Founder and Editor, The Maritime Gazette
Luke Smout is the Founder and Editor of The Maritime Gazette. He leads the publication’s coverage of maritime developments, port activity, shipping, vessels and the policy that shapes the industry.
Luke Smout is responsible for The Maritime Gazette’s editorial standards. Articles are independently written from cited factual sources, source language is not reproduced, and every report is subject to editorial review before publication.
Each report identifies its factual source and is written as an original Gazette article in British English.
ADM will increase its Scottish port facilities with new storage and berthing at Peel Ports' Port of Greenock, complementing its King George V Dock operations in Glasgow, Port Technology International reported on 17 August 2026.
MarineLink reported on 17 August 2026 that recent wind events and multiple contract expiries at the end of the northern hemisphere summer are tightening the crew supply and offshore support vessel market as owners reposition tonnage for winter and the following summer.
MOBY Robotics, established in 2025, has positioned itself as a new player in subsea swarm autonomous robotics with ambitions to lead in discovery and recovery of seabed minerals, amid a recent acceleration in interest for deep-ocean critical minerals.
ICE Brent traded just below $90 per barrel in early Asian trade on 17 August 2026 as renewed fighting in Lebanon and attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz stoked fears of regional supply disruption, according to Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide.
Malaysian palm oil futures jumped more than 2% to about MYR 4,820 per tonne on 17 August 2026, their strongest level since early April, as sentiment was lifted by firmer edible oils on Dalian and higher imports into India.
The USC Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute has presented its Global Supply Chain Leadership Excellence Award to the Port of Los Angeles and executive director Gene Seroka for leadership during periods of supply‑chain disruption, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide reported on 17 August 2026.
Drawing on a MarineLink Maritime News report of 17 August 2026, this piece outlines how US-based engineers, mariners, fabricators and regulators have made the Gulf of America a long-standing proving ground for offshore energy innovation.
The UK Marine Management Organisation published guidance on the 2025 technical conservation and landing obligation regulations on 13 August 2026, covering rule application, selling undersize fish, reporting and quota management.
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency published guidance on 14 August 2026 explaining how ship security is managed in the UK and how to comply with UK regulations on ship security.
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency published form MSF 4736 on 14 August 2026 to record a mortgage deed with the Register of Shipping and Seamen during ship registration.
Ships from Canada, Spain, Brazil and Argentina departed Naval Station Mayport for UNITAS 2025, a multinational maritime exercise focused on interoperability and partnerships.
British P2000 patrol vessels joined US Navy personnel for a BALTOPS 2025 activity centred on responding to uncrewed surface vessels in the Baltic Sea.
The Maritime Safety Committee has begun a multi-year revision of safety-management guidance, with fatigue and harassment among its priorities.
The European Commission’s first implementation report says it found no general move of container transhipment or maritime services away from the EU, while identifying a possible future debate over smaller vessels.
A new European Union regime has started measuring the greenhouse-gas intensity of energy used by larger ships calling at EU ports, with tighter requirements planned through 2050.
Official 2025 figures show imports rising and exports falling, while deep-sea traffic grew against a decline in short-sea tonnage and units.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s 2025 forum brought shipping figures and policymakers together to examine the future of the UK flag and the rules around new technology.
Horizon Technologies’ radio-frequency satellite is intended to help identify maritime activity when vessels stop transmitting through their Automatic Identification System.
The two ports have formalised work with 28 partners on lower-emission fuels and digital port-call systems, with a 20–30 per cent emissions ambition for 2030.
CMA CGM says its planned investment will span ships, ports, air cargo and research, with a stated target of 10,000 American jobs.
Twenty new container ships will join Maersk's owned fleet between 2028 and 2030, completing the newbuilding element of a renewal plan announced in August 2024.
The group says the next Icon Class vessel is due in 2027, with agreements allowing for a fifth and sixth ship.
Final Department for Transport statistics put UK international cruise passengers at 3.1 million, with Southampton accounting for 2.6 million.
A Department for Transport policy paper sets out a shared ambition for sustained cruise growth, with economic opportunity linked to responsible development.
The Department for Transport published proposals to revise England’s National Policy Statement for Ports, with an emphasis on clearer planning and new energy technologies.
The Port of Los Angeles reported 10.2 million container units in 2025 and set out plans spanning a proposed terminal, a cruise centre and zero-emission equipment.
Singapore handled a record container volume in 2025, with its maritime authority linking the result to a programme of industry collaboration for future readiness.
A new maritime decarbonisation strategy sets interim greenhouse-gas targets and points to hydrogen, electric and ammonia technologies across ships and ports.
Official figures show a smaller UK register at the end of 2025, while the wider Red Ensign Group would have held a stronger combined position by deadweight tonnage.
Proposed guidelines would strengthen verification, ownership records and oversight after the IMO reported 529 ships falsely flying a country’s flag.
The Singapore-flagged Maersk Sebarok completed an initial Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea passage, but the company said no wider network change followed.
A proposed international regime would combine a fuel-intensity standard with an economic mechanism for ocean-going ships above 5,000 gross tonnage.
A memorandum signed on 9 July 2026 establishes a sister‑port relationship between the Port of Los Angeles, Shenzhen Port Group and Yantian International Container Terminals with a focus on green technology, logistics and workforce collaboration.
A Department for Transport consultation would guarantee pay equivalent to the National Minimum Wage for journeys between the UK, France and the Channel Islands and introduce limits on sea-work and rest periods, while several operators have secured Seafarers Charter status.
The European Commission has adopted a framework to improve competitiveness, security and sustainability across European ports, setting out measures on permitting, electrification and energy partnerships.
The future USS John F. Kennedy, the second ship of the Gerald R. Ford class, has left Newport News Shipbuilding for Builder's Sea Trials, where Navy and shipyard teams jointly evaluated systems and trained pre-commissioning sailors.
Rotterdam Shore Power has awarded ABB a contract to engineer, build and maintain shore‑power systems at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II and both Hutchison Ports ECT terminals, covering eight kilometres of quay and 35 ship connection points.
Royal Caribbean has unveiled details of Legend of the Seas, a family-focused LNG-fuelled ship due in the Western Mediterranean in July 2026 and Fort Lauderdale for Caribbean cruises from November 2026, featuring a six-slide Category 6 waterpark and 28 dining venues.
UNCTAD reports that longer voyages, volatile freight markets and constrained uptake of alternative fuels pushed shipping ton-miles to a record increase in 2024 while overall trade growth is forecast to stagnate in 2025.
Maersk reported Q2 2025 revenue of USD 13.130bn and raised full‑year guidance after volume growth from Asian exports and benefits from its Gemini Cooperation.