Friday, April 17, 2026
Media Kit
An Iranian-owned tanker in ballast, headed north through the Gulf of Oman to load oil in Iran (USN / TankerTrackers.com)

Iran Announces "Opening" of Strait of Hormuz

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Can Gio International

Ho Chi Minh City Approves $5B MSC Container Terminal

Published Apr 17, 2026 2:58 PM by The Maritime Executive

Vietnam’s transshipment port project Can Gio International has made progress, with Ho Chi Minh City this week approving the consortium to lead its development. The partners under the consortium are led by MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) with a 49% stake, Vietnam Maritime Corporation with 36% and Saigon Port, a subsidiary of VIMC, with 15%. The joint venture will see the development of Vietnam’s biggest transshipment port, with Ho Chi Minh City looking to raise its status as a global...

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The Davie/Helsinki Shipyard variant of the Arctic Security Cutter (Davie)

US Coast Guard Plans to Homeport First Two Finnish Icebreakers in Alaska

Published Apr 16, 2026 10:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

After considerable pressure from Alaska's congressional delegation, the Coast Guard has decided that the first two of its new Finnish-built icebreakers will be homeported in Alaska, where they will be close to sea ice but far from the Lower 48's maintenance infrastructure and housing markets. The new Arctic Security Cutter is a medium icebreaker program with two designs and two contracting consortia. The first contract award covers up to six hulls and went to Finland's Rauma Marine (two hulls) and...

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Flettner rotors

Study: Wind Propulsion is Key to Shipping's Decarbonization

Published Apr 16, 2026 10:30 PM by The Maritime Executive

A new study highlights the potential of wind propulsion in helping the shipping industry decarbonize. With only a fraction of oceangoing vessels deploying wind-assisted propulsion, the research suggests that retrofitting a majority of the world's fleet with the technology could be a significant step towards meeting global climate goals. The global merchant fleet is estimated at around 60,000 vessels of more than 1,000 gross tonnes. Yet only about 100 have been fitted with wind propulsion solutions such as Flettner rotors,...

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Marine Nationale

France Opposes U.S. Involvement in Post-War Hormuz Security Mission

Published Apr 16, 2026 10:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

France is uninterested in allowing American forces to join a European-led coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz in a post-conflict scenario. This could put it at odds with Germany, where leaders have publicly stated a preference to take a cooperative approach with the U.S. Navy, Politico reports. "We won’t enter into a coalition with the U.S.," an official close to the French presidency, speaking to the outlet, "and I don't think the Germans will either." France has explicitly voiced...

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Offshore

Chinese offshore wind farm

China Commissions Wind Farm At Its Deepest Offshore Position

Chinese officials highlighted the commissioning of its newest offshore wind farm, which is also setting a record for the country’s deepest fixed-bottom wind turbines and is located far out to sea. They highlighted the complex geology and challenges of extreme sea conditions in developing and operating the 504 MW wind farm, the Huaneng Shandong Peninsula North L Site. The wind farm was developed by the state-owned China Huaneng Group and will be managed and operated by the Yantai Power Plant....

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Shipbuilding

Pacific Basin

Pacific Basin Cancels Methanol Vessels Due to Climate-Rules Uncertainty

Pacific Basin Shipping, one of the world's largest operators of dry bulk vessels, is partially abandoning plans to anchor its future fleet growth on green methanol after terminating a contract for four dual-fuel Ultramax newbuilds. As one of the world's leading owners and operators of Handysize, Supramax and Ultramax dry bulk vessels, Pacific Basin operates around 250 ships, of which over 100 are owned and the rest chartered. Four years ago, the Hong Kong-based shipping company said it was putting...

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Environment

Coral bleaching

Can Coral be Bred for Better Tolerance to Heatwaves?

[By Liam Lachs, Adriana Humanes and James Guest] As global warming accelerates, extreme heatwaves are causing widespread death of tropical reef corals. Most corals rely on tiny algae cells living within their tissues that photosynthesise and produce energy. Corals use this energy to build their skeletons that create the reef structure. In our warming world, evolution of heatwave tolerance will be critical for coral populations to persist. Natural adaptation occurs over many generations and is probably already under way. But...

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Business

Felicity Ace

Cefor: Machinery Damage and Fires Drive Increase in Claim Cost

Machinery damage and fires continue to dominate as the leading causes of elevated claim costs in the Nordic marine insurance market, according to the Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor). Cefor members underwrite Hull and Machinery for about 31% of the world fleet, including 3,538 vessels of more than 20,000 gross tons. 2025 is the third consecutive year to record an increase in claims above $10 million, according to the year’s report by published this week. Notably, total losses on...

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