Society of Master Mariners

IRANIAN ATTACKS PUSH HORMUZ SHIPPING TOWARD TEHRAN-CONTROLLED ROUTE

  AIS-derived vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (01 Mar to 31 Jul 2026). Heatmap density is based on over 100,000 AIS position reports aggregated into 1 km grid cells. Darker colours indicate higher traffic density. EMCOM silent transits are not captured. 13 AUG 2026 Iranian attacks on commercial …

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MAJOR SALVAGE EFFORT BEGINS FOR GROUNDED SHADOW FLEET TANKER OFF OMAN

  The damaged and half sunk oil tanker Caroline Bezengi, at sea off the coast of Oman, on a date given as August 6, 2026. 11 AUG 2026 Ambrey has launched a major international salvage operation for the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi off Oman, deploying specialist personnel and equipment as crews race …

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SHADOW FLEET TANKER CAPTAIN SENTENCED TO 10 MONTHS AFTER WEEKS-LONG COAST GUARD CHASE

  09 AUG 2026 The former master of a shadow fleet tanker linked to Iranian and Venezuelan oil shipments has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after refusing orders to stop during a weeks-long pursuit by the U.S. Coast Guard across the Atlantic Ocean. Avtandil Kalandadze, 47, a …

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SHIPPING INDUSTRY SEES MAJOR OBSTACLES TO IRAN’S HORMUZ CONTROL PLAN

  07 AUG 2026 A proposed deal between Iran and Oman that would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz is not easily workable due to U.S. sanctions and restrictive insurance clauses on any payments, four industry sources said. Until U.S.-Israeli airstrikes at the end of February unleashed war in …

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SHIPPING INDUSTRY URGES PROTECTION FOR CIVILIAN SEAFARERS AS GLOBAL MARITIME THREATS ESCALATE

A sailor observes the oil tanker HELGA, which is moored at one of Iraq’s southern offshore oil terminals near Basra, as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second vessel to arrive since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz 31 JUL 2026 The global shipping industry is warning …

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SOUTH AFRICA DRYDOCKS LARGEST VESSEL IN MORE THAN A DECADE

30 JUL 2026 As part of the ongoing efforts to modernize capabilities to support the maritime industry, South Africa’s Transnet National Port Authority has drydocked its largest vessel in more than a decade. The 73,180-dwt tanker Troy recently entered the historic Prince Edward Graving Dock in Durban for 10 days …

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TWO LNG CARRIERS HIT IN APPARENT DRONE ATTACK ON EGYPT’S PORT OF DAMIETTA

29 JUL 2026 Two LNG carriers have been attacked in the Egyptian port of Damietta, which lies on the Mediterranean coast at the eastern end of the Nile Delta, in an apparent dramatic widening of the war in the region. The Damietta LNG terminal originally was the export terminal for …

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EXPLOSION AND FIRE ON NORWEGIAN TANKER CARRYING SULFURIC ACID

28 JUL 2026 Norwegian authorities and the shipping company Utkilen are reporting the situation is stable after an explosion and fire broke out Tuesday afternoon, July 28, aboard the tanker Bergstraum (9,494 dwt). The ship was outside Fredrikstad, Norway, south of the entrance to Oslo Fjord, when the incident took …

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NORWEGIAN RESEARCHERS DEVELOP ULTRA-LIGHT EMERGENCY TOWING RIG

27 JUL 2026 Bad weather and challenging rescue conditions are common scenarios when ships need help at sea. Stabilizing the ship and towing it to a safe harbor are paramount. SINTEF and several other partners have now developed new and improved emergency towing gear, which is both lighter and smaller than …

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HOUTHIS RESUME ATTACKS ON SHIPPING, CLAIM STRIKES ON TWO SAUDI TANKERS

24 JUL 2026 Yemen’s Houthi movement has resumed direct attacks on commercial shipping, claiming responsibility for strikes on two Saudi oil tankers just minutes after the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a tanker had been hit southwest of Saudi Arabia. According to a statement issued Wednesday by the Yemeni …

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