Us News

Venezuela's dilapidated oil port terminals are imposing a de facto export cap on the country's resurgent crude production, with tankers having to wait up to 30 days to load because of ageing infrastructure, power outages and quality issues, according to shipping data, sources and documents.The delays are putting roadblocks on a U.S. plan to quickly boost Venezuela's oil exports following a flagship pact with global trading houses. The fight for infrastructure looks likely to intensify…

Everllence has signed a contract with a Turkish shipyard within the high-speed segment. The contract comprises 16 × 175D gensets bound for 4 × Rampage 6000‑DE offshore terminal tugs designed by Robert Allen.These will be operated by Smit Lamnalco, a Boskalis company, in Guyana, South America to support an FPSO fleet in the Stabroek Block.The newbuilds’ roles will combine towing, safety, logistics, dynamic positioning and maintenance functions, supporting large‑scale deepwater oil production.

Taiwan's government on Thursday proposed an 18% rise in defense spending for next year, including for drones and missiles, taking it above T$1 trillion ($31.41 billion) for the first time as Taipei bolsters its military to ward off China.The budget details come as Beijing, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past few years to assert its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects.Taiwan also faces calls from Washington to spend more on its own defense, mirroring U.S.

The Panama Canal Authority will cap daily transits as of early September as it gears up for a longer-than-usual El Niño season expected to reduce water levels, it said on Thursday, walking back a previous pledge to not limit vessel passage.Under the new measures, the canal will limit daily transits as of September 4 to 34 vessels, and reduce the number to 32 as of September 15.The canal had registered an average of 35 daily transits through June 2026, corresponding to vessel demand…

Norway expanded on Thursday a recently created military brigade headquartered in the Arctic, the latest move by a NATO nation to boost its defence footprint in the wake of the Ukraine war.The NATO member established the Finnmark Brigade last year, forming the country's second brigade and the first one set up since the end of the Cold War. Both brigades have their headquarters in the Arctic.Norway, like the other Nordic countries, has steeply increased its military budget in response to the Ukraine war and U.S.

[video courtesy Saildrone]Saildrone and Lockheed Martin demonstrated a new armed autonomous naval capability during RIMPAC 2026, successfully launching two Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) from a Saildrone Surveyor unmanned surface vessel (USV) off Hawaii.The live-fire exercise marked the first missile launch from a Saildrone platform, moving the commercially derived USV beyond its established intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and ocean-mapping roles into kinetic operations.Conducted under the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy was joined by Maritime Administrator (MARAD) Stephen M. Carmel, U.S. Representative Michael Cloud (TX-27) and leaders from Texas’ Port of Corpus Christi to kick off a new partnership focused on small modular reactor (SMR) technology for maritime applications. By testing the latest innovations in SMRs, the Department can help revitalize U.S. shipbuilding, cut fuel costs, and restore America’s maritime dominance.This is the second agreement the Department has signed since Secretary Duffy launched the SMR initiative in May.

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.

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...

A U.S.-led advanced manufacturing team demonstrated the ability to produce mission-critical metal replacement parts aboard a vessel underway during RIMPAC 2026, marking the first at-sea deployment of a SPEE3D cold spray manufacturing system.The Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) at the Naval Postgraduate School, working with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory and other partners, deployed more than 50…

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed, data showed on Wednesday, as most shipowners avoided the key waterway because of a lack of clear signalling on its reopening from a blockade during the Iran war.Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, Kpler data showed by 0258 GMT, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11.Inbound traffic included an empty very large crude carrier that followed the Omani side of the strait, as well as two tankers…

The Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest seaport, notched its second-highest volume for July, boosted by resilient demand for consumer goods and equipment for manufacturing and data center construction, its executive director said on Tuesday.That demand should support another strong result for August, executive director Gene Seroka said.Ocean container imports are an early gauge of U.S. economic activity and are closely watched by analysts and traders.The Port of Los Angeles processed 960…

The hull of the first heavy polar icebreaker for the Coast Guard is taking shape after years of delays on the Gulf Coast. The stern sections of the future USCGC Polar Sentinel (WMSP-21) are now standing almost four stories high in the middle of the Bollinger Mississippi shipyard. As of early August, the stern section of the future Polar Security Cutter was positioned to be welded in place.Bollinger has overseen the project since it inherited the contract when it bought the yard from V.T. Halter in 2022. V.T. Halter won the initial 2019 for an estimated cost of $2.7 billion for three hulls.

