Global shipping needs 114,000 more officers by 2030
The global shipping industry will need an additional 113,735 certified officers by 2030 to keep pace with fleet growth, according to a new workforce report from BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), underscoring mounting concerns over the industry’s ability to recruit and retain qualified seafarers. Released presently to coincide with the Day of the Seafarer, the Seafarer Workforce Report 2026 estimates that 2.57 million seafarers currently serve aboard the world’s 85,148 merchant ships. Despite that workforce, the report projects a shortage of 39,100 Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certified officers this year, even as the industry maintains a surplus of 56,890 ratings.
One Taiwan coast guard officer draws strength from the gods
When Yeh Chih-sheng steps aboard Taiwan Coast Guard vessel CG1005 in the choppy waters of the Taiwan Strait, he brings more than his uniform and orders: he also has temple charms blessed by the gods revered by fishermen for protection at sea.
Yeh is first mate of the 2,400-ton ship based in Taiwan’s Penghu islands, and part of Taipei’s maritime frontline as China asserts its claim of sovereignty over the democratically governed island.
Off duty, he is an assistant priest, or “sio-huat” in Taiwanese, at a Penghu temple devoted to the Five Lords — guardian deities long worshipped by coastal communities for safe seas and protection from plague.
US carries out fresh strikes against Iran
The U.S. military said it struck Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, in the worst escalation since the two sides signed an interim peace deal two weeks ago.
Each of the warring sides has accused the other of violating the agreement reached two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media on Saturday.
Sweden fits guns to coast guard vessels
Sweden is fitting machine guns to its civilian coast guard vessels to better counter what it views as an intensifying threat from Russia-linked vessels on the Baltic Sea.
The weapons, of the KSP 58-type, will better allow coast guard staff to defend themselves at sea, Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said during a visit to the vessel Triton on Sweden’s Baltic Sea island of Gotland.
“We are seeing how the heightened tensions in our surrounding region are being reflected in an increasingly uncertain security situation in the Baltic Sea,” Bohlin said. “This means that the Swedish coast guard is taking on a partly new role and it also means that it needs ultimately, to be able to protect itself, its personnel, and respond to the various types of threats that may arise in the course of its operations.”
A super yacht Armada came to Miami
Not far from the super yachts docked outside the island palaces of Miami’s new billionaire class, smaller boats abandoned by people who couldn’t afford them languish in Biscayne Bay.
Since October, Miami Beach police have identified and removed about 140 vessels that were left to rot in the tropical heat. More sit half-submerged or anchored across the Bay, near some of the most expensive real estate in America.
“A lot of people buy a boat but don’t realize how much it costs for fuel, maintenance and marina fees,” said Sergeant Javier Fernandez, commander of the Miami Beach police marine unit, as he surveyed the abandoned vessels about 100 yards off Star Island aboard the department’s 32-foot Contender center console patrol boat.
Second tanker struck in Strait of Hormuz
A second merchant vessel has been struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation despite efforts to keep commercial shipping moving through the strategic waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Saturday that the master of a tanker reported being hit by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel sustained damage to its bridge, but all crew were reported safe and no pollution has been reported. Authorities are investigating the incident.
Oman tells allies ships going through Hormuz
Oman has told European officials there’s no way of going back to the pre-war status quo with the Strait of Hormuz and transiting ships may have to be charged some fees, according to people familiar with the matter.
While Omani officials said they will always abide by international maritime law, they added there could be fees for services related to de-polluting the strait or helping ships navigate it, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private matters. It’s unclear if Oman said all these fees would be obligatory.
Oman is analyzing systems used for chokepoints across the globe, including the Malacca strait in Asia, said the people, an area where there are no mandatory shipping charges.
Coast guard taps commercial supply vessel
The U.S. Coast Guard is turning to the commercial offshore industry to strengthen logistics support for its cutter fleet, awarding a contract to Louisiana-based Bordelon Marine for the Connor Bordelon, a commercial offshore support vessel that will operate under the designation Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean (HSC-Ocean). The vessel will transport supplies, equipment, and personnel to Coast Guard cutters operating throughout the Caribbean, Gulf of America, and other maritime areas across the Western Hemisphere as part of the Coast Guard’s new HSC-Ocean initiative. The program is designed to reduce the need for cutters to return to port for routine logistics, allowing them to remain on patrol longer while supporting missions including maritime security, drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue.