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Friday, August 28, 2026

Usa News

27 Aug 2026

Turkey Increases Diesel Imports From US, India

Credit: Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

Turkey increased its imports of diesel from the United States and India in August to record levels, shipping data showed, as a Russian ban on diesel exports and wider disruption caused by the Iran war prompted its importers to diversify their sources of supply.So far this month, Turkey has imported more than 120,000 barrels per day of Indian diesel, while its imports from the U.S. reached 90,000 bpd, according to commodities data firm Kpler.These volumes are the highest monthly totals on record


27 Aug 2026

SHIPPINGInsight Names U.S. Maritime Administrator Captain Stephen Carmel Opening Keynote Speaker for PROJECT 2027- Catalyzing the US Maritime Industry into Action Conference

Credit: MARAD’s
Featured Image: Stephen Carmel, Maritime Administrator

SHIPPINGInsight confirmed that Captain Stephen Carmel, U.S. Maritime Administrator, will deliver the opening keynote address at SHIPPINGInsight’s PROJECT 2027: Catalyzing the U.S. Maritime Industry into Action, powered by AMIC (American Maritime Industrial Coalition), to be held October 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas. His remarks, entitled “State of Play for U.S. Maritime,” will assess the current condition of the nation’s maritime capabilities and outline priorities for the industry going forward.The address comes as federal agencies


26 Aug 2026

Saltchuk Tanker Companies Ordered by NLRB to Bargain With Licensed Deck Officers

© Rafael Henrique - stock.adobe.com

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ordered both Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) and Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG), Saltchuk Resources subsidiaries, to immediately recognize the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) and bargain in good faith with more than 125 Licensed Deck Officers.The officers voted decisively for MM&P representation in separate NLRB-certified elections in 2024, winning 70% at OSG and 80% at ATC. Instead of beginning first-contract negotiations, ATC and OSG challenged the results and unlawfully refused to bargain.

24 Aug 2026

UAE Trade Pause, US Sanctions Threaten Indian Exports to Iran

© Adobe Stock/Grispb

Planned new U.S. sanctions on Iran and the UAE's halt on Tehran trade could severely disrupt Indian exports of rice, tea and pharmaceuticals to Iran, which have been largely routed through Dubai's port in recent years, Indian exporters said on Monday.India has been among Iran's five largest trading partners, though bilateral trade has fallen by more than 90% from its 2018/19 highs of $17 billion, with exports now limited mostly to goods exempted on humanitarian grounds.Indian exporters fear U.S.

24 Aug 2026

TOTE Services, Hanwha Philly Shipyard Deliver Fourth NSMV

© TOTE Services

TOTE Services, LLC, a U.S. maritime services company specializing in vessel construction management and ship management, together with Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Inc. (HPSI), has completed the fourth of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV), the LONE STAR STATE. Today, the vessel was delivered to the U.S. Department of Transportation-Maritime Administration (MARAD) and will be homeported at Texas A&M Maritime Academy.The LONE STAR STATE is a purpose-built NSMV developed to modernize the training capabilities of the nation’s state maritime academies.

21 Aug 2026

Oil Prices Set for Second Weekly Gain as US Threatens Iranian Sanctions

© Adobe Stock/hunterpic2013

Oil prices were steady on Friday and were on track for a second straight weekly gain after the United States threatened to impose the toughest sanctions in history with no end in sight for disruptions to Middle East oil flows.Brent crude futures rose 20 cents, or 0.21%, to $93.98 a barrel by 1307 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 7 cents, or 0.08%, at $86.90.The Brent benchmark has gained more than 6.1% while WTI has risen 5.3% this week, with both touching their highest since July 24 in the previous session."The U.S.

19 Aug 2026

Crowley Adds Container Service Connecting Port Houston and Central America

© Crowley

Crowley, a provider of logistics, marine and energy solutions, announced a new weekly container service connecting Port Houston to Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala, and Puerto Cortés, Honduras, two of Central America’s largest and fastest-growing trade gateways.The Gulf-Central America Express Service makes its first Houston call on Sept. 10 with Thursday departures. Crowley’s vessels will carry dry and refrigerated containers that safely transport a range of fresh produce, apparel, industrial products and consumer goods from sea to land.