JLL announced that it has been exclusively retained to provide strategic advisory and brokerage services for Mare Island Maritime Campus, a maritime industrial property with two million square feet of existing buildings and four operational dry docks. Located in Vallejo, California, the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard represents an opportunity as federal mandates and bipartisan legislation drive the largest maritime industrial mobilization since World War II.JLL is advising The Nimitz Group…

The United States has lifted security restrictions imposed on vessels arriving from Nigeria after more than a decade, the Marine and Blue economy Minister Adegboyega Oyetola said on Tuesday, in a move expected to cut shipping costs and boost the competitiveness of Nigerian ports.The restrictions, known as Conditions of Entry (CoE), were introduced by the U.S. Coast Guard in June 2014 and required vessels bound for the United States that had recently called at certain Nigerian ports to comply with additional security measures and undergo enhanced scrutiny before entering U.S.

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…

J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) has acquired the marine operations of Budrovich Contracting Co., Inc., establishing a permanent presence in St. Louis and building on its longstanding relationships in the region.The acquisition builds on a seven-year relationship between Brennan and Budrovich’s Marine Operations team. During that time, the companies have worked together in the region, developing a strong understanding of the needs of local marine and industrial facilities.With the acquisition…

Russia's second new domestically-built ice-class carrier for transporting liquefied natural gas, the Konstantin Posiet, departed from Bolshoy Kamen Bay in Primorsky Krai and set a course along the Northern Sea Route, LSEG data showed.For Russia, the tanker represents another step in overcoming Western sanctions designed to prevent it from moving gas to international markets and to curb its revenues for waging war on Ukraine.The vessel was built at the Zvezda shipyard, one of Russia's most advanced shipbuilding facilities, to serve the Arctic LNG 2 plant, which is subject to U.S.

Croatian shipbuilder Iskra Shipyard has signed a €2.24 million contract to design and build a new high-speed firefighting vessel for the Zadar County Firefighting Association, with delivery scheduled within 12 months.The 15-meter vessel will be built at Iskra’s shipyard in Šibenik and deployed for firefighting operations around Zadar County’s islands, ports and coastal areas. It will also support firefighting, emergency response and civil protection services during maritime emergencies.The project is part of Zadar County’s EU-funded “Resilient Archipelago” program…

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it received a report on Tuesday that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting outbound in the Strait of Hormuz, causing engine room damage and a crew casualty.The remaining crew were being assisted by the Omani Coast Guard, according to the report. No environmental impact was reported and authorities were investigating, UKMTO said.Maritime security sources identified the vessel to Reuters as Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Minoan Dignity…

Ship crossings via the Strait of Hormuz were still in single digits on Monday, despite rising slightly from the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data on Tuesday, amid a stalemate in U.S. and Iranian peace talks.Six commodity ships transited the strait on Monday, of which three were exiting the Gulf and three were entering, Kpler shiptracking data showed, compared with the 10-day average of 11 ships. Three ships transited on Saturday while two moved through the waterway…

Lone Star Funds has announced that an affiliate of Lone Star Fund XI, L.P. has completed the sale of Vigor Marine Group to Antin Infrastructure Partners.Based in Portland, Oregon, Vigor Marine Group operates shipyard and fabrication facilities across five locations and employs approximately 2,700 people in the Pacific Northwest, Virginia and California. The company offers advanced services and complete solutions for a variety of clients, including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Military Sealift Command, U.S.

Deployable Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hornbeck Offshore to transform five strategic maritime and offshore markets through the utilization of Deployable Energy's Unity Nuclear Battery. Hornbeck Offshore has also made a strategic investment in Deployable Energy.The collaboration will combine Deployable Energy's transportable microreactor technology with Hornbeck Offshore's marine operating fleet expertise to develop maritime nuclear applications in inland waterways…