Captain John Konrad is the founder and CEO of gCaptain, one of the world’s most-read maritime news websites, and a member of the Pentagon Press Corps. He holds a USCG Master Unlimited license and earned an MBA from Marist College. John studied naval architecture at the U.S. Naval Academy before graduating from SUNY Maritime College with a degree in Marine Transportation. He is also a Y Combinator Startup School alumnus. His decade at sea included service aboard Military Sealift Command-operated ships, crude-oil supertankers running to Valdez, and dynamically positioned drillships supporting deepwater projects. In industry leadership roles, he participated in major offshore exploration and drilling campaigns, including the KG-D6 discovery with Reliance Industries and world record-setting deepwater work with Chevron. On April 20, 2010, John had finished overseeing the $750 million Deep Ocean Ascension newbuild project for BP when the Deepwater Horizon exploded. His seven years at Transocean and personal ties to members of the Horizon crew drove him to investigate the disaster, resulting in Fire on the Horizon (HarperCollins, 2011). In 2025, he co-authored Returning from Ebb Tide: Renewing the United States Commercial Maritime Enterprise for Marine Corps University Press. John has contributed to publications including Forbes, CIMSEC, Lloyd’s List, and the U.S. Coast Guard Compass, and has appeared on outlets including NPR and the BBC. He has also consulted for major newsrooms and public institutions on maritime reporting and offshore industry topics. His reporting draws on primary documents, official maritime records, and on-the-record sources cultivated over two decades in the industry. He is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and a member of the Council of American Master Mariners and the Navy League of the United States. His work has been recognized with the U.S. Navy Combined Maritime Forces Naval Support Award and SUNY Maritime’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award.
America builds under 1% of commercial ships. The White House Maritime Action Plan bets on vessel fees, a trust fund, and zones, but Congress is the clock.By
Estonian authorities released the Russia-bound Baltic Spirit early Wednesday after finding no drugs despite a helicopter-borne SWAT operation. The failed
Royal Caribbean Group ordered two Discovery class ships from Chantiers de l'Atlantique with options for four more, while committing to 10 additional Celebrity
At SNA, the CNO Talked Ships, Lasers — and Finally Answered the Merchant Marine Question By John Konrad (gCaptain) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Surface Navy
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Shipyards have a way of telling the truth. Steel does not care about narratives, and submarines are unimpressed by talking
Editor’s Note: This is the longest piece gCaptain has ever published. 13,000 words. It’s messy in places, uneven in tone, and intentionally
Hung Cao and the Fight to Rebuild America’s Maritime Power Before the Next War Arrives by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) The first thing you notice about the
In July 1989, coal miners in Russia’s Kuzbass Basin walked off the job in what would become one of the most significant labor strikes in Soviet history,
Call it the quiet surrender. Ørsted, an oil giant that once had a market cap greater than BP, then pivoted from oil and gas into offshore wind with swagger,
A Liberian-flagged coal carrier erupted in an explosion on Monday while transiting the Patapsco River near the demolition site of Baltimore’s Francis Scott
by John Konrad (gCaptain) In a significant and long-awaited move that could reshape the trajectory of American maritime policy, retired U.S. Navy Captain Brent
How the Slow Strangulation of Global Trade Became the Defining Battle of a New Cold War By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In 1883, Alfred Thayer Mahan laid out
The Suez Canal is effectively closed. Not officially, of course, many Russian shadow fleet and Chinese crewed ships are sailing through. But if you’re a U.S.
Off the East Yorkshire coast, a grave incident is unfolding where the U.S.-flagged oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate loaded with jet fuel, a ship
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) This week President Trump signed a huge deal with French shipping giant CMA to build approximately 20 new U.S.-flagged ships
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Senator Mark Kelly, Congressman Trent Kelly, Senator Todd Young, and Congressman John Garamendi are set to introduce the
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) American shipyards, the Merchant Marine, ports, and waterways have undeniably suffered from decades of neglect. This context
Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, a 23-year-old U.S. soldier, has paid the ultimate price for a mission many experts warned was flawed from the start. This is the
Why aren’t labor leaders willing to fight for our survival in increasingly dangerous seas? by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain OpEd) Adam Vocak, president
by John Konrad (gCaptain) The Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest and most strategically vital waterways, has become so hazardous that even the German Navy
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