Us News

Crowley Mariners Aboard Stena Immaculate Tanker Honored with Gallant Ship Award

Crowley mariners who served aboard the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate were honored with the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Gallant Ship Award during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Maritime Day observance in Washington, D.C. The award, one of the maritime industry’s highest distinctions, recognizes the 23-member crew’s extraordinary professionalism, courage and commitment to safety.The award recognizes the crew’s actions during a March 10, 2025 collision in the North Sea…

Teqplay Acquired by Ofiniti to Extend Operational Intelligence Across Global Bunkering

Ofiniti, a digital platform for maritime fuel operations, has acquired Teqplay, a maritime intelligence company whose digital twins of vessel and cargo movements are used by global shipping companies and agents as well as leading ports and terminals. The acquisition extends Ofiniti's role from execution and documentation into real-time operational intelligence, providing a unified operational picture.Ofiniti handles scheduling, operational coordination and digital documentation for all marine fuels across the world’s major bunkering hubs.

US to Reduce Military Contributions to European Allies

The U.S. intends to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refuelling aircraft, German news outlet Spiegel reported on Tuesday.The NATO alliance is under unprecedented strain, with some European countries concerned that Washington may withdraw outright.U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and pledged to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.

Port of Albany-Rensselaer Hosts Maritime Summit

The Port of Albany-Rensselaer, NY hosted a half-day Maritime Summit that featured internationally renowned port, economics, infrastructure, and transportation leaders who addressed the issues, opportunities, and trends facing the transportation/maritime industry here in the Capital Region, across New York State, and around the United States.The Summit showcased the beneficial role that the Port of Albany-Rensselaer and other ports throughout the United States play in everyday life…

U.S. Coast Guard Commissions Fast Response Cutter to Honors 9/11 Hero

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its newest Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in New York City on Friday.The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, presided over the ceremony. Members of the Danz family were also in attendance, including the cutter's sponsor, Ms. Angela Donohue, widow of the late Vincent Danz.“Vincent Danz’s legacy will live on not only through his family and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD…

Strategic Marine Delivers More Supa Swath CTVs to Mainprize Offshore

Strategic Marine and Mainprize Offshore have signed a Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance (PODA) for the MO15 and MO16 crew transfer vessels (CTVs), extending a multi-vessel offshore renewables vessel program announced in 2024.The agreement follows the earlier delivery of the MO10, MO11, MO12 and MO14 Supa Swath vessels.The new vessels are intended to support offshore wind operations and maintenance activities in Europe as Mainprize Offshore continues expanding its fleet.The vessels…

MASS 2026 to focus on Arctic, High North Challenges

MASS and Littoral OpTech conferences converge in Atlantic CanadaThe 13th annual Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS), hosted by the Atlantic Canada Aerospace & Defence Association (ACADA), and presented by Saab Canada, Inc., will be held June 14-16 at the Convention Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.ACADA represents Atlantic Canada’s aerospace and defence industry and promotes the region as a globally recognized hub of aerospace and defence excellence.“MASS brings together industry innovators…

Brent Jumps 2% After US Strikes in Iran Rattle Oil Markets

Brent crude futures rose more than 2% on Tuesday after the U.S. military carried out strikes in Iran, keeping markets on edge as a deal to end the war and open up the Strait of Hormuz remained elusive.Brent futures LCOc1 were up $2.36, or 2.5%, to $98.50 a barrel as of 0630 GMT, after settling 7% lower in the previous session.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was at $91.95 a barrel, up slightly from Monday's last traded price but down $4.65, or 4.8%, from Friday's close. There was no settlement on Monday due to the U.S.

US Strikes Boats, Missile Sites in Iran

U.S. forces on Monday conducted strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions.The strikes came as Iran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the U.S. to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier that the U.S.

Oil Tumbles as US and Iran Seen Moving Closer to Deal

Oil prices fell nearly 7% on Monday as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even though Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down $7.24, or almost 7%, at $96.30 a barrel at 2:29 p.m. ET (1843 GMT) and U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 futures were down $6.30, or 6.5%, at $90.88.Trading volumes were light due to the U.S. Memorial Day…

U.S. Coast Guard Commissions Cutter Honoring 9/11 Hero

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its newest Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in New York City on Friday.The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, presided over the ceremony. Members of the Danz family were also in attendance, including the cutter's sponsor, Angela Donohue, widow of the late Vincent Danz.“Vincent Danz’s legacy will live on not only through his family and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD…

Chinese Ship Leaves Standoff Near Taiwan-Controlled Islands

A Chinese coast guard ship left waters near Taiwan's strategically located Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea on Sunday following a tense standoff and verbal sparring between the coast guards, Taiwan's Coast Guard said.China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects.China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island, and Taipei is on high alert for further Chinese actions after President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with U.S.

