Iran Keeps Up Pressure, Hitting Another Tanker as US Asserts Hormuz is Open

Trafigura to Spin Out Publicly Traded VLCC Tanker Company Volare Shipping

Published Sep 21, 2026 4:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

Commodities trading giant Trafigura is spinning out a newly public company, Volare Shipping, which will be an operator for VLCC tankers. The move comes as the crude oil tanker market is enjoying a major boom, and the new company positions Trafigura for further growth in the shipping sector. Trafigura highlights that it has built one of the world’s leading shipping operations. It currently manages approximately 500 vessels across multiple segments, including around 250 oil tankers. It reports that the operations...

Report: MSC Explores Acquiring Germany’s Controlling Stake in Meyer Werft

Published Sep 21, 2026 3:31 PM by The Maritime Executive

MSC Group is reported to be exploring acquiring the controlling ownership stake in Germany’s Meyer Werft shipbuilder, Bloomberg reported. The story says the company has ongoing discussions with Germany’s federal government and the state of Lower Saxony, which together acquired 80 percent ownership of Meyer Werft in 2024 as part of a financial rescue package. Meyer Werft got into financial trouble in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused major shifts in its operations. While the yard was able...

U.S. Coast Guard Sets Up Long-Range Medevac for Critically-Ill Seafarer

Published Sep 20, 2026 11:18 PM by The Maritime Executive

Over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard arranged a long-range rescue for a boxship crewmember who was suffering from a serious, growing infection. Last week, the 1996-built boxship Kotka (ex names Maersk Kotka, Knud Maersk) was under way on a long voyage from Colombo, Sri Lanka, bound for New York. On Wednesday night, the master of the Kotka contacted shoreside authorities and reported that a crewmember had developed a "severe, non-ambulatory infection" that was not getting better with onboard medical...

U.S. Southern Command Destroys 70th Suspected Drug Boat

Published Sep 20, 2026 10:12 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Saturday, U.S. forces in the Caribbean destroyed another suspected drug-running vessel with an airstrike, killing four people. It is the 70th publicized instance of use of lethal force against a drug boat in the region, and highlights the dual-mode structure of U.S. counternarcotics operations in the region: lethal when aerial assets are the sole means of engagement, nonlethal when Coast Guard or Marine Corps boarding teams are involved. The strike targeted a small vessel operating on "established narco-trafficking routes"...

Shipping

Iran Keeps Up Pressure, Hitting Another Tanker as US Asserts Hormuz is Open

Iran hit another tanker on September 21 in the Strait of Hormuz, causing injuries to two seafarers and maintaining its assertion to have control over the waterway. At the same time, US Central Command issued an update saying oil is moving and that “momentum is building.” The claims were issued as UK Maritime Trade Operations received information from “military authorities” that an inbound tanker had been struck on Monday. The tanker was identified by Vanguard Tech as a crude oil...

Tugs & Salvage

Giant Japanese Bulker Remains Aground Off Australia After Four Days

Efforts, so far, have been unsuccessful in pulling the large, Japanese-owned bulker free after it grounded last Friday (September 18) off the Gladstone port in Northeast Australia. Officials are monitoring the case and plan to start a full investigation just as soon as the ship is salvaged. The Capesize dry bulk carrier Cape Falcon (182,066 dwt) was maneuvering at slow speeds, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), when it went aground south of the bunkering anchorage off Gladstone. Reports...

Government

Destroyer USS Rafael Peralta participates in the blockade (CENTCOM)

CENTCOM's Commander Highlights Successes of U.S. Blockade

The latest briefing from the Commander of Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, gives an important perspective on the current situation, at a time when President Trump says he is reevaluating US strategy in the conflict with Iran. President Trump has said he is considering three options: negotiating a deal, maintaining the blockade and the current status quo, or resuming offensive operations on a wider scale to “annihilate Iran.” Admiral Cooper gives no public opinion on the merits of the choices...

Corporate News

How Ethanol Is Expanding Shipping's Fuel Choices

[By DNV] Ethanol is gaining momentum as shipping explores new pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this Maritime Impact article, DNV examines why interest in ethanol is growing, drawing on insights from cargo owners, engine manufacturers, and other industry stakeholders. The article explores recent vessel projects, technology developments, and the factors that will influence future uptake, including economics, fuel availability, sustainability, and regulation. Read the full article to explore ethanol’s potential role in shipping’s evolving fuel landscape.

