Maritime Directory

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States would begin an effort to free up ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning.Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, gave few details about the operation, including whether the U.S. Navy would be involved. He described the effort as a "humanitarian gesture" meant only to aid neutral countries that were not involved in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran."For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business," Trump wrote in the post.

Commodity trader Mercuria is suing the Baltic Exchange, the world's top provider of benchmark shipping indices, over losses it said were caused by oil tanker pricing data that did not account for the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a court filing showed.The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which began on February 28, has left hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers stranded inside the Gulf and unable to sail through the vital chokepoints with only a few ships willing to make the voyages daily.

Pakistan's Navy will be getting a fleet of advanced Chinese submarines, a statement from the military and a government official said on Thursday, a move to strengthen Islamabad's maritime security as part of a growing defence cooperation with Beijing.The subs are in addition to Chinese-made J10-C fighter jets, which were war-tested for the first time during last year's Pakistan-India conflict.Pakistan and China are longtime allies and their defence cooperation has been enhanced since the conflict erupted.Islamabad says the Chinese-made planes were part of its air assault that downed India's French-made Rafale fighter jets last summer.

Royal Caribbean cut its annual earnings forecast on Thursday, even after reporting a better-than-expected quarterly profit, as surging fuel costs linked to the Iran war weighed on the cruise operator.Still, its shares jumped 6% as demand for its vacation destinations remained resilient. Bookings for high-margin Mediterranean itineraries, which had softened due to geopolitical tensions, have now rebounded and are running at a higher pace than the same time last year, the company said.Royal Caribbean's efforts of investing in diverse offerings such as private islands and new cruise itineraries, including "Star of the Seas", have helped draw seasoned cruisers and new customers alike.

General Dynamics reported a solid start to 2026, with its maritime-focused Marine Systems segment delivering standout growth driven by continued demand for U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs.The company posted overall first-quarter revenue of $13.5 billion, up 10.3% year-over-year, but the strongest gains came from Marine Systems, where revenue jumped 21% to $4.34 billion.Operating earnings in the segment climbed even faster, rising 26.4% to $316 million, with operating margin improving to 7.3%.Marine Systems — which includes submarine builder Electric Boat and surface shipyards Bath Iron Works and NASSCO — continues to benefit from sustained U.S.