Trump Says No Rush for Iran Deal, US Blockade Stays

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran, as his administration played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war that had been raised a day earlier.The U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Both sides must take their time and get it right," he added.There was no immediate response from Iran's government.

France Drafts UN Security Council Resolution on Restoring Hormuz Movement

France has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution on setting up an international mission to restore movement in the Strait of Hormuz and could submit it if conditions are right, the foreign ministry said on Friday, as Washington struggles to bring to a vote a text Russia and China may say is biased against Tehran.Control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy trade whose virtual closure has led to spiralling oil prices, is a major obstacle in talks to end…

Incat Crowther Designed Passenger Ferry Sets Sail in the US Virgin Islands

Spirit of 1733, a new EPA tier 4 compliant 104-foot (32-meter) passenger ferry designed by global digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther for the U.S Virgin Island’s Department of Public Works has entered service. The new vessel is operating on a busy tourist and commuter route between Red Hook on the island of St. Thomas and Cruz Bay on the island of St. John in the U.S Virgin Islands.Named after a historic slave rebellion on the island of St. John in 1733, the USCG Subchapter-K approved…

RApport 2700 Tugboat Marauder Delivered to Maritime Partners

Master Boat Builders christened Marauder, the first vessel in an eight-tug construction program for Maritime Partners, marking a key milestone for the Gulf Coast shipbuilder and the growing fleet operator.The christening ceremony was held at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf in Mobile, Ala., bringing together executives from both companies as well as shipyard workers involved in the vessel’s construction.Built at Master Boat Builders’ Coden, Ala. shipyard, Marauder is an 88-foot tug classified as an A1 Escort Tug and Towing Vessel.

US Scientists Forecast Below-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season

U.S. government scientists said on Thursday they expect a below-normal Atlantic tropical storm season in 2026, likely producing one to three major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour (179 kph).Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unveiled the agency’s outlook for the season, which begins on June 1 and runs through November 30.They predicted eight to 14 named tropical storms with winds of at least 39 mph, from which three…

Panama Canal Veteran Ilya Espino Appointed Next Administrator

Ilya Espino de Marotta was selected as the new administrator of the Panama Canal, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino announced in a post on X on Thursday.Espino, an engineer who has worked for the canal for more than 40 years, has served as deputy administrator of the Canal since 2020. She will replace Ricaurte Vasquez and become the first woman to lead the entity.Shortly after Mulino's post on social media, Jose Ramon Icaza, chairman of the Panama Canal Authority’s board of directors…

Fishing Boats Worldwide Stuck Dockside as Diesel Prices Surge

Captain Chris Welch of Kennebunk, Maine, is catching fewer lobsters this spring because spiking diesel prices have made it too costly to take out his fishing boat as often as he normally would.Instead of checking and re-baiting his traps every four or five days to collect the valuable crustaceans, he's doing so every seven to 10 days to conserve fuel."It cuts into your profitability at the end of the day," Welch said after fueling his vessel, Quality Time, on a rainy day at Kennebunk's harbor.

US Coast Guard Awards Contract for Construction of Training Facilities in Yorktown

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $17.8 million contract to Ocean Construction Services Inc. for the construction of new engineering and weapons training facilities at Training Center (TRACEN) Yorktown, Virginia.The project is a critical step in preparing Coast Guard personnel to operate the service’s next generation of Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) and Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCCs).The project will add 18,700 square feet of building space to Samuel Travis Hall, the training center’s Cutter and Weapons Training Building.

Chinese Container Ship Among Few Crossing Hormuz

A Chinese-operated container ship was among the few to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, data showed on Thursday, as uncertainty grows around reopening the critical waterway with talks over a deal between the U.S. and Iran deadlocked.Before the war on Iran began on February 28, shipping traffic through the strait averaged 125 to 140 daily passages. Due to the conflict, 20,000 seafarers remain stranded inside the Gulf on board hundreds of ships.Shipping traffic has…

Cruise Operators Face Setbacks from US Government Over Cuba Confiscations

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a setback on Thursday to four American cruise operators that contested $440 million in combined judgments after being accused of unlawfully using docks in Cuba that were seized in 1959 by former leader Fidel Castro's communist government.The justices, in an 8-1 ruling, set aside a lower court's decision to throw out the judgments against Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Cruises and MSC Cruises. The cruise operators were sued by a U.S.

CIP Remains Eager to Invest in Italian Offshore Wind

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a Danish firm eager to invest in Italian offshore wind farms, is getting impatient.Two years after the country's 2024 law offered incentives to would-be developers to provide offshore wind capacity, the government has yet to announce a calendar for auctions it said it would hold by 2028.The inertia reflects a reluctance to embrace the transition from fossil fuels as a complex and polarised international debate pits clean energy campaigners against some governments and companies. U.S.