Thursday, May 21, 2026
Media Kit
An MQ-25A with a refueling "buddy" pod, stowed for transit (Boeing)

Navy's Unmanned Tanker Jet Has Been Approved for Production

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Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast Outlines Ambitious 25-Year Growth Plan with $1.75B Investment

Published May 20, 2026 7:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

Northern Ireland’s premier port, Belfast, has launched an ambitious 25?year Masterplan setting out £1.3 billion ($1.75 billion) of planned investment to ensure that the port remains resilient, efficient, and competitive. The plan entitled Horizons of Opportunity sets out how the Trust Port will expand and adapt to meet rising demand for trade, providing critical additional capacity and further strengthening Belfast’s position as a leading maritime gateway. External forecasts prepared by port master?planning experts Haskoning indicate that trade volumes through Belfast...

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U-Ming's first LNG gas carrier on trials

U-Ming Names First LNG Carrier as Diversification and Expansion Continue

Published May 20, 2026 6:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

Taiwanese shipping company Un-Ming reports that it is continuing its business growth and diversification strategy with the naming of its first LNG carrier. According to the company, the commissioning of its first LNG carrier symbolizes its entry into the energy transport sector, building on its current operations of Very Large Crude Carriers. The naming ceremony for the new vessel, Diamond Gas Jade, took place on May 19 at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje Shipyard in South Korea. The yard is known...

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Rosneft

UK Softens New Restrictions on Russia-Linked Fuel Imports

Published May 20, 2026 6:54 PM by The Maritime Executive

The UK is critically dependent upon imported supplies for jet fuel, and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has badly crimped the availability of middle distillates on the global market. In response to the operational needs of airlines and other fuel consumers, the British government is slowing down the implementation of a planned ban on refined-product imports derived from Russian oil, keeping the door open for jet fuel imports from Turkey and India. The planned ban on foreign products...

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Bangladesh scrap yard

Seafarer Stabbed and Dies on Tanker Waiting for Scrapper off Bangladesh

Published May 20, 2026 5:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

The authorities in Bangladesh are dealing with an apparent murder after two crewmembers got into what is being described as a “serious onboard altercation.” The local shipping agency appointed to handle the ship’s arrival reports the police and local authorities are coordinating to handle the case. The Thai-owned product tanker K.P.P. 01 (3,400 dwt) had departed Phuket, Thailand, for its final voyage heading to the scrap yards at Chattogram, Bangladesh. The vessel, which was built in 1991, is 85 meters...

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Offshore

An image of the missing grating where rig worker Jason Thomas is believed to have disappeared (UK HSE)

Valaris Fined for Rig Worker's Fatal Fall Through Hole in Deck Grating

A court in Aberdeen, Scotland has fined rig operator Valaris a total of $385,000 for the death of a worker who fell through a hole left by a missing deck grating. On January 22, 2023, the rig Valaris 121 was under tow towards Dundee, Scotland in worsening weather and 15-foot waves. Jason Thomas, 50, was the deck supervisor during the day shift. At about 1430 hours he was seen in the staff lounge on break, departing about half an hour...

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Shipbuilding

U-Ming's first LNG gas carrier on trials

U-Ming Names First LNG Carrier as Diversification and Expansion Continue

Taiwanese shipping company Un-Ming reports that it is continuing its business growth and diversification strategy with the naming of its first LNG carrier. According to the company, the commissioning of its first LNG carrier symbolizes its entry into the energy transport sector, building on its current operations of Very Large Crude Carriers. The naming ceremony for the new vessel, Diamond Gas Jade, took place on May 19 at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje Shipyard in South Korea. The yard is known...

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Environment

offshore vessel charging

EU Funds Pilot to Demonstrate Offshore Power Zones to Charge Vessels

The European Union’s flagship Horizon Europe research and innovation program is providing a €5 million ($5.8 million) grant to an international consortium led by Stillstrom, a Maersk company, to develop and demonstrate offshore charging infrastructure for stationary vessels at anchor with their engines running. The project is due to kick off next month, June, and is expected to run for 36 months, demonstrating the concept and also assessing commercial viability and regulatory pathways to support wider adoption of offshore charging....

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Business

Coal

Indonesia Imposes Commodity Export Controls to Fight Tax Evasion

Indonesia's government is making an unusual move to centralize control over the export of commodity products, notably palm oil to coal. The decision has significant implications for regional trade, as Indonesia is the largest exporter of thermal coal in the world, and coal demand is running high due to the war-related disruption in Mideast LNG supplies. The government's objective is to combat tax evasion, which is facilitated by the widespread practice of falsifying the invoices presented to customs officials, estimated...

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