouring Gulf states, operators introduced precautionary measures, including temporary rig suspensions and down-manning in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.This triggered a sharp short-term slowdown from late February into March.The April ceasefire allowed offshore activity to recover gradually…

Intellian Technologies, a global provider of satellite communication antennas and ground gateway solutions, announced the opening of its new manufacturing facility in California. Marking the company’s first large-scale international manufacturing campus, the facility is now fully operational to meet the surging global demand for ground infrastructure driven by the rapid expansion of Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) satellite networks.The new 75,500 sq ft facility will boost the company’s global production capacity…

Taking your children or grandchildren for a ride on the Merry-Go Round may be a pleasant past memory. With that memory, we are asking to think about your choice of the best horse as you board the platform. A decision resting upon what you want out of the ride. Now consider that selection to the current state of US shipbuilding.Selecting the outside row of “jumpers” provides the greatest thrill as they move the fastest. When the Executive order for Maritime Dominance was issued on April 9, 2025, the U.S. maritime industry was ready to ride for the thrill of it.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany raised the alarm on Wednesday over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted Coast Guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, sent Coast Guard ships earlier in June into the waters off the island's east coast for what it called a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation," angering…

Physical crude oil cargoes are selling at steep discounts around the world, changing trade flows as markets come under pressure from fast-rising Middle Eastern supply with Iran set to boost sales following a temporary reprieve from U.S. sanctions.The discounts, the biggest in years in some cases, follow the signing of a 60-day interim deal between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending the war that began on February 28. The agreement has allowed some shipping to resume in the Strait of Hormuz…

Germany scrapped a landmark frigate programme on Wednesday following delays and expected cost overruns, sending shares in the country's top defence firm Rheinmetall — which was tipped to win the contract — sharply lower.Plans to build six F126 frigates had been mired in trouble for a while, with Berlin weighing whether to hand the contract to Rheinmetall's NVL division after initial supplier, Dutch group Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, failed to meet timelines and budgets.Germany's defence ministry said it would terminate the programme…

Ships have begun sailing through the Strait of Hormuz under a new scheme by the U.N.'s shipping agency to evacuate vessels trapped there by the conflict, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.The initiative, which has taken months to conclude, will enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through Hormuz, the International Maritime Organization said on Tuesday."Ships have already begun to pass under the plan," an IMO spokesperson said on Wednesday…

"Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, significant uncertainty will remain and continue to shape market outcomes,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Key uncertainties include whether the US/Iran agreement will hold, when the Strait of Hormuz (SoH) will fully reopen, whether ships can return to normal Suez Canal routings, and how US import tariffs will evolve once the current 10% emergency tariffs expire at the end of July.To reflect this, BIMCO continues to apply two scenarios.

As part of its new group strategy Xcelerate29, HDI Global (HDI) announced a new organizational setup and leadership changes in its US business.In line with the Xcelerate29 strategy, HDI Global is pursuing growth in the US market. To meet the requirements of the coming years, HDI is reorganizing its US operations with the clear objective of bringing underwriting, claims, and service teams closer to brokers and clients. Shadi Albert will assume the role of CEO of HDI Global US as of July 13. Jim Clark, CEO of HDI Global US, will step down, effective immediately. Also with immediate effect, Dr.

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has reminded vessel owners and operators of the significant risks associated with underwater ship husbandry (UWSH) operations as activity in the Strait of Hormuz increases.As vessels begin returning to service following extended periods at anchor, demand for hull cleaning, inspection, and maintenance has risen sharply. These activities, commonly grouped under UWSH, play a critical role in restoring vessel efficiency by removing marine growth and biofouling.Bloomberg has reported that orders for crews to clean ship hulls fouled by algae…

China's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the Taiwanese defence ministry said, the first such mission in the sensitive waterway since April.Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory, reports almost daily Chinese military activity around the island in what Taipei views as an ongoing pressure campaign against the democratically elected government.In a brief statement, the ministry said the Fujian had passed through the strait.The military used "joint intelligence…

Oil tanker operators are reaping record profits after nearly doubling the hire cost of vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz and wider Gulf region this week on rising demand as traffic through the waterway slowly picks up, according to shipping data and sources.Traffic through the vital strait has been modest since Iran lifted its effective blockade last week after agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire with the U.S., as talks on a permanent deal to end their war continue.The number of ships going through Hormuz is a fraction of the daily average of 125 before the conflict began on February 28.

Three stranded supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while seven empty Qatar-linked liquefied natural gas tankers have entered in recent weeks in an early sign Gulf gas shipping may be resuming, ship-tracking data showed.Iranian-linked tankers also continued to transit the vital waterway, according to the data, with traffic picking up on Monday as U.S.-Iran talks progressed.The first round of talks, which began on Sunday, concluded a day later with both sides agreeing on a roadmap toward a permanent deal within 60 days. The U.S.

Oil prices fell more than 1% on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session, on signs of some progress in restoring crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz following U.S.-Iran peace talks.Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell $1.09, or 1.4%, to $76.81 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 declined to $72.99 a barrel, down 87 cents, or 1.2%, as of 0607 GMT.Prices fell more than 3% on Monday after the United States granted Iran a 60-day sanctions waiver following initial peace talks…

An evacuation plan to enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz is underway after Iran and the U.S.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) graduated 188 new merchant marine and military officers during its 90th commencement ceremony.U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, whose department oversees the Academy, one of the Nation’s five service academies, introduced the keynote speaker, U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll.Driscoll delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2026 before an audience of more than 3,000 family members, friends, alumni and representatives from the federal government, U.S.

Looking back at history one could argue that it was French author Jules Verne in his book “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, published in 1869, who was speculating about a new power source much in the same out of the box thinking that H.G. Wells employed when he wrote about inter-planetary flight in “War of the World’s. Verne was writing about “electricity” from batteries using seawater which he created after studying the model of the newly developed French Navy submarine “Plongeur” at the Exposition of 1867.In the novel…

The United States has transferred four Ocean Aero Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUSVs) to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to strengthen the country's maritime domain awareness and its ability to monitor and respond to maritime challenges.The delivery, valued at approximately $13 million, was completed on June 22 during a turnover ceremony at the Philippine Navy's Naval Operating Base Subic, attended by U.S. and Philippine military officials.The Triton…

On March 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security took the extraordinary step of issuing a sweeping waiver of the Jones Act at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense. The waiver, one of the broadest in the history of the nation’s cabotage laws, opened U.S. domestic waterways to foreign-flagged and foreign-built vessels carrying hundreds of energy and agricultural commodity types. To understand why this matters and why it remains deeply controversial, an understanding of the underlying law is necessary.The Jones Act, named for its sponsor Senator Wesley L.

For inland towboat operators, engine selection is rarely about chasing the newest technology. Reliability, uptime, serviceability and lifecycle cost remain the metrics that matter most. Caterpillar Marine's new C32B engine is a 1,000-hp platform designed specifically with the demands of continuous-duty commercial operations in mind.While the C32B’ss origins can be traced to Caterpillar's pursuit of higher power density in the yacht and sportfishing markets, the end result may ultimately deliver its greatest value to towboat operators working the Mississippi River system.