19 Aug 2026

US Natural Gas Futures Reach Four-Week High

© Adobe Stock/SDF_QWE

U.S. natural gas futures rose to a near four-week high on Wednesday, supported by forecasts for hotter weather and firm oil prices, while investors awaited a federal storage report due this week. Front-month gas futures for September delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 9.6 cents, or 3.5%, to $2.87 per million British thermal units, their highest level since July 24. Oil prices steadied near a three-week high on uncertainty over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and other ongoing supply disruptions in the market. "(Natgas) market is currently edging higher...

18 Aug 2026

No US-Iran Talks Planned, Hormuz Remains Closed

© Adobe Stock/ytemha34

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday no talks were taking place with Iran and none were scheduled, and he insisted that the Strait of Hormuz was open, contradicting an earlier Iranian assertion that the critical waterway remained shut to shipping.The receding prospects of a deal to end the nearly six-month conflict drove up oil prices again on Tuesday, while stock markets sagged and borrowing costs for major economies including the U.S. hit multi-decade highs, amid concerns


17 Aug 2026

San Diego Hosts the 99th International Propeller Club Convention

© Propeller Club Port of San Diego

This September, the 99th International Propeller Club Convention comes to San Diego. Hosted by the Propeller Club Port of San Diego (PCSD), part of a worldwide network of more than 80 Clubs, the Convention will bring maritime professionals and industry leaders from across the United States and around the world together to discuss the challenges, opportunities and innovations shaping the future of the maritime industry.Centered around the theme, "Advancing Maritime Excellence: Where Tradition Meets Innovation


17 Aug 2026

Iran Shifts to the Offensive as US Diplomacy Stalls

© Adobe Stock/Photix Studio

Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.Progress towards peace talks and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, with no sign that the warring parties are moving towards ending the conflict that the U.S. and Israel launched on February 28."Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region


14 Aug 2026

Hormuz Traffic Dwindles As US Threatens Economic Pressure

© Adobe Stock/Noor Afzal

Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to grind to a near standstill on Friday after two more ships were attacked there and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely.A senior Iranian source said on Wednesday that there had been no progress in talks to build on a June agreement to end the war. Since the ceasefire renewed in the June deal broke down, Iran has resumed attacks on ships it accuses of trying to transit the strait without its


11 Aug 2026

Iran Declares Hormuz Closed Until US Meets Requirements

© Adobe Stock/Noor Afzal

The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as the U.S. does not change its behaviour and accept Iran's conditions to end the war, the newly appointed secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Tuesday.His comments are the strongest indication so far that any deal in talks with Oman over the waterway would not immediately reopen it to shipping if the U.S. does not also abide by its commitments in a memorandum of understanding towards ending the conflict


10 Aug 2026

Ship Spotter: Training Ship State of Maine

© Celia Konowe

Training Ship State of Maine, the third of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels built for the U.S. state maritime academies, seen at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine.

10 Aug 2026

Oil Prices Rise 3% as Iran Demands US Cooperation

© Adobe Stock/chakisatelier

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


07 Aug 2026

TOTE Services Hosts Medium Landing Ship (LSM) Industry Day

Rendering of the Medium Land Ship (LSM). Credit: TOTE Services

TOTE Services, LLC, a leading U.S. maritime services company specializing in vessel construction management and ship management, hosted more than 30 commercial shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, marine suppliers, and defense contractors from over a dozen states across the country for its Medium Landing Ship (LSM) Industry Day.The Industry Day serves as the foundational step in assembling a reliable, nationwide supply chain to support multi-yard construction and ensure cost and schedule discipline.Attendees learned about the project timeline


07 Aug 2026

Corn Belt Ports Co-Hosts National Waterways Conference Annual Meeting

© Corn Belt Ports

This year's annual meeting for the National Waterways Conference will be held in Moline, Illinois, co-hosted by Corn Belt Ports. This marks the first non-coastal state to host since Memphis, Tennessee in 2019.Attendees will be able to connect with water and waterways leaders, federal partners, and industry stakeholders for three days of policy discussion, networking, and on-the-water learning along the Upper Mississippi River system.Moline sits in the heart of the Quad Cities


