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. 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.


Tuesday, November 8, 2022
COP27 Logo
Environment

Norway Joins New Green Marine Hub Initiative At COP27

Yesterday the governments of Panama, Uruguay, and Norway endorsed the CEM-Hubs initiative to supply green fuels and support decarbonization efforts. The

November 8, 2022
Total Views: 523

Monday, November 7, 2022
Halter Marine Shipyard
Navy

US Shipyards – Record Revenue At Firesale Valuations

With billions of dollars in new contracts why are US shipyard valuations hitting record

November 7, 2022
Total Views: 8012

Sunday, November 6, 2022
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery owned by The Carlyle Group is seen at sunset in Philadelphia. Photo REUTERS/David M. Parrott
Environment

Maersk Accuses Big Oil Of Holding Back On Green Fuel

by John Konrad (gCaptain) In an interview with the Financial Times (FT) last week Maersk warned that oil companies are holding back the shipping

November 6, 2022
Total Views: 4570

Friday, October 28, 2022
DOT Buttigieg
Ports

Buttigieg Announces $703M For US Port Infrastructure

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Today, U.S. Department of Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 23 US

October 28, 2022
Total Views: 1619

Thursday, October 27, 2022
SOS – Are Boomers To Blame For The Shipping And Supply Chain Crisis?
Blog

SOS – Are Boomers To Blame For The Shipping And Supply Chain Crisis?

Rouge waves and rough waters are ahead for shipping, globalization, and logistics but are boomers to blame for our woes? Captain John Konrad says yes.

October 27, 2022
Total Views: 18738

port of Rosario
News

Grain Giant Warns Globalization Is Over

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Yesteray – on the heels of China President Xi’s consolidation of power, nuclear warnings from Russia, and droughts

October 27, 2022
Total Views: 22461

Sunday, October 23, 2022
houston ship channel
Environment

Exxon Sets Sail On Massive Houston Ship Channel Carbon Capture Project

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Snaking along the Gulf of Mexico’s seabed are thousands of pipes sending oil and gas from the myriad of oil, rigs and platforms to

October 23, 2022
Total Views: 2831

Friday, October 21, 2022
Pete Buttigieg
News

Shots Fired In Jones Act Debate

by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Shots were fired this week when a newly released US Maritime Administration (MARAD) document from 2020 showed that a

October 21, 2022
Total Views: 8623

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
US Navy Supply Ship Conrep
Navy

New Report Says US Navy Capacity Is “Very Weak”

By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) US Congressman Mike Gallagher, a Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered a stark warning to

October 19, 2022
Total Views: 5620

Royal Bahrain Naval Force coalition ship, RBNS Al Muharraq
Navy

Navy Expands Commercial Ship Protection Partnership

The US Navy announced they are expanding partnerships with nations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans to protect shipping under the International Maritime

October 19, 2022
Total Views: 1258

Monday, October 17, 2022
commercial crab fishing town
Commercial Fishing

Climate Change Decimates Alaska Snow Crab Fishery

by John Konrad (gCaptain) The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said this week that it had canceled the winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea for the

October 17, 2022
Total Views: 3540

Thursday, October 13, 2022
tanker underway at sea from the bridge
Environment

ABS Chairman Says Maritime Security is Pressuring Decarbonization Efforts

During the keynote speech at this week’s Shipping Insight conference in Connecticut, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki discussed

October 13, 2022
Total Views: 1199

Monday, October 10, 2022
GIULIO_VERNE Power Cable Layer
Incidents

Subsea Power Cable ‘Failure’ Was A False Alarm

by John Konrad (gCaptain) A subsea power cable is now online after an earlier outage caused a complete blackout on a small Danish island. The cable is located

October 10, 2022
Total Views: 2880

Friday, October 7, 2022
Captain John Merrone
Incidents

Midshipman X2 – US Ship Captain Is Accused Of Rape

by John Konrad (gCaptain) It’s been over a year since Midshipman X, US Merchant Marine Academy student Hope Hicks, took the brave step of sharing her

October 7, 2022
Total Views: 13701

Thursday, September 8, 2022
Greenpeace Sailboat blocking LNG tanker
Incidents

Greenpeace Stops Russian LNG At Swedish Port

Today, Greenpeace blocked the LNG tanker Coral Energy from unloading Russian natural gas at a Finnish state-owned terminal, Gasum, in

September 8, 2022
Total Views: 29535

Exmar Offshore LNG
Ports

1st LNG Tanker Docks At New Dutch Floating Terminal

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Two FSRUs (Floating Storage Regasification Units) arrived this week at the Dutch port of Eemshaven’s new terminal and has

September 8, 2022
Total Views: 6056

Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Apple Announces EPIRB-Like Satellite SOS Feature
Lifesaving Incidents

Apple Announces EPIRB-Like Satellite SOS Feature

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Today at a launch event in California, Apple announced they built emergency satellite communication it’s calling

September 7, 2022
Total Views: 11104

Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Flags from Australia and New Zealand
Navy

Solomon Islands Exempts Australia, NZ From US Navy Ship Ban

By Kirsty Needham (Reuters) – Navy vessels from Australia and New Zealand will be exempt from a temporary ban on foreign ships entering the ports of the

September 6, 2022
Total Views: 43112

Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Sailboat in Calm Tropical Waters
Marine Weather

Storm Ends The Calmest North Atlantic Summer Since World War II

Was this summer the calm before the big storm? by John Konrad (gCaptain) As Super Typhoon Hinnamnor is bearing down on Japan, the North Atlantic Ocean has

August 31, 2022
Total Views: 3223

Tuesday, August 30, 2022
HMS Prince of Wales
Grounding Incidents

UPDATE – UK Carrier HMS Prince Of Wales Incident

UPDATE: Today the Royal Navy news site Navy Lookout provided the following comments: “The reason HMS Prince of Wales could not begin her planned deployment

August 30, 2022
Total Views: 218138