CLAN VIII

At least three Indian oil refiners and a global energy major plan to stop using vessels on Iran's new blacklist, including for ship-to-ship transfers, due to security concerns, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said this week.Tehran announced on Sunday a blacklist of 45 ships it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and would take action against any vessels transferring loads with them, escalating its threats over the key waterway for global energy supplies six months into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) and CORE POWER (US) Inc. signed an agreement to accelerate the commercial, industrial, and regulatory pathways for U.S.-flagged nuclear-powered commercial ships. Fueled by small modular reactor (SMR) technology, this first-of-its-kind partnership will advance the President Trump's agenda to strengthen American shipping and secure energy dominance."President Trump has made it clear that American energy dominance and maritime strength go hand in hand," said Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel. "This framework ensures that the United States leads the world with a secure U.S.-flagged fleet.

A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 63 nautical miles west of Saudi Arabia's port city of Yanbu, leading to a fire on the vessel's main deck, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Monday.The UKMTO said all crew were safe and accounted for with no reported environmental impact.Yanbu is Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea oil port, where millions of barrels a day are loaded, and has become the main route out for Saudi oil skirting the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran.Shipping from Yanbu has itself faced disruption since Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea last month.

Corvus Energy AS, a provider of marine energy storage solutions, introduced Blue Whale NxtGen Power, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage system developed together with BYD Energy Storage.Blue Whale NxtGen Power is the first product to come out of the strategic cooperation between Corvus Energy and BYD Energy Storage, announced in December 2025.BYD Energy Storage supplies battery cell technology and cell stack manufacturing, while Corvus Energy delivers the overall system design and architecture including marine safety features, battery management systems, cybersecurity, digital battery passport, class approval.

JE Dunn Construction and Alberici Constructors, Inc. celebrated placing the final structural beam of Saronic Technologies’ $300 million shipyard expansion project. Saronic will use the expanded Franklin shipyard to increase production capacity for its fleet of Marauders, the company’s 180-foot fully autonomous ships.The project broke ground in November 2025 and is expected to be completed in early 2027. The JE Dunn | Alberici joint venture is adding more than 300,000 square feet to the existing footprint, including three new slips, expanded warehouse capacity, and a dedicated production line for Saronic’s Marauder vessels.