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Incidents
Rape At Sea – An Open Letter To Midshipman X
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Today Deputy Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley ordered a one-day safety stand-down at the United States Merchant Marine
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.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Friday, October 1, 2021
Ports
Dear Port Of Los Angeles, It’s Time To Call The Marines
By John Konrad (OpEd) Gene Seroka, Executive Director Of The Port Of Los Angeles, is fighting a war of attrition that history shows he will loose. Fortunately
Ports
Port Regulator In Brazil Target Bunge
By Ana Mano (Reuters) Brazil’s port regulator targeted the local unit of global grains merchant Bunge and two port agents in an investigation announced
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Navy
US Navy Is Both Decommissioning And Building More Of This Failed Ship
by John Konrad (gCaptain) You maybe confused by this headline but so are we. USS Freedom (LCS 1), the lead ship of the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship,
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Blog
OPED – El Capitan Quixote And An Impossible Dream
What’s your most impossible dream for the maritime industry? by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) We have built billion-dollar ships, we have shared two
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Navy
‘I Had The US Navy By The B*lls’ Says Fat Leonard In New Podcast Series
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Fat Leonard is the worst scandal to hit the US Navy since Tailhook in 1991, but – despite 33 federal indictments, 22 guilty
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Navy
US Navy Launches Joint Station Beirut
The US Navy’s fast transport ship USNS Choctaw County arrived in the port of Beirut on Monday to participate in the US Navy’s first joint Central
Environment
Shell To Launch Singapore’s First Fully Electric Ferry
Shell has ordered at least three electric ferries to transport its Singapore employees. Expected to set sail in the first half of 2023, the new 200-seater
Friday, September 17, 2021
Navy
US Navy Ships Are Too Small To Defend Themselves Says New US Congress Report
by John Konrad (gCaptain) In a new study titled Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Gun-Launched Guided Projectiles the US Congress reports the two most important
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Environment
NSFW – Ocean Rebellion Attacks IMO Again, And Again, And Again
NSFW Warning: This article contains
Environment
US Offshore Wind Pipeline Grew 24 Percent Despite COVID-19
During the COVID pandemic the US offshore wind pipeline grew 24%, with 35,324 megawatts now in various stages of
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Offshore
Head Of Vineyard Wind Project Compares US Cabotage Laws To ‘Soviet Central Planning’
Today via twitter, President Biden called a ‘Red Alert’ for developing wind energy projects. But as of today, only seven wind turbines have been
Environment
Electric Ship Battery Maker Announces IPO
Marine battery manufacturer Corvus Energy plans an initial public offering (IPO) later this year on the Norwegian Stock Exchange, said the
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Evergreen
Windoc Incident – Story Behind YouTube’s Most Chilling Video
In August 2001 the Bulk Carrier Windoc was lined up on the Welland Canal’s Bridge 11 in Ontario Canada. After receiving the flashing amber approach light
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Accidents
Suicides Aboard Ships Are Rising At An Unprecedented Rate
Suicides aboard ships are rising at an unprecedented rate. Are we doing enough to help mariners in mental distress at
Shipping News
Suez Canal Gives Free Passage To World’s Newest Hospital Ship
The Suez Canal has donated free passage to the world’s newest hospital ship Mercy Ships’ newbuild Global Mercy. The ship is currently on the
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Finance
Saltchuk Ends Offer To Buy Overseas Shipholding Group
Shares of Overseas Shipholding ($OSG) fell over 20 percent to just $2.13 in early morning trading after Saltchuk Holdings ended discussions on a potential
Monday, September 6, 2021
Navy
HMS Queen Elizabeth Arrives In Japan
By Tim Kelly (Reuters) Britain showed off its HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to Japan’s defence chief on Monday at a naval base near Tokyo, marking
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Shipping News
Washington Ferry Mariners Protest COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
As a result of the state’s mandate for COVID-19 vaccines, Washington’s ferry service faces a
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Blog
Interview With MARAD Administrator Candidate Captain Kevin Stith
By John Konrad (gCaptain) Early this year the influential American Maritime Officers union endorsed Captain Kevin P. Stith for the job of Administrator of the
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