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.
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Today Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), announced in a new report that cruise ship travel
by John Konrad (gCaptain) During a popular maritime innovation event today the Chief Innovation Officer of a major shipping company painted an enthusiastic
Today is World Maritime Day, and a search of Google News reveals that the IMO has failed during what – because of the fact that more than 300,000
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In the fifteen years of running gCaptain, we have reached out to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), several
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Today at 05:15 after waking up, after adjusting the heat, after donning a warm wool sweater, after grinding my favorite beans, after
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point (KP), New York is our nation’s only service academy
By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In our article “THIS IS NOT A DRILL” we sounded the alarm on the failure of the US Merchant Marine. We followed
In this podcast episode, Matt Morgan sits down with David Hirschman of the Blue Economy Podcast to discuss maritime market intelligence. How are data analytics
American Maritime Partnership (AMP), last month announced it is honoring Representative Elaine Luria, of Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, with
It’s time, to be honest. gCaptain is overwhelmed and the industry is breaking. (Note: This is part one of a two part video. Click here to watch PART2)
by John Konrad (gCaptain) According to a new report by Forbes, M/V Wakashio salvage and oil recovery efforts are failing on many fronts. These failures have
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Last week Forbes contributor Nishan Degnarain, continued his penetrating coverage of the Wakashio oil spill by questioning
EDITORIAL NOTE: Elements of this story have been fictionalized for brevity. OP-ED By John Konrad (gCaptain) Those five words have special meaning. They
Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, master of the MV Wakashio bulk carrier that ran aground on a coral reef, causing a large oil spill, was arrested and
Last week Italy’s government gave permission for cruise lines to resume operations and, on Sunday, MSC Grandiosa became the first cruise ship to sail the
In December, the Navy said it would shift most of its advertising budget away from traditional media toward digital media and streaming platforms like Twitch
As the Coast Guard continues to support national efforts combatting COVID-19, the social distancing required to preserve readiness presents a prime opportunity
Two days ago gCaptain reported on the industry’s lack of response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the fact that, while the United States Navy and
While a handful of American maritime stakeholders, including Longshoreman unions and Military Sealift Command, took early and definitive action in support of
What is the definition of misery? Answer: Seasickness One of the first questions I get asked when a landlubber finds out I work at sea is, “Do you
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