Usa News

QatarEnergy is buying long-term supplies of liquefied natural gas from the US and other producers as part of a trading strategy designed to generate revenue if exports through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted in the future, CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi told Reuters on Thursday."In a scenario where you have a closure of the strait, which is the true contingency that we're looking to have, you'd immediately see a spike in gas price and you'll be able to generate revenue for QatarEnergy that otherwise wouldn't be generated…

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) congratulates the 35 award recipients of the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grants from the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) application cycle.This year, the mainstay port industry grant program, administered by MARAD under the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), will invest $498 million to upgrade America’s ports in 19 states. A few project examples funded by this round of awards include:Relocation…

Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor has been awarded $11.2 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) to modernize its cargo handling, including the specialized equipment needed to support future international container service. The grant is part of a $498 million investment to modernize 35 port projects across 19 states and strengthen America’s supply chains.The Burns Harbor Container Handling Modernization Project will fund a mobile harbor crane…

Top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday in a bid to de-escalate the Middle East conflict, as Yemen's Houthis launched new attacks on Saudi Arabia and Egypt approved defence support for the Gulf kingdom.The talks were the first high-level contact between Iran and the three nations — which signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August — since a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran also spread to Saudi Arabia and…

The Whiskey Project Group (TWPG) has officially opened its watercraft manufacturing facility in Edenton, North Carolina, marking a milestone in the company’s U.S. expansion and strengthening domestic production and sustainment capacity for American defense, government and commercial customers.The facility was officially opened at a ceremony attended by North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and Congressman Don Davis, local government representatives, defense and industry leaders, and TWPG employees and partners.Located on a 50-acre waterfront site…

US natural gas futures held steady on Tuesday as bearish forecasts for milder weather and less demand over the next two weeks than previously expected offset a bullish drop in daily output to an eight-month low.Front-month gas futures for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) rose 0.2 cent, or 0.1%, to $3.169 per million British thermal units.Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the US Lower 48 states slid from record highs of 113.3 bcfd in August…

Gecko Robotics announced a partnership with Anduril Industries to help accelerate American shipbuilding using advanced robotics, AI-powered software, and automated quality assurance. The partnership will support Anduril's Arsenal-2, a new software-defined shipyard in Baltimore County, Maryland, announced as part of the company's $3.7 billion investment to expand production for the Virginia-class submarine program. Gecko's technology will be deployed at Anduril's new 160,000-square-foot protofactory in Orange County…

US natural gas futures held near a two-week high on Thursday as a bigger-than-expected storage build last week offset the drop in output in recent days as energy firms reduced flows on offshore Gulf of Mexico pipelines ahead of Hurricane Isaias.Front-month gas futures for November delivery <NGc1> on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 1.1 cents, or 0.3%, to $3.192 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Wednesday, the contract closed at its highest level since September…

Liskow announced the firm’s expansion into New England and the growth of our maritime practice with the addition of three attorneys: Samuel P. Blatchley, Patrick J. O’Connor, and Michael J. Pluhowski. The addition brings an established fisheries litigation and maritime regulatory practice to Liskow and adds a new office in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the nation’s highest-grossing commercial fishing port for 23 consecutive years, according to NOAA Fisheries.The New Bedford office gives Liskow a base in New England and…

President Donald Trump will announce on Wednesday plans for South Korea to invest $200 billion in US projects, including $54 billion to build the long-planned Alaska liquefied natural gas project, a White House official said.The announcement will detail the first major projects under a broader $350 billion strategic investment package South Korea made as part of a trade agreement with Washington last year. The $350 billion package includes $150 billion for shipbuilding and $200…

Oil prices fell about 1% on Friday as markets weighed the possibility of a truce between the US and Iran against concerns that increasing attacks against Saudi Arabia by Houthi fighters could disrupt supply from the Middle Eastern producer.Brent futures were down $1.14, or 1.1%, at $105.46 a barrel by 10:03 a.m. EDT (1403 GMT), while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.05, also 1.1%, to $93.56.That put Brent up about 2% for the week and WTI down about 7%.US and Iranian…

US and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran, sources close to the talks said.The strait has become the central bargaining chip in efforts to end the nearly seven-month US-Iran conflict, with Iran seeking relief from the US blockade that is choking its economy and Washington seeking free passage for ships on the global oil supply route now blocked by Tehran.The talks face a big obstacle as neither side wants to be the first to surrender its leverage…

