WHITE CRYSTAL

Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) and TOTE Services were selected to deliver the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIV). TOTE Services will serve as vessel construction manager (VCM), and HPSI will build the ships at its Philadelphia shipyard.The MRIV will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which currently support missile range instrumentation missions, and were constructed in 1965 and 1970, respectively. The selection of a VCM for the MRIV program comes as the federal government sharpens its focus on rebuilding the U.S. maritime industrial base, with shipbuilding capacity now recognized as a major national security priority.

Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its managed vessels were hit by projectiles of unknown origin on Monday while sailing off the coast of Oman.The re-escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran is again threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces target vessels and the U.S. moves to enforce its blockade of the country's ports.Dynacom said Kavomaleas — a Malta-flagged Panamax-sized tanker — was struck by two projectiles, causing a fire in its engine room and forcing its evacuation."After deploying the shipboard fire suppression system, the master made the decision to evacuate the vessel," it said in a statement.

Cadeler has taken delivery of Wind Ace, its 11th offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) and the second of three A-class newbuilds.Built over the past two years at the COSCO Shipping Offshore shipyard in Qidong, China, the vessel was delivered on schedule and within budget, according to Cadeler.Following mobilization, Wind Ace will prepare for deployment on ScottishPower Renewables' 960 MW East Anglia TWO offshore wind farm in the UK, where Cadeler will transport and install both the project's foundations and wind turbines.

The US domestic and global maritime industry in 2026 stands at a critical crossroads, caught between structural labor deficits and an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. Shipping has undergone a transition since Covid-19, moving away from decades of relative stability with defined trade flows toward operating conditions that grow more complex and volatile by the year. Historic energy routes have shifted, uncertainty has settled over key maritime chokepoints, and global supply chains have absorbed the disruption.

Chick sexing is a core concept for an experienced engineer. Fortunately, maritime engineers do not have to perform chick sexing, but the concept is extremely important and ties into engineering intuition and experience.We all know engineers and mechanics who have an amazing ability to diagnose certain problems that completely elude solution by the rest of the community.It is often called intuition, but there is actually no such thing as intuition; it is actually related to learning and experience. Learning and experience, especially in a feedback loop can result in incredible human powers.Which bring me back to chick sexing. Chicken breeding is a weird world.