Cruise Ships

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

Extended U.S. Navy deployments have periodically drawn public attention to what accumulated months at sea can do to a crew. Reporting on one recent deployment — an aircraft carrier at sea for more than eight months with no announced return date — described sailors reaching a breaking point under the sustained strain of the assignment, and a family member who received a single call from the ship's family-support liaison after a serious incident, then heard nothing further from the Navy...

Ports

PortMiami Reaches 10M Cruise Passengers to Reclaim World’s Largest Title

PortMiami is surpassing 10 million cruise ship passenger movements in FY 2026, which returns it to the position of the busiest cruise home port in the world. It is the first time any port has handled more than 10 million passengers and pushes the southern Florida port back above its central Florida rival, Port Canaveral. Miami officials reported they hit the 10 million figure on September 14, which is remarkable growth from FY 2025 when the port had another record...

Shipping

Iran Keeps Up Pressure, Hitting Another Tanker as US Asserts Hormuz is Open

Tugs & Salvage

Giant Japanese Bulker Remains Aground Off Australia After Four Days

Government

CENTCOM's Commander Highlights Successes of U.S. Blockade

Corporate News

How Ethanol Is Expanding Shipping's Fuel Choices

Cruise Ships

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

Ports

PortMiami Reaches 10M Cruise Passengers to Reclaim World’s Largest Title

Offshore

RWE Speeds Up Offshore Turbine Servicing With Heavy-Lift Drone Deliveries

Heavy-lift drones have attracted widespread public attention in Ukraine, where they are a common platform for a variety of defense applications, but they are also making big inroads in the commercial market - including offshore wind. Dutch walk-to-work gangway firm Ampelmann has just finished up a maintenance project at RWE's Triton Knoll project, augmenting its traditional SOV equipment product line with a direct-to-nacelle drone lift service. Over the course of six weeks, Ampelmann's drone fleet moved more than nine tonnes...

Shipbuilding

Report: MSC Explores Acquiring Germany’s Controlling Stake in Meyer Werft

Environment

Executive Interview: Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder & CEO, NAMEPA

Carleen Lyden Walker is one of the best-known figures in maritime – founder of her own marketing business, co-founder of NAMEPA, former IMO Maritime Ambassador, Chief Evolution Officer of SHIPPINGInsight and a fierce advocate for all things maritime. She's a frequent speaker and participant at maritime conferences around the world, advocating for seafarers' rights, environmental stewardship and the role of women in maritime while raising the profile of an industry that touches every aspect of human life. Welcome, Carleen, we're...

Business

Trafigura to Spin Out Publicly Traded VLCC Tanker Company Volare Shipping

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Iran Keeps Up Pressure, Hitting Another Tanker as US Asserts Hormuz is Open

Trafigura to Spin Out Publicly Traded VLCC Tanker Company Volare Shipping

Report: MSC Explores Acquiring Germany’s Controlling Stake in Meyer Werft

U.S. Coast Guard Sets Up Long-Range Medevac for Critically-Ill Seafarer

U.S. Southern Command Destroys 70th Suspected Drug Boat

Iran Keeps Up Pressure, Hitting Another Tanker as US Asserts Hormuz is Open

Giant Japanese Bulker Remains Aground Off Australia After Four Days

CENTCOM's Commander Highlights Successes of U.S. Blockade

How Ethanol Is Expanding Shipping's Fuel Choices

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

PortMiami Reaches 10M Cruise Passengers to Reclaim World’s Largest Title

Beyond Web-Based SaaS: The Cloud-Native Advantage

A Mediterranean Residence Worth Pursuing for American Families

The Next Generation of Marine Propulsion

Iran Keeps Up Pressure, Hitting Another Tanker as US Asserts Hormuz is Open

Giant Japanese Bulker Remains Aground Off Australia After Four Days

CENTCOM's Commander Highlights Successes of U.S. Blockade

How Ethanol Is Expanding Shipping's Fuel Choices

Conflict in Close Quarters: When Work is Also Home

PortMiami Reaches 10M Cruise Passengers to Reclaim World’s Largest Title

RWE Speeds Up Offshore Turbine Servicing With Heavy-Lift Drone Deliveries

Report: MSC Explores Acquiring Germany’s Controlling Stake in Meyer Werft

Executive Interview: Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder & CEO, NAMEPA

Trafigura to Spin Out Publicly Traded VLCC Tanker Company Volare Shipping

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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