MELVIN E.LEMMERHIRT

The U.S. military fired missiles to disable a Panama-flagged cargo ship Tuesday after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings to stop while attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the engine room of Vela Nova, disabling the vessel’s steering capability.“As of Aug. 11, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2,” CENTCOM said.According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, the incident occurred before dawn as U.S. forces sought to prevent the vessel from continuing its voyage.

U.S. officials on Monday said they are working closely with foreign investors to identify gaps in the U.S. manufacturing supply chain and to help small- and medium-sized businesses scale up to meet rising demand as foreign investments surge.Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Chris Pilkerton and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler told Reuters that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign imports and deregulation were fueling foreign investments in manufacturing, but it was critical to ensure components were also available.

President Donald Trump has extended for 90 days a waiver allowing foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and other commodities between U.S. ports, but imposed new limits after shipbuilders and their allies in Congress argued the policy was undermining the domestic maritime industry, the White House said.The extension, finalized on Monday, comes as the war with Iran disrupts global crude flows and pushes up fuel costs, increasing pressure on the administration to find ways to ease transportation bottlenecks and keep gasoline and other energy prices from rising further.The 90-day extension ensures the U.S.

An oil slick is covering an area of around 390 square kilometres (150 square miles) off the coast of Oman, the country's government said on Monday, after a vessel under sanctions and carrying Russian crude sustained damage.The Caroline Bezengi's crew first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources said, adding that initial assessments indicated that a blast occurred onboard.In its first public disclosure of details of the environmental impact, Oman said on Monday it was seeking to tackle the oil leak in its waters near the Hallaniyat Islands off the southern governorate of Dhofar.

Saronic has expanded its operations to Gulfport, Mississippi, establishing an initial site for on-water testing of the company’s medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV), Marauder, at the Port of Gulfport.As production of Saronic’s Marauder platform continues to scale, the site will support testing and commissioning of the 180-foot autonomous ships as they move from production to final delivery.The Saronic facility at the Port of Gulfport spans more than 30,000 square feet and includes dedicated port access, office space, and warehouse space that can support Saronic’s growing operations.