Marine Log

As CENTCOM completed new rounds of attacks on Iranian targets and stepped up blockade enforcement actions, including vessel boardings, Kpler reported today that Strait of Hormuz traffic continued to weaken on July 16, with confirmed crossings falling to eight, the lowest level in three weeks. Seven of the eight transits used the Iranian route, highlighting a growing concentration of movements through higher risk corridors as operators reassess security, crew safety and insurance exposure.

The Navy is installing the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile on three ships and plans to add it to some future submarines. The Army is also buying the missile. Together, the services are investing over $50 billion in this effort. However, says the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) the Department of War “doesn’t have a comprehensive plan to help the Army and Navy coordinate on these purchases—preventing it from making cost-saving choices.

The new NSMV training ship State of Maine arrived at Maine Maritime Academy’s Castine, Me., campus for the first time this past Sunday. And while most of our coverage of the NSMV program has been on the ships and their design and construction, preparing the state maritime academies to accommodate them has also been an important element of the story. In the case of the State of Maine, the new NSM’s arrival followed four years of work by the academy, GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc.

Image (C) Architect of the Capitol On July 14, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. On July 15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee also voted unanimously to pass S. 4949, the Senate version of the WRDA. The Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) notes that Congress aspires to pass WRDA legislation every two years, which it has successfully done since 2014.

New pilot boat Calcasieu Pilot . [Photo: Gladding-Hearn] With three Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding pilot boats already in their fleet, the Lake Charles pilots have taken delivery of the Calcasieu Pilot from the Somerset, Mass., shipyard. The pilots, who took delivery of their first Gladding-Hearn pilot boat, a 63-footer, in 1995, support crew transfers from the Cameron, La., jetties to the sea buoy, approximately 30 miles offshore.

Autonomous vessel innovator Saronic Technologies has selected Brownsville, Texas as the future home of Port Alpha, its next-generation shipyard designed to help restore American maritime strength and significantly expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

TKMS (formerly ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems) reports that the German Bundestag’s Budget Committee this month approved the procurement of four MEKO A-200 DEU-class frigates, along with an option to procure additional vessels. This clears the way for the formal signing of the contract. The first frigate will be delivered to the German Navy as early as 2029. This is the largest surface vessels contract in TKMS’s history.

Shipbuilders at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division secure the unit during installation of a grand block for Thad Cochran (DDG 135). The block is one of several units built by Gulf Copper and Eastern Shipbuilding as part of Ingalls’ distributed shipbuilding initiative. [Photo: HII] HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has reached a key milestone in its distributed shipbuilding initiative.

Registration is now open for Marine Log’s FERRIES 2026 Conference, taking place November 10-11, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. Now in its 39th year, FERRIES is North America’s premier conference dedicated to the passenger ferry industry, bringing together ferry owners and operators, naval architects, shipbuilders, regulators, technology providers, and other maritime professionals to discuss the operational challenges and opportunities shaping the sector. Held under the theme “Smarter Fleets.

Photo: Bollinger Shipyards Bollinger Shipyards has opened a new, 7,200-square-foot Workforce Training Center, located at its Gulfport, Miss., facility. Developed in partnership with the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) Program Office and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the facility will expand hands-on skilled trades training to help meet growing national demand for shipbuilders supporting America’s defense and maritime readiness priorities.