Cal Poly Maritime Academy Celebrates Class of 2026
Cal Poly Maritime Academy (formerly the CSU Maritime Academy) will award 150 bachelor’s degrees and 20 master’s degrees at its commencement ceremony Saturday, May 2, at Bodnar Field.The university will also award an Honorary Doctor of Science degree to Capt. Kate McCue, who graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is the inaugural captain of Four Seasons. McCue is an internationally recognized maritime leader whose career spans nearly three decades at sea.
EU Matches Hydrogen Offtakers to Potential Projects
The European Commission has successfully closed the first round of activities of the Hydrogen Mechanism operated under the EU Energy and Raw Materials Platform. Market participants currently developing hydrogen projects (on both supply and demand side) responded with high engagement, showing great appetite for this new initiative and the development of the hydrogen market.During this first round, the…
U.S. Coast Guard Suspends Search for Saipan Crew
The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing crew members of the cargo vessel Mariana at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday. Missing are five crew members of the cargo vessel Mariana, which reportedly experienced a disabled engine approximately 140 miles northwest of Saipan on April 15.The six crew members aboard the Mariana at the time of the incident were Frederick L. Nosek Jr., Landon Delos Reyes, Jose L. Ramirez, Mohammed A. Rahaman, Chet R. Brochon, and Vincent B. Agulto. U.S.
Russia Adds Four LNG Carriers to Fleet
Russia has added four LNG carriers to its fleet, LSEG ship-tracking data and the Russian ship register showed on Wednesday, which could help the country to increase its market share ahead of an EU ban on Russian gas imports.The European Union in January gave its final approval to a ban on Russian gas imports by late 2027.The bloc has also imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its war on Ukraine.
Trump Discusses Prolonged Blockade, Urges Iran to Sign Deal
Donald Trump discussed how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long U.S. blockade of Iran's ports with U.S. oil companies, a White House official said on Wednesday, as the U.S. president urged Tehran to 'get smart soon' and sign a deal.The talks with oil executives on Tuesday followed days of deadlock in efforts to resolve the conflict, which has led the U.S. to try to squeeze Iran's oil exports with a naval blockade to try to force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.Trump…
Fincantieri, KAYO Collaborate to Strengthen Albanian Navy
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Albania's KAYO have set up a joint venture to build and maintain vessels in Albania, which is seeking to modernise its military infrastructure and deepen its NATO ties.The two sides signed a deal in the presence of the Albanian prime minister and defence minister, as well as the CEOs of Fincantieri and KAYO, according to a government and company statement.Albania…
TotalEnergies Pauses Middle East Production Until Hormuz Transit Stabilizes
TotalEnergies will not resume Middle East production until shipping transit through the Strait of Hormuz has stabilised, its CEO said on Wednesday.About 15% of Total's upstream oil and gas production is offline because it is unable to ship cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz as the Iran war continues, though resulting higher oil prices and increased output in other regions have offset the company's Middle East losses.The French oil major has nine tankers stuck in the strait…
Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Pumping Station
Ukraine struck what it said was an oil pumping station 1,500 km (900 miles) into Russia near the Ural Mountains with drones overnight, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv would keep increasing the range of its strikes.Kyiv has stepped up its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, aiming to knock out oil refineries, depots and ports and cripple Moscow's biggest source of funding for its war in Ukraine…
Shipping Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz Remains at a Trickle
At least six ships - a fraction of the usual traffic - have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed on Wednesday, while the U.S. and Iran remain deadlocked over coming to terms that would re-open the crucial waterway.The vessel traffic was mainly through Iranian waters and included the Vast Plus chemical tanker, which is subject to US sanctions, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax.Most of the ships were dry bulk carriers…
Ukraine Asks Israel to Seize Grain Carrier Stolen from Russian-Occupied Territory
Ukraine has asked Israel to seize a vessel carrying grain it says was stolen from areas occupied by Russia, its top prosecutor said on Wednesday, amid a diplomatic tussle between the two countries over the shipment.Ukraine and Israel traded accusations on Tuesday, with Ukraine saying it had repeatedly urged Israel via diplomatic channels to take measures regarding the vessel. Israel accused Kyiv of…
Direct Travel Expands Avenir Platform for Specialty Markets
Direct Travel announced the expansion of Avenir, its global travel platform across its specialty market divisions, including Energy, Marine and Mining. Delivered through ATPl's specialist businesses, Avenir provides a single global platform and unified service model for executive and project-based business travel complementing the company's sector specific logistics and workforce mobility solutions.With this expansion…
North Star Acquires Four New Service Operation Vessels
North Star, a fully integrated offshore infrastructure service provider, has completed the acquisition of four new Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) from Edda Wind.The transaction takes its offshore wind fleet to 14 vessels, among Europe’s largest.The four SOVs, which are currently deployed on offshore wind contracts, provide immediate access to high-specification capacity and enhance North Star’s flexibility in meeting customer needs across key European markets.
Orca AI, Samsung Heavy Industries Join Forces to Advance Autonomous Vessel Technology
Maritime AI company Orca AI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), a leading shipbuilder, to jointly accelerate the development, deployment and scaling of next-generation autonomous vessel technologies in real-world operations.The phased collaboration will combine SHI’s autonomous solutions with Orca AI’s AI-powered maritime operations platform, enabling the scaled deployment of AI-assisted navigation…
Submarine, Shipbuilding Demand Power GD Q1 Growth
General Dynamics reported a solid start to 2026, with its maritime-focused Marine Systems segment delivering standout growth driven by continued demand for U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs.The company posted overall first-quarter revenue of $13.5 billion, up 10.3% year-over-year, but the strongest gains came from Marine Systems, where revenue jumped 21% to $4.34 billion.Operating earnings in the segment climbed even faster…
U.S. Appeals Court Backs FMC in Evergreen Dispute
A long-running dispute over container detention charges between Evergreen and a U.S. trucking company has been resolved, with a federal appeals court siding squarely with the regulator and reinforcing limits on when carriers can impose such fees.In a decision issued April 28, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a petition by Evergreen Shipping Agency (America) Corp.
Wilson Sons Pilots Drone Delivery for Offshore Operations
Brazilian maritime logistics and port operator Wilson Sons has started testing drone deliveries for offshore logistics operations in Guanabara Bay, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.The company is conducting its first drone operations to deliver and collect documents for platform supply vessels, with trials underway since April 6 from its offshore support base in Rio.The drones, operated by Speedbird Aero…
Strait of Hormuz Closure Curbs Dry Bulk Demand
"The Iran war and the resulting disruptions to ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz have increased uncertainty for both the global economy and the dry bulk market. Around 4% of dry bulk cargoes and tonne mile demand typically sail through the strait and at present, and around 210 ships, equivalent to roughly 1% of the dry bulk fleet, are currently trapped in the Persian Gulf,” says Filipe Gouveia…
Japan-Linked Tanker Carrying Saudi Oil Passes Strait of Hormuz
Panama-flagged tanker Idemitsu Maru, carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil, crossed the Strait of Hormuz, LSEG shipping data showed on Tuesday, becoming the first Japan-linked crude tanker to do so since the Iran war began.Before the U.S.-Iran conflict broke out on February 28 and disrupted Middle East crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, Japan relied on the region for 95% of its oil imports…
