Panama Canal Plans Two More Decreases in Neopanamax Draft Levels

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

Published Jul 6, 2026 12:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

Opposition continues to mount in Israel to the agreed sale of Zim to Hapag-Lloyd and the formation of a smaller domestic shipping company by an investment fund. Israel’s Defense Ministry issued a statement late on Sunday saying the deal does not adequately safeguard the security interests of Israel, while media reports said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the sale is not currently on the government’s agenda. Israel’s Defense Ministry Director of Security Almog Cohen conducted an extensive review of the...

IMO Trying to Improve Safety of Navigation off Yemen

Published Jul 6, 2026 11:17 AM by The Maritime Executive

The IMO is advancing its Red Sea Project to improve security and the coordination of maritime situational awareness in the Horn of Africa and the waters off Yemen. Under the project, the IMO supported a four-day workshop for the internationally-recognized Republic of Yemen governmemnt from June 22 to 25, 2026, alongside the European Union-funded Crisis Response Project for the Red Sea and the Western Indian Ocean. The workshop brought together representatives of all Yemeni agencies involved in policing and management...

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

Published Jul 5, 2026 11:45 PM by The Maritime Executive

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...

Seaplane Crashes Near East River Ferry Terminal

Published Jul 5, 2026 11:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

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...

Shipping

Maersk and Hapag to Shift One Route to Suez-Red Sea Transit

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have jointly agreed to again attempt a return to the Suez Canal and Red Sea transit for one of their shipping routes under the Gemini Cooperation. It is the second time this year that the shipping companies have attempted to revert routes to the region. The first route to resume transits is one that sails between Asia, the Mediterranean, and Turkey. The company said the Majestic Maersk, a 19,000 TEU container vessel sailing under the flag of...

Tugs & Salvage

Three Iran-Linked Tankers Detained in India Driven Toward Shore in Monsoon

The Indian Coast Guard was forced to mount a rescue mission on Sunday, July 5, as three tankers detained by the Indian courts were being driven toward shore in a monsoon. The vessels, all linked to Iran, have been at the center of a controversy since they were detained in early February on charges of being part of a fuel smuggling operation. The Directorate General of Shipping reported the situation to the Coast Guard as the tankers Asphalt Star, Stella...

Government

IMO Calls for Release of Three Ships Hijacked by Somali Pirates

The IMO is growing increasingly concerned over the fate of dozens of seafarers who are currently being held for ransom by Somali pirates - including crewmembers who are suffering significant health setbacks. The IMO’s regional piracy initiative - formally known as the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA) - has received word from the master of the hijacked tanker Honour 25 (IMO 9109735), which was boarded and seized on April 24. All of the 17 crewmembers on board are still...

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"

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

Maersk and Hapag to Shift One Route to Suez-Red Sea Transit

Tugs & Salvage

Three Iran-Linked Tankers Detained in India Driven Toward Shore in Monsoon

Government

IMO Calls for Release of Three Ships Hijacked by Somali Pirates

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

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

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Panama Canal Plans Two More Decreases in Neopanamax Draft Levels

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

IMO Trying to Improve Safety of Navigation off Yemen

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

Seaplane Crashes Near East River Ferry Terminal

Maersk and Hapag to Shift One Route to Suez-Red Sea Transit

Three Iran-Linked Tankers Detained in India Driven Toward Shore in Monsoon

IMO Calls for Release of Three Ships Hijacked by Somali Pirates

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

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

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

New Digital Platform Connects Shipowners Directly With Seafarers

The Hidden Clause Contradictions Driving Demurrage Claims

Six Estonian Maritime Companies Solving Retrofit and Port Challenges

Maersk and Hapag to Shift One Route to Suez-Red Sea Transit

Three Iran-Linked Tankers Detained in India Driven Toward Shore in Monsoon

IMO Calls for Release of Three Ships Hijacked by Somali Pirates

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

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

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

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

U.S. Finalizes Contract for Six Arctic Security Cutters

Ocean Surface Temperatures Are Setting New Records Again

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

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events