U.S. Containerized Imports from China Rose 7.2% in July
Descartes Systems Group has released its August Global Shipping with figures indicting that July 2026 U.S. container import volumes increased 4.5% over June to 2,508,310 TEUs, reflecting typical month-over-month seasonal growth.July U.S. containerized imports from the top 10 countries of origin increased 4.9% month-over-month for a combined increase of 83,706 TEUs. China recorded the largest volume gain…
Australian Navy Launches Indigenous Action Plan
The Royal Australian Navy is reaffirming its commitment to reconciliation and strengthening partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with the launch of a new five-year plan.Launched on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the Djalkiri – Foundational Footsteps: Navy Indigenous Action Plan 2026-2031 outlines how Navy will deepen cultural understanding, bolster…
Trump’s Revised Jones Act Waiver Gets Mixed Reception
President Donald Trump has extended for 90 days a waiver allowing foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and other commodities between U.S. ports, but imposed new limits after shipbuilders and their allies in Congress argued the policy was undermining the domestic maritime industry, the White House said.The extension, finalized on Monday, comes as the war with Iran disrupts global crude flows and pushes up fuel costs…
Oil Prices Rise 3% as Iran Demands US Cooperation
Oil prices jumped 3% on Monday after Iran said the U.S. must lift sanctions on Tehran, pay reparations and meet a number of other conditions before the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.Brent crude futures were up $2.48, or 3%, at $86.03 a barrel by 10:44 a.m. EDT (1444 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $2.43, or 3.1%, at $80.61.Both benchmarks fell more than 7% last week on hopes that Iran and Oman were close to reaching a deal that would result in a reopening of the strait…
OPEC Oil Output Rises in July as Gulf States Restore Operations
OPEC oil output rose further in July, a Reuters survey found, as Gulf members restored supplies that were shut due to the Iran war and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.Output by the 11-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries rose by 1.17 million barrels per day month-on-month to 19.85 million bpd, the survey found.That extended the recovery from May, which was the lowest monthly figure since at least 2000…
Maersk Training Sold to OpenGate Capital
A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) has entered into an agreement to sell Maersk Training and its subsidiary Maersk H2S Safety Services to Open Gate Capital, an industrial, corporate carve-out specialist. The agreement remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. For more than four decades, Maersk Training has provided specialized training, competence development and safety services to industries including energy…
Oil Spill from Sanctioned Tanker Spreads Rapidly
An oil slick is covering an area of around 390 square kilometres (150 square miles) off the coast of Oman, the country's government said on Monday, after a vessel under sanctions and carrying Russian crude sustained damage.The Caroline Bezengi's crew first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources said, adding that initial assessments indicated…
Hamworthy Returns with Renewed Focus on the Future of Marine Water & Waste
Marking a new chapter for British marine water and waste specialist Hamworthy, CEO Fraser Scott reflects on how environmental systems have evolved from check-box auxiliary equipment into essential infrastructure at the heart of modern shipping.When we reintroduced the Hamworthy name to the maritime industry in June, I found myself reflecting on everything that has changed during our 14 years as the water and waste systems division of the Wärtsilä Group.
Surveys, Offshore Energy Inspections Leverage Autonomous Technology
Greater vehicle sophistication is pushing surveys and offshore energy inspections further towards autonomy.When the Norwegian Offshore Directorate set its new HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to work in June, there was a moment’s reflection on the fact that deep sea areas have actually been mapped since the 1800s. In the early days, simple weights were used to measure water depth and give the first indications of subsea structures and seabed morphology.
ITLOS Ruling: A Landmark Defense of Freedom of Navigation
By Richard Gunn and Julia Cyrson, Reed Smith LLPIn the largest penalty the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has ever levied, a Special Chamber ruled unanimously against Equatorial Guinea on May 27, 2026, ordering it to pay over €14 million in damages to the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the unlawful seizure of a commercial tanker and detention of its multinational crew. The ruling in the M/T Heroic Idun (No.
