News from gCaptain
Saudi Arabia Strikes Houthi Targets as Red Sea War Escalates
Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis said Saudi Arabia was attacking the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Tuesday after a Saudi-led coalition warned civilians to stay away from an oil depot on the city's outskirts, part of a rapidly escalating war between the sides.
Categories: Maritime News
ABS Helps Industry Put Augmented Reality to the Test
Augmented reality (AR) can help industrial crews perform tasks more efficiently and consistently, but widespread deployment will depend on demonstrating that productivity gains can be achieved without compromising safety. That’s...
Categories: Maritime News
Fire Forces Crew to Abandon Research Vessel Off Louisiana
A fire aboard a seismic research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico forced dozens of crew members to abandon ship Monday, with nearby offshore supply vessels helping bring the evacuees...
Categories: Maritime News
Supertankers Turn From Gulf Oil Transfer Hub Amid Iran’s Attacks
A growing number of empty supertankers have been turning away from the Persian Gulf as escalating Iranian attacks threaten a critical transfer hub for wartime oil shipments.
Categories: Maritime News
Container Surge Continues At The Port Of Long Beach
The Port of Los Angeles reported its best single month in its history. In a media briefing, port executive director Gene Seroka announced the port processed 1,042,652 TEUs, 23k TEUs more than the July 2025 record.
Categories: Maritime News
Vessel Struck by Unknown Projectile Off UAE Coast Amid Surge in Attacks, UKMTO Says
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, British navy affiliated agency UKMTO said, citing multiple sources.
Categories: Maritime News
From Policy to Practice: Shipping’s Regulatory Autumn Puts Proof on Trial
The past fortnight has delivered a clear reminder that the industry’s regulatory problem is no longer a shortage of rules. It is the widening distance between what is agreed in London and Brussels and what can actually be demonstrated on deck, in the engine room and in a ship’s emissions data.
Categories: Maritime News
Isaias Puts 500,000 Barrels a Day of Refining Capacity at Risk
Nearly 500,000 barrels a day of oil-refining capacity sit in the projected path of Hurricane Isaias, raising the risk that a US fuel market with no supplies to spare will lose critical output.
Categories: Maritime News
Global Oil Tanker Shortage is Getting Worse By the Day
For a sign of just how extraordinary oil shipping costs have become, consider this: It’s now more expensive to hire a tanker from the US to China than to launch a rocket into space.
Categories: Maritime News
Second Ship Struck Inside Persian Gulf in Three Days
A commercial vessel was struck by a projectile in the Persian Gulf on Friday, sparking a fire onboard in the second reported attack on shipping inside the Gulf in just...
Categories: Maritime News
Hurricane Isaias Strengthens Into Major Category 3 Storm Ahead of Gulf Coast Landfall
Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane Friday morning, with sustained winds reaching 120 mph as the storm approached the northern Gulf Coast, threatening life-threatening storm surge and...
Categories: Maritime News
Equinor Brings Shell Into $14 Billion Bay du Nord Project
Shell has agreed to acquire a 30% stake in Equinor’s Bay du Nord offshore oil project in Canada, bringing a new partner into the estimated C$14 billion development as it...
Categories: Maritime News
Thordon Bearings adds production plant to meet growing demand
Thordon Bearings has opened a new manufacturing facility as part of its strategic response to robust growth across all business segments and rising demand for its sustainable bearings and seals....
Categories: Maritime News
Before You Audit the Charge, Audit the Evidence
Why Document Verification Is Becoming Essential in Ocean Freight For years, freight audit has focused primarily on the numbers. Was the correct rate applied? Was the fuel surcharge calculated properly? Does the accessorial match the...
Categories: Maritime News
Ethanol Could Offer Shipping Another Path to Lower Emissions
A new study from the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping finds that ethanol could become a practical alternative fuel for ships, particularly those already equipped with methanol-capable...
Categories: Maritime News
Houthis Kill Three in Strikes on Saudi Arabian Airports
The Houthis struck two airports in Saudi Arabia in the past two days, killing three people and injuring dozens as the Iran-backed militant group intensifies its attacks on the kingdom from Yemen.
Categories: Maritime News
Saudis in Talks to Formalize Hormuz Shuttles in Fight for Market
(Bloomberg) — Saudi Arabia is in talks with customers to offer oil loadings next year outside the Strait of Hormuz in long-term contracts, formalizing a system the kingdom has been...
Categories: Maritime News
U.S. Sanctions 22 More Tankers in Crackdown on Iran’s Shadow Fleet
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 22 tankers and dozens of individuals and companies linked to Iran’s oil trade, expanding its campaign to cut off Tehran’s remaining petroleum...
Categories: Maritime News
U.S. Container Imports Slow After Stronger-Than-Expected Summer
U.S. container imports are finally beginning to slow after an unusually long peak shipping season that stretched through the summer and into early fall, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. The slowdown comes after months of stronger-than-expected cargo volumes at major U.S. ports, as retailers continued bringing in merchandise despite tariffs, inflation and higher transportation costs. Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, up 0.4% from July but down 0.7% from a year earlier. August now appears to have been the busiest month of 2026, marking a shift from last month’s forecast that September would take the top spot. “Even with any fluctuations in final data, we’re likely past the busiest part of the year,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “The truth is that the peak season started early and was stretched out through the summer and early fall, with the difference from month to month often amounting to little more than a rounding error,” Gold said. The latest forecast puts September imports at 2.28 million TEUs, down from the 2.31 million TEUs projected a month ago. October is expected to ease further to 2.25 million TEUs before volumes fall to 2 million TEUs in November. Despite the expected slowdown, imports are still running well ahead of last year in some months. September volumes are forecast to rise 8.2% year over year, followed by an 8.5% increase in October. The revised outlook follows a peak season that has repeatedly defied expectations. Retailers moved merchandise into the country earlier this year to get ahead of tariff changes and supply chain uncertainty, initially raising expectations that imports would peak early and decline through the summer. Instead, volumes remained elevated, with shipping delays and resilient consumer demand helping extend the traditional peak season. The strength has been evident at individual ports. The Port of Los Angeles recorded its busiest three-month stretch on record during June, July and August, while the Port of Savannah reported a record September earlier this week, handling 504,015 TEUs, up 3.7% from a year earlier. Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said the economic outlook remains mixed, with consumers continuing to spend despite signs of weakening confidence. “Despite this, consumers appear to remain confident and cautious at the same time, with consumer confidence indexes sliding to multi-year lows while consumer spending continues to be robust in the face of increasing inflation,” Hackett said. For the full year, Global Port Tracker now expects imports at major U.S. container ports to reach 25.8 million TEUs, up 1.4% from 25.4 million TEUs in 2025. That is slightly above last month’s forecast of 25.7 million TEUs. Looking ahead, January 2027 imports are forecast at 2.07 million TEUs, down 1.9% year over year, followed by 1.92 million TEUs in February, up 1%. For retailers, the extended shipping season means much of the merchandise needed for the holidays is already in the country, reducing the need for another major import surge before year-end. “Most holiday merchandise has arrived, and the remainder of the year is just a matter of last-minute replenishment and preparation for early 2027,” Gold said.
Categories: Maritime News
Hurricane Isaias Shuts Down Nearly Two-Thirds of Gulf Oil Production
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production has been shut down as Hurricane Isaias strengthens ahead of an expected landfall along the northern Gulf Coast, prompting widespread evacuations...
Categories: Maritime News
