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13 Feb 2026

Second Aircraft Carrier Moves to the Middle East

An F/A-18E Super Hornet lands on the flight deck of the Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
U.S. Navy photo

The Pentagon is sending an aircraft carrier from the Caribbean to the Middle East, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, a move that would put two carriers in the region as tensions soar between the United States and Iran.The Gerald R. Ford carrier, the United States' newest and the world's largest carrier, has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and took part in operations in Venezuela earlier this year.One of the officials, who was speaking on condition of anonymity…

28 Oct 2025

Dr. James S.C. Chao Honored by Webb Institute

Dr. Chao giving his remarks at Webb Institute. Image courtesy Webb Institute

Webb Institute awarded Dr. James S.C. Chao, Founder and Chairman of Foremost Group, an Honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of his visionary leadership in the global maritime industry and his profound commitment to education, philanthropy, and sustainability.The ceremony was held on Webb’s Glen Cove campus before the Board of Trustees, students, and faculty. Dr. Chao delivered brief remarks reflecting on his extraordinary journey, from a young sea captain to one of the most respected figures in international shipping.“The sea has been my lifelong classroom,” said Dr. Chao.

16 Jun 2025

US Warships Arrive in Australia, Prep for War Games, Summit

Two F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, prepare to land on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while conducting flight operations in the Philippine Sea, June 1. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and pa

A key U.S. warship arrived in Australia on Saturday ahead of joint war games and the first summit between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump, which is expected to be dominated by military issues.The America, the U.S. Navy's lead amphibious assault ship in the Indo-Pacific, entered Sydney Harbour as the first of three ships in a strike group carrying 2,500 sailors and marines, submarine-hunting helicopters and F-35B fighter jets.More than 30,000 personnel from 19 militaries have begun to arrive in Australia for Talisman Sabre, the largest Australian-U.S.

31 Dec 2024

Obituary: Lieutenant James Earl Carter Jr., USN - 39th American President

Jimmy Carter observes submariners in the main control room of submarine USS K-1 sometime between June and October 1952. Navy photo

President James Earl "Jimmy" Carter passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.President Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 with distinction, after which he was assigned to USS Wyoming (E-AG 17) as an ensign. After completing two years of surface ship duty, Carter applied for submarine duty. He served as executive officer, engineering officer, and electronics repair officer on the submarine SSK-1. When Admiral Hyman G. Rickover (then a captain) started his program to create nuclear-powered submarines…

30 Sep 2024

US Election Awash with Maritime Implications

© rawpixel / Adobe Stock

With a critical election fast approaching – in which the Executive Branch, House and Senate are all up for grabs – it is essential to consider the election’s potential impact on the maritime industry before heading to the voting booth.Maritime impact on the electionAt the time of writing, we are two weeks away from the expiration of the current six-year master agreement between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) with no new agreement in sight.

15 Apr 2024

Thordon Delivers Rudder Bearing to Research Ship

Source: Thordon Bearings

Thordon Bearings, the pioneer in water-lubricated bearings, secured a new order for a rudder bearing that was fitted to a 77.1m (253ft) research ship that frequently operates in ecologically sensitive marine environments.The 38-year-old Ocean Endeavour, operated by the UK’s Gardline, a multi-disciplinary marine survey company which operates a fleet of 13 multi-role survey ships, was recently fitted with Thordon’s SXL rudder bearing at UK Docks Marine Services’ Teesside drydock.Bruntons Propellers…

13 Jun 2023

White House Says West Coast Port Negotiations Show Some Progress

© Matt Gush / Adobe Stock

West Coast port employers and the union representing 22,000 workers have "overcome some sticking points" in tense labor talks that have entered their 13th month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su is in San Francisco, where negotiations have been taking place, "meeting with all parties encouraging them to reach a resolution," Jean-Pierre said, adding that Su "has invaluable expertise working closely with these parties."Business groups are pressuring U.S.

