India Accuses Pakistani Warship of Unprofessional Conduct Causing Collision

German Port Workers Reject Contract and Move To Strike Vote

Published Sep 16, 2026 6:35 PM by The Maritime Executive

The contentious negotiations for a new contract for up to 11,000 port workers at Germany’s main seaports have again broken down, with the union, ver.di, reporting it has begun a vote and will seek authorization for an indefinite strike. A representative group polled at the beginning of the week rejected the fourth round proposals from the ZDS, the Central Association of German Seaport Operators. Contract negotiations began in late July with the union demanding an 8.2 percent increase in hourly...

Former Bulker Company to Reinvent Itself as AHTS Leader

Published Sep 16, 2026 5:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

FIn a surprise announcement, Norway-based 2020 Bulkers reports that it plans to reinvent the company as an owner-operator of large anchor-handler supply ships based on the strong opportunities in the offshore market. The company has entered into a Letter of Intent to purchase a fleet of up to 15 large AHTS vessels and, once completed, will rename itself AHTS. Launched as an investment company in 2017, 2020 Bulkers was focused on the Newcastlemax segment of bulker operations. After a successful...

Seaman Bailey Szramowski during an UNREPS evolution aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, 2022, several months before the events in the case (USN)

Two Former USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Plead Guilty to Dealing Fentanyl

Published Sep 16, 2026 5:31 PM by The Maritime Executive

Two former crewmembers from the much-discussed carrier USS Abraham Lincoln have admitted to selling deadly narcotics to crewmates. Former Lincoln crewmember Seaman Bailey A. Szramowski, 29, has pleaded guilty of selling cocaine and mislabeled "Percocet" pills to his crewmates, beginning in August 2022 at the latest - about the time period when Lincoln returned to San Diego from a deployment. His fake oxycodone pills were in fact laced with fentanyl, a deadly opiate - a fact which he did not...

OOCL Portugal container vessel in the Suez Canal

OOCL Sends First Ship Through Suez as Canal Highlights Growth

Published Sep 16, 2026 4:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) joined the growing number of container lines returning to the Suez Canal, sending its first ultra-large vessel through the canal as part of Cosco’s strategy to resume some of its normal routes for Cosco and OOCL vessels. It comes as the Suez Canal Authority highlights continued growth despite the latest military moves by the Houthis at the southern terminus of the Red Sea. The OOCL Portugal (225,000 dwt) made the transit on Wednesday, September 16,...

Shipping

Study Tests Regulatory Applicability of Continuous Emissions Measurement

With the battle lines forming for the International Maritime Organization to finalize and adopt its Net Zero Framework, a new study is looking at the validity of continuous emissions measurement technology as it applies to the regulation. They are looking at the use of real-time monitoring aboard LNG vessels versus the current modeling used in assessing emissions. The IMO adopted in 2023 its Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating scheme as the first...

Tugs & Salvage

The newly-opened Sever Bay terminal at the head of the Yenisei River, with the shuttle tanker Akademik Gubnik alongside, September 4 (Sentinel-2)

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

With the opening up of the Russian Northern Sea Route, exploiting the reduction in ice in the sea corridor running across Russia’s northern coastline, the way is now open for the movement of oil and LNG along a route firmly under Russian control, with reduced exposure to dark fleet interdictions by others, and with less risk of oil terminal attacks by the long-range Ukrainian sanctions program. This is in keeping with President Putin’s plan to develop the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor...

Government

House Passes Resolution to Roll Back California Harbor Craft Emissions Rule

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a measure to overturn California's Commercial Harbor Craft emissions rule. If also passed by the Senate, it would roll back a unique state-level requirement: installation of diesel particulate filters for tugs and workboats in certain big harbors. Since the 1970s, the state of California has had a carve-out in federal law that allows it to create its own motor-vehicle emissions regulations. This unique permission-slip has enabled the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to...

