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.
The leading nations with interests in the Arctic have gathered in Nuuk Greenland to sign a new Aeronautical and Maritime Search And Rescue treaty governing the
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to impose deadlines on the Obama administration to issue offshore drilling permits, as Republicans renewed calls
On April 20th 2011, the one year anniversary of the BP oil rig explosion, gCaptain was honored to conduct video interviews with many survivors of the Deepwater
In writing my book, Fire On The Horizon, I was surprised to find that, despite being roughly the same price, many gCaptain readers preferred the kindle edition
From day one the Department of Homeland Security’s TWIC program has faced opposition from mariners and security experts who have raised questions about
On April 20th 2011, the one year anniversary of the BP rig explosion, gCaptain was honored to conduct video interviews with many survivors of the Deepwater
gCaptain has long been a proponent of open information and AIS technology (we even built our own iPhone app once) and in sharing maritime information publicly
Having undergone repair works in the port of Kaliningrad, the world’s biggest sailing ship, Russian-owned barque Sedov, has embarked on a new voyage.
First published in the April 2011 issue of the Nautical Institute’s Seaways magazine, Paul Drouin of Safeship.ca wishes to put to rest, once and for all,
As a new third mate I was always frustrated by those who demanded I memorize things and it was my belief that a good officer never guesses an answer
[polldaddy poll=”919366″] Do you have a story about severe weather? Be sure to leave your comments below! Also, Check Out our previous
On April 20th 2011, the one year anniversary of the BP rig explosion, gCaptain was honored to conduct video interviews with many survivors of the Deepwater
Germanischer Lloyd, Fassmer, USMMA & Wilhelmsen hosted a party at this week’s Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. The party was well attended
gCaptain CMO Rob Almeida and I have been walking the halls of the, truly massive, Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this week. While 90% of the booths
Just a quick note to let gCaptain friends in Houston know gCaptain founder John Konrad and CMO Rob Almeida will be in Houston this week to attend the Offshore
The following video is first in a series of interviews I did with Deepwater Horizon survivors and people intimately involved in the ongoing incident
Photo of the Delta Queen by fkehren The classic 418′, 436 passenger, US Flagged paddlewheel American Queen is under contract for a sale price of $15.5
I seem to remember a nautical saying, something about leaving each foot on a different ship as they pull apart. Or maybe this is just nautical 101 at its
gCaptain recently ran a series of posts looking at a wide array of options for connecting to the internet at sea. Part 2 of the series looked at wireless
Balls-to-four has always been my favorite watch, get up a little before midnight and you have four hours of un-interupted bliss to enjoy a peaceful night under
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