13 Mar 2023

Tom Cruise Visits Aircraft Carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Tom Cruise addresses the crew on the 1MC during a visit to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), March 3, 2023. (Photo: Samuel Wagner / U.S. Navy)

One of Hollywood's biggest stars recently paid a visit to U.S. Navy sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).Top Gun: Maverick producer and star Tom Cruise was joined by writer and producer Christopher McQuarrie, and editor Eddie Hamilton, along with Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, for the stop. The team led a Top Gun: Maverick viewing in the ship’s hangar bay and took time to visit with sailors aboard the ship, which has been deployed since departing Naval Station Norfolk in August 2022.“I know our sailors will never forget that night in the hangar bay…

18 Jan 2023

Panama Has Canceled Registry to 136 Iran-linked Vessels

Panama's vessel registry, the world's largest, has withdrawn its flag from 136 ships linked to Iran's state oil company in the last four years, the country's maritime authority said this week, pushing back against claims by an anti-nuclear group.Shipments of Iranian crude hit all-time highs in the last two months of 2022 and had a strong start this year, according to flow tracking firms. Those gains come despite U.S. sanctions on companies it accuses of helping Iran export oil…

09 Aug 2022

USS Farragut Deploys with George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group

Credit: US Navy

US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) deployed as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) from Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Aug. 6.According to the U.S. Navy, this is a routine deployment for Farragut and the first after a dry-dock maintenance period in 2021.Farragut returned to operational capability in the summer of 2021 and has completed a rigorous training cycle, including a visit from the Congressional Board of Inspection and Survey…

04 Aug 2021

Trelleborg Opens Houston HQ for Marine Solutions

(Photo: Trelleborg)

Trelleborg said its marine and infrastructure operation in North America has recently moved into its new sales office in Houston, Texas, in a move aimed at meeting the growing demands across all North American markets and providing more localized and coordinated customer support for its complimentary product offerings, which include marine fender systems, docking and mooring equipment, transfer link systems, and navigation and piloting solutions.The new 8,600-square-foot office located on the west side of Houston places Trelleborg in the heart of the Houston metro area.

18 Feb 2021

Inside Cruise Shipping's Fight for Survival

Photo Source: Port Everglades

In early 2021, the somber news from the cruise sector continued. For some cruise brands, their own version of “lockdowns” will have spanned an entire year. By late January, 2021, Carnival and others were hesitantly pegging their restarts for April/May 2021, and for some markets, late summer, under a Conditional Sail Order promulgated late last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).What else to do but look ahead?In preliminary earnings guidance, Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL)…

26 Jan 2021

US Maritime Industry Praises Biden's 'Buy American' Order

President Joe Biden signs the Strengthening "Buy American" Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers executive order (Photo: The White House)

President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order aiming to use government spending to strengthen domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies, in a move widely praised by America's maritime industry.The executive order, titled Strengthening "Buy American" Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers", calls for increasing the amount of U.S. content that must be in a product for it to be considered made in America under existing "Buy American" requirements.

09 Oct 2020

US Sanctions: Spotlight on Cuba

© Bernd / Adobe Stock

The U.S. maintains a comprehensive sanctions program against Cuba, generally prohibiting all trade between the two nations, subject to multiple exceptions. In a previous article we addressed U.S. comprehensive sanctions generally, focusing on Iran, Syria and North Korea. Because the Cuba sanctions program has several idiosyncrasies that are unique to Cuba we address the Cuba sanctions program on its own.Background to Cuba sanctionsThe Cuba sanctions program is the oldest U.S. sanctions program still in existence.

19 Aug 2020

Subsea Mining: The Race is On, But Effects are Unclear

Manganese nodules on the Atlantic Ocean floor off the southeastern United States, discovered in 2019 during the Deep Sea Ventures pilot test. (Photo: NOAA)

Mining the ocean floor for submerged minerals is a little-known, experimental industry. But soon it will take place on the deep seabed, which belongs to everyone, according to international law.Seabed mining for valuable materials like copper, zinc and lithium already takes place within countries’ marine territories. As soon as 2025, larger projects could start in international waters – areas more than 200 nautical miles from shore, beyond national jurisdictions.We study ocean policy…

26 Jun 2020

Video: President Trump Visits Fincantieri Marinette Marine

President Trump delivers remarks at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin (Photo: Fincantieri Marinette Marine)

President Donald Trump visited Fincantieri Marinette Marine Thursday following the Wisconsin shipyard’s recent contract award to design and build the U.S. Navy's first-in-class FFG(X) guided-missile frigate.The first U.S. president to visit the Marinette Marine shipyard, Trump toured the facilities where Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are currently built and met with employees before delivering remarks in which he pledged support to the U.S. shipbuilding industry and congratulated the shipyard for winning the multibillion dollar frigate contract."Not long ago…

12 Feb 2020

WCI's Toohey Announces Retirement

Michael Toohey (Photo: WCI)

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) President and CEO Michael J. Toohey has revealed plans to retire, the group announced to its Board of Directors and members at its meeting in Washington, DC on Wednesday.“Having turned 71 this month, I believe it is time to focus on my faith, family, my golf handicap and my other interests,” Toohey said. “I remain committed to WCI’s continued achievement now and in the future once a successor is named.”WCI’s Executive Committee will select an executive search firm to begin the process to seek a successor.