Corporate News

Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez

IMO Renews Call to Stop Attacks on Seafarers and Commercial Ships

?To date, IMO has verified 80 attacks on merchant vessels in the and around the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in at least 22 deaths of seafarers. The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, has called on Member States to refrain from actions that endanger merchant ships and put seafarers’ lives at risk.?? Addressing the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers, the Secretary-General warned of the severe impacts of geopolitical tensions on the shipping industry.? Secretary-General...

Cruise Ships

First River Cruise Ship Floated for Celebrity Cruises

The Dutch shipyards building the first river cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises marked key milestones as the first hull was floated and moved to the fitting-out yard. The ship will launch the ocean cruise line into river cruising in August 2027. The brand announced in January 2025 plans to expand its operations into European river cruising with a commitment to build 10 ships. As of June 30, 2026, the parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, reports that definitive building contracts for...

Ports

German Port Workers Reject Contract and Move To Strike Vote

Shipping

Study Tests Regulatory Applicability of Continuous Emissions Measurement

Tugs & Salvage

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

Government

House Passes Resolution to Roll Back California Harbor Craft Emissions Rule

Corporate News

IMO Renews Call to Stop Attacks on Seafarers and Commercial Ships

Cruise Ships

First River Cruise Ship Floated for Celebrity Cruises

Ports

German Port Workers Reject Contract and Move To Strike Vote

Offshore

California Sues DOI Calling Offshore Wind Cancellation “Blatantly Unlawful"

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission moved forward with their earlier challenges and filed a lawsuit on August 28 against the Trump administration and Golden State Wind over what it is calling “the unlawful buyout” of the offshore wind energy lease. The state is contending the deal to buy back the offshore wind lease is illegal and would jeopardize its investments to support the project, the state’s energy policy, and the commitments from the developer for...

Shipbuilding

US Navy Expands Shipbuilding Options With Awards to Three "New" Yards

The U.S. Navy has awarded contracts for a total of seven Landing Craft Utility (LCU) hulls to a trio of yards on the Gulf Coast, all of them outside of the small circle of traditional defense shipbuilders. In an announcement Tuesday, the Navy said that it would be spending $280 million to build seven "prototype" hulls for the LCU-1700 program at Master Boat Builders, Conrad Shipyard and Saronic's future Brownsville "Port Alpha" shipyard. The first two firms are well-established commercial...

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

Former Bulker Company to Reinvent Itself as AHTS Leader

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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India Accuses Pakistani Warship of Unprofessional Conduct Causing Collision

German Port Workers Reject Contract and Move To Strike Vote

Former Bulker Company to Reinvent Itself as AHTS Leader

Two Former USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Plead Guilty to Dealing Fentanyl

OOCL Sends First Ship Through Suez as Canal Highlights Growth

Study Tests Regulatory Applicability of Continuous Emissions Measurement

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

House Passes Resolution to Roll Back California Harbor Craft Emissions Rule

IMO Renews Call to Stop Attacks on Seafarers and Commercial Ships

First River Cruise Ship Floated for Celebrity Cruises

German Port Workers Reject Contract and Move To Strike Vote

Beyond Web-Based SaaS: The Cloud-Native Advantage

A Mediterranean Residence Worth Pursuing for American Families

The Next Generation of Marine Propulsion

Study Tests Regulatory Applicability of Continuous Emissions Measurement

Russian Dark Fleet Tactics on the Northern Sea Route

House Passes Resolution to Roll Back California Harbor Craft Emissions Rule

IMO Renews Call to Stop Attacks on Seafarers and Commercial Ships

First River Cruise Ship Floated for Celebrity Cruises

German Port Workers Reject Contract and Move To Strike Vote

California Sues DOI Calling Offshore Wind Cancellation “Blatantly Unlawful"

US Navy Expands Shipbuilding Options With Awards to Three "New" Yards

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

Former Bulker Company to Reinvent Itself as AHTS Leader

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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