Israeli Defense Ministry Comes Out Against Sale of Zim to Hapag-Lloyd

Tank Barge Explosion Kills Five Workers on Paraguay River

Published Jul 5, 2026 10:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

Over the weekend, a blast tore apart a tank barge on the Paraguay River, killing five personnel who were working aboard. On Saturday morning, a blast occurred inside a cargo tank on a barge at a mooring area across the river from Avenida Costanera Sur, a riverfront road running south from Asuncion. This stretch of the river has about half a dozen barge fleeting areas and maintenance yards. Security surveillance video from the scene show that the explosion peeled the...

U.S. Navy Calls Off Search for Missing Helicopter Crewmember in Arabian Sea

Published Jul 5, 2026 8:28 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Navy has suspended a multi-day search for a sailor who went missing in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea last week. At about 0330 Eastern Time on July 1, an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the carrier USS George H.W. Bush went down in the Arabian Sea with four crewmembers on board. Three were rescued swiftly and are on board in stable condition, according to U.S. 5th Fleet. The fourth crewmember remained missing, and Navy assets in...

The late Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri and his successor Pasdar Ali Azmaei (Facebook)

Iran Confirms Senior Naval Leadership Team

Published Jul 5, 2026 7:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

The ongoing funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has brought out into the open a number of Iranian senior military commanders, who for understandable reasons have in recent months been somewhat reluctant to give any indication of their status and whereabouts. Both the overall commander of the IRGC and the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, responsible for overseas and proxy operations, have been seen at the ceremonies—both failing in attempts to remain inconspicuous. Without a formal announcement...

Cargo Ship Reports Attack Near Hodeidah, Yemen

Published Jul 5, 2026 5:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Sunday morning, a cargo ship reported an attack at a position off the coast of Yemen, where hostilities between Houthi rebels and the internationally-recognized government have been heating up. UKMTO received a report of the incident at about 0720 hours UTC on Sunday. The master of a cargo vessel issued a distress alert at a position about 30 nautical miles to the southwest of Hodeidah, the largest Houthi-controlled seaport on Yemen's Red Sea coast. The master reported that the...

Shipping

Panama Canal Plans Two More Decreases in Neopanamax Draft Levels

After taking what was called a preemptive step in June to lower the maximum drafts of vessels, the Panama Canal Authority announced it will step down the draft levels in two stages in July and August. It is attempting to plan and manage water levels as forecasters continue to expect one of the most severe El Niños in recent years. In an announcement dated July 1, the Panama Canal Authority reports the steps are part of a water management strategy....

Tugs & Salvage

Seaplane Crashes Near East River Ferry Terminal

On Sunday, a seaplane made a hard landing in the East River, damaging the aircraft and prompting a rapid SAR response from the New York Police Department and New York Fire Department. At about noon on Sunday, a Kodiak 100 commuter plane was arriving from the Hamptons and coming in for a landing near the East River ferry terminal at 23rd Street. The plane's floats made contact with the surface, hit a wave and skipped upward, causing the aircraft to...

Government

Iran Confirms Senior Naval Leadership Team

Corporate News

Port of Galveston Opens New Berth with 1st Cargo Vessel Call

[By Galveston] GALVESTON, Texas (July 3, 2026) – The Port of Galveston’s new cargo berth officially opened for business July 2 with a Wallenius Wilhelmsen cargo carrier delivering roll-on/roll-off cargo at the West Port Cargo Complex. The 656-foot-long MS Toledo offloaded hundreds of pieces of heavy construction equipment from Brazil and the Far East to be transported by truck to destinations in Texas and Middle America. Then union workers loaded heavy construction and farm equipment bound for Brazil and Australia....

Cruise Ships

Authorities in Turkey Turn Away Gay Cruise, Citing "Moral Values"

Local authorities in Turkey have decided to temporarily ban the cruise ship Scarlet Lady from calling in Istanbul and Kusadasi, forcing the organizers of the ship's LGBT-themed voyage to alter their itinerary. The 2020-built Scarlet Lady is currently operating under charter to Atlantis Events, an organizer of gay and LGBT-themed vacations; the company is well-known, with more than 35 years of experience in its travel segment. The latest Atlantis voyage on Scarlet Lady was scheduled to depart July 5 from...

Ports

India Objects to Adani’s Handling of MSC’s $1.4B Investment

Global shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is poised to make the largest foreign private investment in India’s port infrastructure, but the $1.4 billion deal is not without controversy. Adani Ports developed the Vizhinjam port and announced it had struck a deal with MSC, but the local government is expressing its “strong displeasure” that it was not consulted about the proposed investment. MSC, which has been aggressively expanding its terminal operations through its subsidiary Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), entered into...

Shipping

Panama Canal Plans Two More Decreases in Neopanamax Draft Levels

Tugs & Salvage

Seaplane Crashes Near East River Ferry Terminal

Government

Iran Confirms Senior Naval Leadership Team

Corporate News

Port of Galveston Opens New Berth with 1st Cargo Vessel Call

Cruise Ships

Authorities in Turkey Turn Away Gay Cruise, Citing "Moral Values"

Ports

India Objects to Adani’s Handling of MSC’s $1.4B Investment

Offshore

China floating wind platform and 16 MW turbine

China Deploys First 16MW Floating Offshore Wind Tension-Leg Platform

China continues its developments, placing it at the forefront of the offshore wind energy sector. In the latest development, officials reported deploying the largest tension-leg floating offshore wind platform designed to hold a 16 MW turbine. The platform was assembled at the Gaolan Port in Zhuhai, south China, and departed on June 28 for its deployment in the South China Sea. The structure stands more than 307 meters (1,007 feet) and weighs almost 8,000 tonnes. It is the largest of...

Shipbuilding

U.S. Finalizes Contract for Six Arctic Security Cutters

The U.S. Coast Guard reported this week that it has finalized the contracts for six Arctic Security Cutters to be built by Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions and Bollinger Shipyards Lockport. It completed the order, which was first announced in December 2025, for a total of 11 icebreakers, with the other portion going to the Davie partnership, including Helsinki Shipyard and the new Davie shipyard in Texas. The finalized contracts awarded to Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, of Lockport, Louisiana, four ASCs, valued...

Environment

Ocean Surface Temperatures Are Setting New Records Again

Amidst a record-setting summer heat wave in Europe, the EU-sponsored Copernicus Marine Service has released a familiar message: a new record global sea surface temperature, making 2026 the third year in the last four that this threshold has been passed. The incremental difference is small, about 0.1 degrees C over the previous records for the date of June 21, and it was expected. With El Nino conditions arriving in the Pacific, and high heat events observed in other ocean basins,...

Business