06 Aug 2026

US Will Import Highest Quantity of Middle Eastern Crude Since Start of War

© Adobe Stock/Fahroni

U.S. imports of Middle Eastern crude are set to hit about 600,000 barrels per day in August, the highest since the Iran war began, as a brief opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the rerouting of Saudi oil through the Suez Canal pushed barrels toward American ports, ship-tracking data showed.Nearly a dozen ships loaded with Middle Eastern crude were headed to U.S. ports as American refiners and traders moved swiftly to snap up barrels that exited the strait when a memorandum of understanding signed by U.S.

06 Aug 2026

Food for Peace Program Begins Wheat Shipment to Kenya

From left to right: Chris Westbrook (Vice President, Gulf Coast, Seafarers International Union), William Campbell (Executive Vice President, Liberty Maritime), Lisa Burley (Office of Cargo and Commercial Sealift, U.S. Maritime Administration), Captain Willie Barrere (President, American Maritime Officers), John Owen (Louisianan Rice Farmer and Chairman of USA Rice), Michelle Bekkering (USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs), Dr. Mike Strain (Commissioner, Louisiana Dept

The Transportation Institute (TI), representing U.S.-flag American shipping companies, joined farmers, millers, longshoremen, merchant mariners, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the World Food Programme (WFP) at the Port of New Orleans to mark the latest Food for Peace shipment of grain bound for Kenya. The U.S.-flagged LIBERTY GRACE loaded 28,420 metric tons of Louisiana Rice in New Orleans. The vessel will take on wheat in Houston before departing with enough food to feed more than 1 million people facing hunger for an entire year.

05 Aug 2026

US’ First National Coast Guard Museum Set to Open in One Year

A rendering shows the future National Coast Guard Museum along the Thames River waterfront in New London, Connecticut. The 80,000-square-foot museum, scheduled to open to the public during the week of Aug. 2, 2027, will be the nation’s first national museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the history, heritage and enduring missions of the U.S. Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard rendering)

One year from today, Americans will have the opportunity to experience the National Coast Guard Museum, the first national museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the history, heritage, and missions of the Coast Guard. The museum will open to the public during the week of Aug. 2, 2027, culminating with the Coast Guard’s birthday on Aug. 4.Currently under construction along the Thames River waterfront in New London, Connecticut, the 80,000-square-foot museum will feature five public decks with three exhibit floors


05 Aug 2026

July Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Increases Slightly

© Lake Carriers’ Association

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.1 million tons in July, an increase of less than one percent compared to 2025. Shipments were below the month’s 5-year average by 7.2 percent. Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 22.5 million tons, an increase of 3.3 percent compared to a year ago. Iron ore shipments were 5.2 percent below their 5-year average for the first seven months of the year. Great Lakes Iron Ore Shipments: July 2021-2026 and 5-Year AverageIncludes Transshipments to Quebec City for Shipment Overseas(net tons)  AveragePort2021202220232024202520262021-2025Duluth


05 Aug 2026

July 2026 Trade of U.S. Great Lakes Limestone Increases

© Lake Carriers’ Association

U.S. shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes increased to 3.1 million tons in July, an 8.7 percent increase compared to last year. The trade was also above the month’s 5-year average by 3.2 percent.Year-to-date, the Lakes limestone trade stands at 10.1 million tons, a decrease of 3 percent compared to 2025 and 4.2 percent below the month’s 5-year average. GREAT LAKES LIMESTONE TRADE: JULY 2021-2026 AND LONG-TERM AVERAGE (NET TONS) 202120222023202420252026Average2021-2025U.S.

03 Aug 2026

USACE, Port Freeport Cut Ribbon After Channel Improvement Project

© U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District and Port Freeport recognized a milestone in the Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project during a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 28, 2026.The federal navigation project deepens and partially widens the harbor channel, enhances the upper turning basin and eases the lower channel bend. The improvements provide greater vessel access, operating flexibility and navigation capability at one of Texas’ leading commercial ports.The deeper