The International Propeller Club of Norway announced a new partnership with Höegh Autoliners, strengthening the Club’s growing engagement with leading companies across the Norwegian and international maritime community.The partnership was marked during the opening reception of New York High-Level Week and New York Climate Week, held at the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York. The signing brought together Andreas Enger, CEO of Höegh Autoliners, and Danielle Centeno, President of the International Propeller Club…

Shipowners have already ordered more than twice as many supertankers this year as in all of 2025, a buying spree worth over $20 billion that is the biggest for at least 25 years, as the US-Iran war redraws trade routes and boosts demand for long-haul crude shipments.Data from Signal Group, a shipping analytics platform, show 217 Very Large Crude Carriers ordered so far in 2026, against 93 last year. Allied Shipbroking recorded 164 VLCC orders, up from 83. A VLCC carries about…

The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a key New Jersey water permit for U.S. energy company Williams Cos' long-delayed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) natural gas pipeline project in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.The court said in a ruling on Tuesday that it granted petitions by environmental groups, vacated the Water Quality Certification and remanded the case to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).“Following the Third Circuit's decision…

Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war.The attacks sent the price of oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing.Iran also said it had fired ballistic missiles at a base used by U.S. forces in Jordan.

Chicago wheat futures jumped on Tuesday as hopes faded for a U.S. diplomatic effort to end the war in Ukraine, which has disrupted Black Sea grain shipments, analysts and traders said.Corn and soybean futures chopped up and down as traders adjusted positions ahead of Friday's U.S. Department of Agriculture supply and demand report.The most-traded wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade was 4-3/4 cents higher to $7.38-3/4 per bushelas of 11:00 a.m. CT (1600 GMT). It had jumped as high as $7.63 in earlier overnight trade.CBOT corn fell 2-3/4 cents to $5.34 a bushel…

For the first time on record, Iran has gone about seven weeks without shipping meaningful crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz, as a U.S. naval blockade succeeds where years of sanctions failed by cutting off one of Tehran's main sources of foreign-currency earnings. Unlike previous sanctions campaigns, when Iranian crude continued reaching buyers despite restrictions, the current blockade has stopped fresh crude cargoes reaching China, Tehran's only major remaining oil customer, increasing pressure on government finances and foreign-currency reserves.Since the U.S.

Iran condemned the United States' new economic sanctions on Friday as "state terrorism" and said other countries were legally obliged not to implement them, while the U.S. Treasury Department announced additional targeted Iran-related measures.The Iranian foreign ministry's statement came as mediators stepped up efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which handled 20% of world oil supplies before the war began six months ago and whose status remains the biggest obstacle to a…

Turkey increased its imports of diesel from the United States and India in August to record levels, shipping data showed, as a Russian ban on diesel exports and wider disruption caused by the Iran war prompted its importers to diversify their sources of supply.So far this month, Turkey has imported more than 120,000 barrels per day of Indian diesel, while its imports from the U.S. reached 90,000 bpd, according to commodities data firm Kpler.These volumes are the highest monthly totals on record…

SHIPPINGInsight confirmed that Captain Stephen Carmel, U.S. Maritime Administrator, will deliver the opening keynote address at SHIPPINGInsight’s PROJECT 2027: Catalyzing the U.S. Maritime Industry into Action, powered by AMIC (American Maritime Industrial Coalition), to be held October 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas. His remarks, entitled “State of Play for U.S. Maritime,” will assess the current condition of the nation’s maritime capabilities and outline priorities for the industry going forward.The address comes as federal agencies…

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ordered both Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) and Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG), Saltchuk Resources subsidiaries, to immediately recognize the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) and bargain in good faith with more than 125 Licensed Deck Officers.The officers voted decisively for MM&P representation in separate NLRB-certified elections in 2024, winning 70% at OSG and 80% at ATC. Instead of beginning first-contract negotiations, ATC and OSG challenged the results and unlawfully refused to bargain.

Planned new U.S. sanctions on Iran and the UAE's halt on Tehran trade could severely disrupt Indian exports of rice, tea and pharmaceuticals to Iran, which have been largely routed through Dubai's port in recent years, Indian exporters said on Monday.India has been among Iran's five largest trading partners, though bilateral trade has fallen by more than 90% from its 2018/19 highs of $17 billion, with exports now limited mostly to goods exempted on humanitarian grounds.Indian exporters fear U.S.