U.S. Forces Destroy One Iranian Tanker and Damage Two More

The collision caused extensive hull damage above the waterline (Marine Rescue NSW)

Newly-Rebuilt Rescue Boat for New South Wales Suffers Damage in Collision

Published Sep 5, 2026 8:54 AM by The Maritime Executive

A newly refurbished vessel that was awaiting deployment for search and rescue operations off New South Wales will not enter service on time, and perhaps not at all. The Eden 30 (ED 30), which belongs to Marine Rescue NSW, has been extensively damaged after being struck by another vessel while berthed at the Port of Eden. Marine Rescue NSW said that the SAR boat, which recently underwent extensive refurbishment, was due to enter service on September 7. However, the plans...

The capsized panga after its recovery (CBP)

Smuggling-Boat Skipper Gets Five Years for Fatal Capsizing off San Diego

Published Sep 5, 2026 8:44 AM by The Maritime Executive

A Mexican national who was the skipper of a small boat that capsized during an immigrant-smuggling attempt at California's southern maritime boundary has been sentenced to a long term in prison. David Alfonso Barrera Nunes, 38, will serve 57 months for the deaths of five immigrants in the well-publicized casualty off San Diego. On November 4, 2025, Nunes attempted to smuggle nine immigrants into the United States. The U.S. Border Patrol agents got notification of a small vessel that was...

Ill Wind or Tailwind? AI is Sweeping the Maritime World

Published Sep 4, 2026 8:20 PM by Pat Zeitler

The winds of the digital age and artificial intelligence seem like a tempest for the marine industry. For those who are prepared and understand how to properly apply the various types of AI, it's like a magnificent tailwind pushing their fleet ahead and outpacing the competition in ways not previously seen. On the other hand, there will be owners and operators unwilling to shift sails in time to catch the benefits of digitalization and AI. Then it becomes an ill...

hybrid wind and solar demonstration on containership

Sea Trials Begin on Hybrid Wind-Solar System Using Horizontal Turbines

Published Sep 4, 2026 7:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

Sea trials have begun on a hybrid wind and solar power system designed to reduce auxiliary engine emissions for a retrofitted containership. The demonstration is using an innovative horizontally mounted wind turbine to address the challenges of implementing wind-assisted propulsion on containerships, where deck space is at a premium for cargo. The installation was completed in late August in Aarhus, Denmark, aboard the Skamship containership Helgafell. Built in 2005, the vessel is a workhorse for the company, maintaining service to...

Shipping

Panama Canal Pushes Back Planned Draft Cut for Big Ships

For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Panama Canal Authority is delaying a planned reduction in the maximum draft for the largest vessel, which transits through the newer Neopanamax Locks. The authority reports the decision is based on its latest review of water levels in Gatun Lake and the weather projections. The Panama Canal Authority is working to manage what is expected to be a severe drought caused by a Super El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific....

Tugs & Salvage

ROV Inspection Confirms Wreck Site of Lost Turkish Freighter

Turkey's navy has found the wreck of the Tugberk Imamoglu, a coastal freighter that sank last week after a collision with a product tanker in the Sea of Marmara. 10 crewmembers of the lost cargo ship remain missing, and surface search efforts are ongoing; now that the hull has been found on the bottom, some 900 meters below the surface, additional efforts could be put into recovering the ship's VDR or searching the wreck site for remains. At about 0300...

Government

Spanish Authorities Catch Go-Fast Boat Carrying Three Tonnes of Cocaine

Spanish authorities have seized more than three tonnes of cocaine in Gran Canaria after an unprecedented chase of a "narco-boat." This is the latest interception in the Canary Islands, which have become a primary gateway for South American cocaine traffickers targeting the European market. Spain’s Guardia Civil said that officers seized a total of 3,360 kilograms of cocaine in 139 packages in the south of Gran Canaria after intercepting a rigid inflatable boat (RIB). The go-fast boat, which was equipped...

Corporate News

Damen Highlights Electrification During World Port Days

[By: Damen Shipyards Group] At this year’s World Port Days in Rotterdam, Damen Shipyards Group is placing the acceleration of the maritime energy transition firmly in the spotlight. Three advanced vessels will be moored at the Innovation Quay, showcasing the innovative strength of the Dutch maritime sector. The message is clear: the technology is ready. What is needed now is the infrastructure, regulation, financing and collaboration to scale it up. The Netherlands has a strong maritime industry and world-class expertise....