18 Sep 2019

Magellan Begins Refined Products Transportation on Hearne Pipeline

Photo: Magellan Midstream

Magellan Midstream Partners LP said on Wednesday it had commenced operation of a new 135-mile, 20-inch diameter refined products pipeline from its East Houston terminal to Hearne, Texas.The company also said construction of a pipeline spur from the new system to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport was also complete and would be in operation by Nov. 1, once testing is finalized.Completion of the East Houston to Hearne pipeline has also reversed an existing pipeline segment between Hearne and Dallas…

29 May 2020

USMI: 35 Years and Going Strong

Spanning 35 exciting years, USMI’s core values of Family, Integrity and Quality have served the firm and its military customers well. The next 35 promise to be just as compelling.Little more than one month ago, on April 16, 2019, Gulfport, MS-based United States Marine Inc. (USMI) celebrated its 35th anniversary of continuous Department of Defense production, with hopes of many more years to come. According to CEO and President Barry Dreyfus, Jr., they’ll do just that by exceeding customer expectations by adhering to USMI’s core values of Family, Integrity and, of course, Quality. Over three and one-half decades, the firm has thrived, primarily by evolving into one of the nation’s premier military small craft builders.RootsThe company originally built World Class racing sailboats.

16 Jun 2019

Offshore Wind – A Brief History

Credit: Used with permission of Worldsfairchicago1893.com

Happy 80th birthday Maritime Reporter & Engineering News! Eighty years is a significant publishing and business accomplishment!Birthdays always cause a look back. An 80-year review starts in 1939, the close of one very challenging decade, the start of events still reverberating today. History’s most important history is contained in the last 80 years.Energy dominated every one of those decades. Consider energy use, say, starting after World War II, from 1950 to 1975. There was power for everything…

10 Sep 2019

DMC Wins Suppy Contract From Cape Arkona

Damen Marine Components (DMC), the manufacturer of rudder and steering systems, nozzles, winches and controls, said that it has won a contract to supply a steering system for the trawler Cape Arkona.Currently in build at the Baatbygg yard at Måløy in western Norway for Austral Fisheries, the 1,150m³ vessel is capable of alternating between operating as a freezer trawler, long liner and a potter vessel, all within the period of a single trip.According to a press note, DMC will be supplying the 70-metre vessel with a Van der Velden TIMON flap rudder with heal bearing and a Van der Velden COMMANDER rotary vane steering gear.The slim-profile TIMON flap rudder is a popular and proven system which delivers superior maneuvering and course-keeping performance compared to conventional rudders.

25 Jun 2019

Chao to Receive AOTOS Award

U.S. Secretary of Transportation, The Honorable Elaine L. Chao (Photo: USDOT)

The United Seamen’s Service  announced that U.S. Secretary of Transportation, The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, will receive the 2019 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award based on her career-long commitment to the maritime industry. The other, previously announced recipients are James Given, President of the Seafarers International Union of Canada; Anil Mathur, President and CEO of Alaska Tanker Corp.; and Joseph Pyne, Chairman of the Board of the Kirby Corporation.The award will be presented at the 50th annual AOTOS gala at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City, on November 1, 2019.

30 May 2019

Six Live Elephants Exported to DRC

A family of six elephants were loaded aboard the freighter El Nino in the port of Walvis Bay and is destined for an upmarket tourism Game Park in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)."This is the first time a consignment of such magnitude involving adult elephants is leaving the country and will definitely not be the last as this was a trial run to guarantee that future exportations are conducted smoothly, said a press release from Namport, operating as the National Port Authority in Namibia, manages both the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Lüderitz in Namibia.On the safety of the animals during the transhipment, Dr Ulf Tubbesing…