Maritime news

Headlines aggregated from the maritime press. Links go straight to the source — Seafarer Index does not reproduce full articles.

• SK ecoplant exits offshore wind fabricator SK Oceanplant in $299m deal
  Splash247 · 9/1/2026

  SK ecoplant has agreed to sell its entire stake in offshore wind foundation specialist SK Oceanplant to a consortium led by The Ocean Asset Management for KRW410bn ($299m). The South Korean group signed a share purchase agreement covering all 22.26m shares it owns in SK Oceanplant, equivalent to a 35.62% stake. The Oce

• Aker Solutions names Eikeseth as new chief executive
  Splash247 · 9/1/2026

  Norwegian offshore engineering group Aker Solutions has named Paal Eikeseth as its new chief executive, replacing Kjetel Digre after six years at the helm. Eikeseth takes over with immediate effect. He has led Aker Solutions’ Life Cycle business since 2022 and previously held senior operational roles covering the UK, A

• PV Drilling lands Vietnam jackup campaign
  Splash247 · 9/1/2026

  PV Drilling has secured a new jackup contract from PetroVietnam Exploration Production’s Ho Chi Minh City branch for a three-well campaign offshore Vietnam. The contract covers drilling at TL-WHP in Blocks 01/97 and 02/97. PV Drilling will bring in Borr Drilling’s Idun for around 134 days, with work scheduled to start

• Tidewater completes Wilson Sons Ultratug acquisition
  Seatrade Maritime · 9/1/2026

  The US offshore vessel owner grows its access to the Brazilian market adding a fleet of 22 PSVs

• $666bn orderbook puts suppliers centre stage at SMM 2026
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  Equipment makers enter SMM with a strong outlook, but China’s shipbuilding rise is reshaping the contest for technology and industrial value.

• Tanker Incident Involving Military Forces Reported Off Oman Amid U.S.-Iran Escalation
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  A tanker has been involved in an incident with military forces in the Indian Ocean off Oman, according to a new UK Maritime Trade Operations advisory, raising the possibility of...

• Trump Vows to Hit Iran Hard After First Exchanges of Fire in a Month
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026 · accident

  U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted on Monday as promising to "hit them hard" after Iran launched missiles overnight at two U.S. air bases in Jordan in response to a U.S. attack on Iran's Larak island.

• SplashTech Digital Market Report 2026
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  SplashTech is a new magazine examining how technology is reshaping the way shipping operates, competes and makes decisions. Built around original interviews, industry data and practical case studies, it moves beyond hype to explore what actually works onboard and ashore. The magazine covers AI, digital ROI, interoperab

• MARAD Says No Other Suitable Ship Available for Classified Empire State VII Mission
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  The U.S. Maritime Administration is activating SUNY Maritime College’s Empire State VII for a classified national security mission after determining that no other suitable vessel is available to meet an urgent Military...

• Oil Tankers Make Fortunes During War as Sinokor Dominates
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  By Alex Longley and Archie Hunter (Bloomberg) — The world’s oil supertankers are making unprecedented sums sailing from the Persian Gulf as Iran keeps attacking ships — with one South Korean...

• Turkish-Somali Forces Free Hijacked Cargo Ship Off Somalia
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026 · piracy

  Turkish and Somali forces have freed the cargo ship Lutuf after a 10-day operation against pirates who hijacked the vessel off Somalia’s Puntland coast earlier this month, according to Somalia’s Ministry of...

• Cheniere Ships 5,000th LNG Cargo as Corpus Christi Expansion Wraps Up
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  Cheniere Energy has completed its major Stage 3 expansion at the Corpus Christi LNG terminal in Texas while marking another milestone for its U.S. Gulf Coast export business with the...

• California Sues Trump Administration Over $120 Million Offshore Wind Buyout
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  California has sued the Trump administration over its deal to cancel a planned 2-gigawatt floating offshore wind project off the state’s Central Coast, challenging the administration’s increasingly aggressive strategy of...

• Early Action, Flexibility and Execution Key to Success Through 2035, Says the 2026 ABS Outlook
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  Annual ABS report offers a strategic guide for shipowners navigating fragmented regulations, rising carbon costs and shifting fuel pathways Shipping’s challenge is now how organizations can navigate decarbonization while maintaining...

• US Navy Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln Passes Through Singapore Strait En Route To Thailand After More Than 250 Days At Sea
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  Lincoln spent almost seven months in the U.S. Central Command area and was at sea for more than 250 days without a break.

• Japan Deploys Transport Ship Kunisaki To Indonesia In First Overseas Firefighting Mission
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026 · accident

  The ship left at around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 30 and is expected to reach Indonesia in one to two weeks, Japan's Defense Ministry said.