Cadeler Orders More Offshore Wind Installation Vessels
Cadeler has signed firm contracts with COSCO Shipping Offshore shipyard in Qidong, China, for the construction of two new T-class offshore wind installation vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031.The new T-class series vessels have been engineered to be the largest and most capable vessels ever introduced to this market. They are designed to tackle increasingly complex projects with greater efficiency…
Sharks Fitted with Sensors to Help Hurricane Predictions
From the killer shark of "Jaws" to the tornado-tossed predators of the "Sharknado" movies, films long have portrayed sharks as objects of summer fear. But when a shark cuts through the waters off the U.S. East Coast, it now may be doing more than hunting. It may also be gathering data that helps scientists understand the potential intensity of a hurricane before it makes landfall.University of Delaware…
KCC Takes Delivery of Final CABU III Combination Carrier
Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) has taken delivery of MV Baltazar, its third and final contracted third-generation CABU vessel, from New Yangzi Shipyard in China.Equipped with the first wind-assisted propulsion system in KCC's fleet and a range of advanced energy efficiency technologies, MV Baltazar completes the CABU III newbuilding program and brings KCC's fleet to 19 combination carriers.Designed…
Maersk to Sell Training Subsidiary
A.P. Moller - Maersk has entered into an agreement to sell Maersk Training and its subsidiary Maersk H2S Safety Services to Open Gate Capital, an industrial, corporate carve-out specialist.For more than four decades, Maersk Training has provided specialized training, competence development and safety services to industries including energy, maritime, renewables and logistics, supporting customers in…
Crew Rescued After Vehicle Carrier Fire Off Costa Rica
The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 22 crew members from the Marshall Islands-flagged vehicle carrier Min Jiang Kou after the ship experienced a fire approximately 630 miles south of Costa Rica on Thursday.At 1:09 p.m., Coast Guard Southwest District watchstanders received an Inmarsat distress alert indicating an engine room fire onboard. Watchstanders established contact with the ship’s manager…
Odesa Port Damaged in Lethal Attacks
Ukraine and Russia accused each other of lethal attacks on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was targeting global food security by striking Odesa's seaport.Three people were killed and 37 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where a multi-storey apartment block was hit, while authorities in Russia's Belgorod said five were killed and 25 wounded by a Ukrainian drone attack.Zelenskiy said Odesa's seaport had been damaged by a strike.
BHP Port Unions Strike at Port Hedland
More workers joined a strike at BHP's Port Hedland operations in Western Australia on Sunday, a union spokesperson said, in the first major industrial action at the ‌iron-ore export hub in a quarter-century.On the second of the planned two days of stoppage, some 100 workers downed tools at the world's biggest export hub for iron ore at 5:30 a.m. (2130 GMT), taking the total involved to around 150,…
Black Sea Shipping Flows Despite Security Concerns
Ships are passing smoothly through the Turkish straits to the Black Sea despite heightened concerns about safety, two Turkish government officials told Reuters on Sunday.On Saturday, Bloomberg News reported that Ankara had restricted commercial ship traffic entering the Black Sea following attacks on vessels there, including Turkish-owned ships.Turkey has issued repeated warnings to Moscow and Kyiv over the attacks in the Black Sea…
Rhine Could be “Split in Two” by Low Water
Low water levels risk halting cargo traffic on a key stretch of the Rhine this week, effectively splitting the critical waterway into two separate zones, the federal association of German inland shipping (BDB) said on Monday.BDB managing director Jens Schwanen told the Rheinische Post newspaper water levels at Germany's Kaub gauging station, a major bottleneck for Rhine navigation, were forecast to…
Iran Ties Hormuz Reopening to US Concessions
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats, before the strategic waterway is reopened.A U.S. official told Reuters on Friday that Iran and Oman were close to a deal that could pave the way for restoring safe passage through the strait…