Cruise Ships

Gulf War Forces Antarctic Expedition Firm to Replace Historic Liner

The start-up Terra Nova Expeditions announced this week that it has been forced to change plans for its inaugural expedition cruise season to Antarctica. The company had planned to bring back the historic liner St. Helena for a new career as an expedition ship, but was forced to replace the ship, creating an uncertain future. St. Helena, built at the Appledore Shipyard in the UK and commissioned in 1990, provided a vital service to the island of the same name...

Ports

California's Port of Oakland to Expand Turning Basin to Handle Larger Ships

California’s Port of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area has completed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase the port’s ability to handle larger vessels. After years of planning, an agreement was signed on August 27 with designs for widening and modernizing the turning basins for the Port of Oakland. The project will expand both the inner and outer harbor turning basins. It calls for widening the estuary between Oakland and Alameda, California. As port...

Shipping

Panama Canal Pushes Back Planned Draft Cut for Big Ships

Tugs & Salvage

ROV Inspection Confirms Wreck Site of Lost Turkish Freighter

Government

Spanish Authorities Catch Go-Fast Boat Carrying Three Tonnes of Cocaine

Corporate News

Damen Highlights Electrification During World Port Days

Cruise Ships

Gulf War Forces Antarctic Expedition Firm to Replace Historic Liner

Ports

California's Port of Oakland to Expand Turning Basin to Handle Larger Ships

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

Japan Announces First Tranche, $3.8B Investment in Shipbuilders

Japan’s Minister of Transport unveiled the government’s first investments in the shipbuilding industry as part of an ambitious plan to dramatically expand the industry. Minister Yasuyuki Kaneko highlighted that shipbuilding is one of 17 priority areas in the government’s growth strategy. Once one of the leaders in shipbuilding, Japan’s market share has declined dramatically as lower-cost competition emerged in South Korea and China. For 2025, the Japan Ship Exporters’ Association (JSEA) reported total orders of 186 ships totaling just under...

Environment

IMO Concludes Next Round of Net-Zero Discussions Still Divided

The International Maritime Organization completed its next working group session discussing efforts to reach a decarbonization approach still largely divided, and is now aiming for a potential resolution by the end of 2026. Optimists are noticing a productive discussion and less political maneuvering and backstabbing, but the United States and others continued their opposition to the Net Zero Framework, and key issues were deferred to more intersessional discussions or a consequential series of three sessions in late November and early...

Business

Ill Wind or Tailwind? AI is Sweeping the Maritime World

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Select any month to view events: September October November December January February March April May June July August

U.S. Forces Destroy One Iranian Tanker and Damage Two More

Newly-Rebuilt Rescue Boat for New South Wales Suffers Damage in Collision

Smuggling-Boat Skipper Gets Five Years for Fatal Capsizing off San Diego

Ill Wind or Tailwind? AI is Sweeping the Maritime World

Sea Trials Begin on Hybrid Wind-Solar System Using Horizontal Turbines

Panama Canal Pushes Back Planned Draft Cut for Big Ships

ROV Inspection Confirms Wreck Site of Lost Turkish Freighter

Spanish Authorities Catch Go-Fast Boat Carrying Three Tonnes of Cocaine

Damen Highlights Electrification During World Port Days

Gulf War Forces Antarctic Expedition Firm to Replace Historic Liner

California's Port of Oakland to Expand Turning Basin to Handle Larger Ships

Beyond Web-Based SaaS: The Cloud-Native Advantage

A Mediterranean Residence Worth Pursuing for American Families

The Next Generation of Marine Propulsion

Panama Canal Pushes Back Planned Draft Cut for Big Ships

ROV Inspection Confirms Wreck Site of Lost Turkish Freighter

Spanish Authorities Catch Go-Fast Boat Carrying Three Tonnes of Cocaine

Damen Highlights Electrification During World Port Days

Gulf War Forces Antarctic Expedition Firm to Replace Historic Liner

California's Port of Oakland to Expand Turning Basin to Handle Larger Ships

California Sues DOI Calling Offshore Wind Cancellation “Blatantly Unlawful"

Japan Announces First Tranche, $3.8B Investment in Shipbuilders

IMO Concludes Next Round of Net-Zero Discussions Still Divided

Ill Wind or Tailwind? AI is Sweeping the Maritime World

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

Join the conversation.

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events