• Peter Döhle returns to Hudong-Zhonghua for boxship brace
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  German tonnage provider Peter Döhle Schiffahrts is being linked to another two containership newbuildings at Hudong-Zhonghua, extending one of the busiest boxship ordering runs among Germany’s independent owners. Shipbuilding sources reported the Hamburg outfit has returned to the CSSC yard for a fresh 14,000 teu two-s

• Climate change, trade, and the fragility we chose to ignore
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  Weather is no longer just something to be worked around it is transforming into a structural constraint for supply chains

• Iran Says It Prevented 30 Ships From Crossing Strait Of Hormuz Outside Approved Route Since Aug. 22
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  More than 1,500 oil tankers and 1,700 commercial vessels had used the designated route before the war began in January 2026.

• Tianjin Launches China’s Second Cruise-to-Nowhere Service
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  The 105,000-ton cruise ship VISIO left the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port on Saturday with more than 2,700 passengers.

• Chinese newcomer lines up $24m boxship newbuild
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  Newly established Xiamen Xinliansheng Shipping has moved straight into shipowning with a RMB158m ($24m) containership newbuild at Zhejiang Shenzhou Sunshine Heavy Industry. A Xiamen enterprise investment filing shows the company has commissioned the Chinese yard to build a 2,000 teu unit for delivery in July 2027. Xinl

• Ghost Ship Damaged By Ukrainian Drones Drifts Across Black Sea & Runs Aground In Turkiye
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  A cargo ship sailing under the Russian flag ran aground on the Alacali Beach close to Istanbul in Turkiye.

• Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Urges Muslim Nations To Recognise ‘Real Enemy’ As Hormuz Traffic Falls To New Lows
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has urged Muslim nations to recognise their ‘real enemy’ and confront it together.

• Nuclear maritime opportunities and floating data centres
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  Port data centres moved offshore could be one of the applications for maritime nuclear technology in the US

• Suez Canal Reports Recovery In Container Ship Crossings & Eyes Greater Cooperation With Panama Canal
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  Sources suggest that shipping companies are resuming their services through the strategic route, shifting from the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope.

• 14 Pirates Killed By Turkish Navy & Somalia’s Armed Forces In 10-Day Operation To Free Hijacked Vessel MV LUTUF
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026 · piracy

  14 pirates were killed in a 10-day-long operation by the Turkish Navy and Somalia’s Armed Forces.

• U.S. Strikes 2 Iranian Rocket Launchers Over Strait Of Hormuz Mine Threat, Iran Vows To Retaliate
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  IRGC spokesman General Hossein Mohebi called the attack a "fatal mistake" by the Trump administration during an economic war.

• 8 dead, 17 Missing As Passenger Ferry With 267 People Sailing From Cyprus To Turkiye Sinks
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  A passenger ferry sailing from Cyprus’s Girne (Kyrenia) Port to Tasucu Port in Turkiye sank after taking on water, as authorities investigate the cause of the incident.

• US cuts costs and red tape in shipbuilding finance overhaul
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  Washington has overhauled the rules governing its Title XI ship and shipyard financing programme, lowering application costs and removing a potential bottleneck for projects using foreign equipment. The US Maritime Administration’s interim final rule took effect on August 28 and cuts the Title XI application fee from $

• China’s 40,000-Ton Drone Carrier Enters Final Trials As GJ-21 Stealth Drone Reappears
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  The ship is fitted with an electromagnetic aircraft-launch system that could allow it to launch fixed-wing drones such as the GJ-21.

• Cotemar chases ABS affiliate for $59m in New York
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  Mexican offshore contractor Cotemar has launched legal action in New York seeking to enforce a $34.8m Mexican judgment against ABSG Consulting, a subsidiary of the American Bureau of Shipping. Cotemar values the claim at $59.4m after adding interest under Mexican and New York law. The dispute stems from work carried ou

• Two attack-damaged ships wash up on Turkish Black Sea coast
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  Two merchant ships damaged in separate attacks around the Black Sea washed up on Turkey’s coast on Sunday. The Hong Kong-flagged chemical/products tanker Golden Sapling grounded at Geyikkoşan in Samsun province after drifting unmanned for several days. Turkish agency DHA reported the 19,455 dwt tanker had been damaged

• Watch: Indian Navy Commissions Indigenously Built Diving Support Vessel ‘INS Nipun’
  Marine Insight · 8/31/2026

  The Indian Navy commissioned its second Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel (DSV), INS Nipun, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

• CMA CGM and China Communications Construction forge emerging markets partnership
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  The new framework agreement builds on existing ties to develop port, logistics, and integrated supply chain assets across key emerging markets

• Turkish commandos retake hijacked ship off Somalia
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026 · piracy

  Turkish and Somali forces have retaken the Cameroon-flagged general cargo ship Lutuf nearly two weeks after it was seized by Somali pirates. The 1,400 dwt vessel was taken on August 17 around 4.5 nautical miles off Somalia’s coast while carrying supplies to Turkey’s TURKSOM military base in Mogadishu. Somalia’s defence

• Cosco Shipping splashes out $3bn on container ship newbuilds
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  Box ship orders continue to mount as the Chinese shipowner expands fleet with 18 newbuildings

• US and Iran Exchange Attacks for First Time in About a Month
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  The US and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time in about a month as American forces hit Iranian rocket launchers and the Islamic Republic responded by firing missiles toward Jordan.

