Maritime News from gCaptain.com

Singapore-based shipbuilder Seatrium Limited has delivered a next-generation Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV) to Maersk Offshore Wind, marking the completion of a project that only months ago was at the center of a high-stakes contractual dispute between the two companies.

Iran will allow Indian-flagged tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 40% of the South Asian nation's crude imports, an Indian government source said on Thursday, but an Iranian source outside the country denied any such deal was reached.

The US Navy could start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz by the end of this month, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.  Wright said on CNBC on Thursday US military assets were currently focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and weapons manufacturing, but could shift focus to protecting shipping traffic in the coming weeks.

Russia will push its nuclear-powered icebreakers to sea for up to 270 days a year, increasing workloads as an ageing fleet, sanctions-related delays and unpredictable ice conditions strain Moscow’s ability to escort cargo along the Northern Sea Route.

Despite receiving nearly $25 billion in supplemental funding—the largest investment in its history—the U.S. Coast Guard continues to face critical workforce shortages and equipment readiness gaps, according to a new Government Accountability Office report that warns money alone will not fix the service’s deep-rooted operational challenges.

A collision between a crude oil tanker and a fishing trawler in Scotland’s Firth of Clyde has sparked renewed calls for mandatory navigation training for small fishing vessel crews, after investigators found that a lack of formal training and flawed assumptions on both bridges nearly proved fatal for three fishermen.

Tsakos Energy Navigation CEO Dr. Nikos Tsakos says geopolitical turmoil and the rapid expansion of shadow tanker trading have created a severe shortage of high-quality vessels, pushing charter rates to levels rarely seen in the industry. Speaking during a recent investor presentation, Tsakos said nearly a third of the global tanker fleet has been sidelined by sanctions, leaving oil majors scrambling for compliant tonnage and reshaping global energy trade routes.

A Russian container ship captain has been sentenced to six years in prison after a fatal North Sea collision that killed a Filipino seafarer and triggered an eight-day fire following the release of aviation fuel from an anchored tanker.

China is asking state firms to halt talks over new projects in Panama, as part of Beijing’s broader retaliation after the Central American country voided CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd.’s contract to operate two ports along its strategic canal, according to people familiar with the matter.

Global container shipping rates fell for a fourth consecutive week as the traditional pre-Lunar New Year cargo surge failed to materialize. Spot rates dropped across all major trade lanes, prompting carriers to announce an unusually large wave of blank sailings as uncertainty over demand and Suez Canal transits continues to cloud the market outlook.

French naval forces have intercepted 4.24 tons of cocaine off French Polynesia, marking the second major drug seizure in the territory in less than three weeks and highlighting growing concern over Pacific shipping lanes being used to move South American cocaine toward Asia and Oceania.

U.S. and Russia agreed to restore military-to-military communication after a 3-year freeze. The channel aims to reduce miscalculation risks in the Black Sea, Arctic, and Europe—critical for commercial shipping safety.

Maersk slipped into a rare quarterly loss in its Ocean division as freight rates weakened and the container giant began a cautious return to Red Sea and Suez Canal transits. The setback underscores the financial strain facing carriers as overcapacity collides with the end of Cape of Good Hope diversions.

Estonian authorities released the Russia-bound Baltic Spirit early Wednesday after finding no drugs despite a helicopter-borne SWAT operation. The failed interdiction highlights resource constraints facing smaller NATO states policing Baltic shipping.

Russia’s newest liquefied natural gas carrier, the Arc7 ice?class vessel Alexey Kosygin, made its inaugural delivery to the Saam floating storage and regasification unit (FSU) on February 2, 2026 near the Arctic city of Murmansk. 

The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off Britain's east coast last year was jailed for six years on Thursday for causing the death of a crew member through gross negligence.

Port of Virginia commissions four ULCV berths with new ship-to-shore cranes as historic 55-foot channel deepening project nears completion, positioning Norfolk as East Coast's deepest commercial port.

Equinor expects 10-20% production decline at Johan Sverdrup, Europe's largest oil field growth source. The decline signals broader challenges for global oil supply amid aging fields.

By Michael Kei, ABS Vice President, Technology Interest in carbon capture and storage (CCS) is accelerating as industries adapt to evolving regulatory expectations, customer requirements, and competitive pressures. For energy...

Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces confronted the US-flagged tanker Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a US Navy escort response and highlighting escalating maritime risks in the world's most strategic shipping choke point.