John Konrad

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.


Monday, April 3, 2023
Navy warship CIC
Navy

US Navy Tests Secret Maritime Data Technology

The U.S. Navy is currently testing its highly secretive Project Overmatch initiative with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group off the California coast. This

April 3, 2023
Total Views: 4044

US Navy Promises To Strengthen Merchant Marine And Coast Guard Partnerships
Navy

US Navy Promises To Strengthen Merchant Marine And Coast Guard Partnerships

U.S. Navy Undersecretary Erik Raven spoke today at the opening ceremony of the US Navy League’s Sea Air Space conference in Maryland, emphasizing the

April 3, 2023
Total Views: 4862

Sunday, April 2, 2023
NOAA Chart of the Gulf of Mexico
USCG

3rd Mate Exam Pass Rates Plummet

The Consortium of State Maritime Academies, which represents the nation’s six state maritime academies, has asked Commandant of the US Coast Guard Linda

April 2, 2023
Total Views: 22913

Saturday, April 1, 2023
Gallagher-china-cranes
Ports

US Congress Moves To Ban Chinese Crane Software

by John Konrad (gCaptain) As concerns over the potential use of Chinese-made cranes for gathering information on U.S. military equipment continue to grow,

April 1, 2023
Total Views: 5851

Chinese Ferry
Navy

Is COSCO China’s Secret Invasion Fleet?

by John Konrad (gCaptain) China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is reportedly utilizing civilian roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) ferries, operated by

April 1, 2023
Total Views: 13884

CNO Gilday Congress
Navy

Top Navy Admiral Says No To Icebreakers

by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) As tensions rise in the Arctic with Russia and China expanding their presence, Congresswoman Betty McCollum – ranking

April 1, 2023
Total Views: 164864

Thursday, March 30, 2023
Peter Zeihan interview
Shipping

Zeihan Calls For US Short Sea Shipping And Nearshoring

Geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan recently shared his insights on globalization, security paradigms, and the need for North America to strengthen its supply

March 30, 2023
Total Views: 2758

Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Maersk CEO Clerc Is Bullish On China Despite Weaker Than Expected Rebound
News

Maersk CEO Clerc Is Bullish On China Despite Weaker Than Expected Rebound

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Vincent Clerc, the newly appointed CEO of AP Møller-Maersk, spoke about China’s economic rebound during his visit to the

March 29, 2023
Total Views: 1906

Tuesday, March 28, 2023
president biden at climate summate
Navy

Biden Leaves Market And Military Unclear About Strategic Oil Reserve

The Biden administration’s inconsistent approach to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has raised concerns and intensified skepticism among oil

March 28, 2023
Total Views: 2460

Trade War: EU Unveils New China Countermeasure Toolkit
Ports

Trade War: EU Unveils New China Countermeasure Toolkit

The European Union has agreed on a new defense mechanism, allowing retaliation against countries employing economic blackmail or punitive trade measures, such

March 28, 2023
Total Views: 5585

Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Ship Paper Chart Navigation
Incidents

Ship Captain Believes ChatGPT Told Him To Change Course

by John Konrad (gCaptain) gCaptain has obtained a troubling report from an American captain, who claims that a shipowner utilized an AI bot, potentially

March 15, 2023
Total Views: 27622

Navy visit to Wall Street
Navy

US Navy Shipbuilding Is Failing Because Admirals Avoid Wall Street

Editorial by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In an era distinguished by the realization of monumental projects, from the sprawling LNG terminals of Louisiana to

March 15, 2023
Total Views: 12374

Sunday, March 12, 2023
How A SVB Bailout Could Solve Global Security Problems
Navy

How A SVB Bailout Could Solve Global Security Problems

What is the common denominator in the recent port congestion crisis and current Taiwan security crisis, global food crisis, global energy crisis, US military

March 12, 2023
Total Views: 9607

Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Gen. David Berger USMC aboard ship
Navy

Logistics Wins Wars: A Deep Dive Into War In The Pacific

This week, the United States Marine Corps Commandant made a bold and urgent call to prioritize logistics at sea in the Pacific theater. However, it’s

March 7, 2023
Total Views: 33485

Friday, March 3, 2023
US Marine Corps Experiments Offshore
Merchant Marine

US Marine Corps Experiments Offshore

by John Konrad (gCaptain) According to Craig Hooper, a senior military contributor for Forbes, the US Marine Corps has been working with offshore oil and gas

March 3, 2023
Total Views: 15933

Monday, February 27, 2023
Captain Robert Smalls
Navy

USS Chancellorsville Is Renamed In Honor Of Black Ship Pilot Robert Smalls

Today the US Navy announced it is renaiming a warship to honor Robert Smalls, a skilled ship pilot and statesman born into slavery in South Carolina. The ship

February 27, 2023
Total Views: 7385

Sunday, February 26, 2023
Jeremy Clarkson
Navy

gCaptain OpEd: US Navy Shipbuilding Has A BIG Badger Problem

by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Shipbuilding and repair in America is in crisis. Every large ship built here costs multiples of what it would cost to build

February 26, 2023
Total Views: 15904

Saturday, February 18, 2023
Could AI-Fueled Amateur Radio Rebuild Loran-C?
USCG

Could AI-Fueled Amateur Radio Rebuild Loran-C?

by John Konrad, K5HIP (gCaptain) Loran-C was an incredibly reliable and accurate analog ground-based navigation system, operated by the US Coast Guard. Despite

February 18, 2023
Total Views: 11710

Thursday, February 16, 2023
CIMSEC Report: US Navy At-Sea Training Needs An Urgent Overhaul
Navy

CIMSEC Report: US Navy At-Sea Training Needs An Urgent Overhaul

by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) This week, in a scathing and well-researched CIMSEC article titled “A Fleet Adrift“, Dmitry Filipoff asks if the

February 16, 2023
Total Views: 4432

Friday, February 10, 2023
Bouvet Island arrival
News

HAM Radio Team Reaches World’s Most Remote Island

By John Konrad (K5HIP) Last week, after a long and treacherous voyage, a team of amateur radio operators arrived on the world’s most remote island,

February 10, 2023
Total Views: 18417