• Crane fire injures two at Mumbai port
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026 · accident

  Two crane operators have been injured after a heavylift operation went wrong at Mumbai port, sending a telescopic crane crashing against a ship before catching fire. The accident occurred at around 19:30 on Sunday at the Ballard Pier Station, close to Mumbai’s international cruise terminal, while a 140-tonne piece of c

• US Carrier Visit to Thailand’s Pattaya Lifts Hope and Sex-Tourism Risk
  gCaptain · 8/31/2026

  After a long deployment in the Middle East, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier will dock in Thailand's resort city of Pattaya this week, raising hopes of an economic boost, even as local authorities cracked down on parts of the sex tourism destination.

• Hormuz shipping back in firing line as US-Iran strikes resume
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  The fragile lull in the Strait of Hormuz has shattered, with the US and Iran exchanging fire for the first time in more than a month just as a fresh series of attacks on merchant shipping threatens to close down hard-won transit routes. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed on Monday that an unidentified tanker had struck

• Panama Canal tweaks booking system to stretch capacity
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  The Panama Canal has temporarily loosened parts of its booking system in an effort to make scarce transit capacity more flexible as deteriorating water conditions continue to squeeze one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. From booking dates beginning September 13, neopanamax customers will be allowed t

• Splash Singapore finalises agenda for Asia’s top shipping conference
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  The agenda has been finalised for the inaugural Splash Singapore, with some of the biggest names in global shipping heading to the Lion City next month for a full day of market debate, technology discussion and high-level networking with hundreds of delegates already signed up. Taking place on September 24 in the Stamf

• Congestion masks container shipping’s coming capacity shock
  Splash247 · 8/31/2026

  Port congestion is doing container shipping an enormous favour, absorbing 2.3m teu of vessel capacity at precisely the moment the industry is preparing for a potentially brutal release of tonnage from both newbuildings and a return to the Suez Canal. New Sea-Intelligence data shows worsening delays have rendered 6.6% o

• Panama Canal makes transit booking changes amid heavy demand
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  Customers will be able to secure more than one booking slot on the same date, but transit and draught restrictions remain in place

• Tanker attacked in Hormuz, US hits Iranian mine launchers
  Seatrade Maritime · 8/31/2026

  Tensions are high the Strait of Hormuz as Iran continues hitting tankers and the US launches attacks for first time in over a month

• Vessels Crossing Strait Of Hormuz Drop To 5 Per Day
  gCaptain · 8/30/2026

  By Florence Tan SINGAPORE, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The number of visible commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropped to five per day over the weekend,shipping data showed on Monday, as companies...

• Cetus Maritime eyes 13 Seacon ships in pre-IPO fleet deal
  Splash247 · 8/30/2026

  Hong Kong bulker owner and operator Cetus Maritime is in talks to take interests in 13 vessels from Hong Kong-listed Seacon Shipping in a cash-and-shares transaction tied to the handysize specialist’s planned overseas listing. Seacon disclosed in a filing that it is negotiating the disposal of certain vessel-owning sub

• Pistiolis adds K Shipbuilding MR pair to tanker spree
  Splash247 · 8/30/2026

  Greek shipowner Evangelos Pistiolis has been linked to another pair of MR tanker newbuildings, this time securing his first construction slots at South Korea’s K Shipbuilding. Market sources have tied the Central Mare-led group to two 50,000 dwt product and chemical tankers scheduled for delivery around the middle of 2

• COSCO takes 2026 boxship spending to $8bn with latest $3bn haul
  Splash247 · 8/30/2026

  COSCO Shipping Holdings has signed up for another 18 containerships worth RMB20.27bn ($2.99bn), taking its newbuilding commitments in the segment this year to 48 vessels and around $8bn. The latest package is split between 12 LNG dual-fuel megamaxes at CSSC’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and six wide-beam feeder sh

• California floating wind lease heads to court
  Splash247 · 8/30/2026

  California has sued the Trump administration and Golden State Wind over the cancellation of a 2 GW floating offshore wind lease off the state’s Central Coast, opening a new legal front over Washington’s retreat from US offshore wind. Attorney general Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission filed the case in fede