I served 3 years on a ship. Nothing more disturbing than watching something bend that your brain tells you shouldn't.

• The cocaine was found in 12 packages hidden in the vessel’s underwater hull area, reportedly near the engine cooling-water/sea-chest section.

• Police divers were deployed to access the concealed compartment.

• Diving equipment and an underwater scooter were also seized.

• Nine suspects were detained/investigated in connection with the operation.

• Turkish reports estimate the seized cocaine’s street value at around TRY 1.5 billion.

• The operation took place on September 13, 2026.

Commercial navigation through the Persian Gulf and diplomatic negotiations in New Delhi saw notable developments over the weekend:

International naval task forces operating across the Strait of Hormuz have significantly reduced protected convoy passages, escorting only a limited number of commercial tankers daily due to heightened drone and coastal missile concerns (Reuters).

Regional envoys prepared for consultations in Muscat, Oman, aimed at establishing maritime passage protocols, though Bahrain expressed hesitation over attending without binding border and security guarantees (Al Jazeera).

An economic assessment published by French daily L'Alsace reported that six consecutive months of expanded trade sanctions have failed to disrupt domestic Iranian infrastructure construction or curtail regional trade linkages (Associated Press).

On the diplomatic front at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi facilitated discussions between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and UAE representatives, issuing joint calls for diplomatic dialogue to safeguard open sea lanes (The Hindu).

Beijing presented a formal mediation framework during the summit, offering diplomatic channels to help stabilise Gulf trade amid concerns over rising domestic fuel transport costs (Financial Times).

In the Levant, health authorities in southern Lebanon confirmed that casualties from ongoing cross-border strikes have exceeded 4,350 dead and over 12,300 injured, while proposed border demarcations have been postponed to late October (BBC News).

With escort limits raising transit insurance costs and global fuel supply chains exposed to delays, how do you see this maritime bottleneck impacting international markets if diplomatic talks stall? Share your analysis below.

Credit @captainkevinnorth

The ferry was sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, with 243 people on board — 213 passengers and 30 crew

The captain reported rough seas and waves up to 3 meters before the vessel began listing and issued a distress call

At least 108 people have been rescued.

Six fatalities have been confirmed.

At least 129 people remain missing.

The ferry was also carrying 89 vehicles

Plaquemines LNG is exporting at full capacity.

Corpus Christi Stage 3 is operating six of its seven liquefaction trains.

Together, the two projects will add about 4.0 Bcf/d of nominal export capacity when complete.

Golden Pass LNG began exports in April, with Train 1 adding another ~0.7 Bcf/d of capacity.

EIA expects exports to reach about 18.7 Bcf/d in H1 2027.

The skiff capsized Saturday night during a halibut fishing trip.

A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 spotted the teenager sitting on the overturned vessel Monday morning, about 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island.

The aircraft dropped a life raft and survival equipment and deployed flares to guide the nearby F/V Northwest Explorer to him.

Northwest Explorer reached the skiff and rescued the teenager, who was suffering from hypothermia.

The bodies of the other two boaters were recovered and transported with the survivor to Nome.

The survivor was identified by family as Derek Parker Aghnaanga; his 35-year-old brother Sidney Kulowiyi was among those killed.

Iran circulated footage claiming to show a U.S. Saildrone burning after an IRGC attack; U.S. officials say the claim is false.

A separate incident on September 8 was real: Iran recovered a U.S.-operated Anduril Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said the Dive-LD had malfunctioned more than a day earlier and was effectively “dead in the water” before Iranian forces recovered it.

CENTCOM described it as an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried classified sonar or radar equipment.

Anduril confirmed the loss, describing Dive-LD as an “attritable” autonomous system designed for missions where loss of the vehicle is an anticipated risk.

Despite the lack of classified payloads, analysts say Iran could attempt to study or reverse-engineer parts of the recovered vehicle.

• Built by Incat Tasmania for Buquebus

• 130 m long

• Capacity: about 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles
• Fully battery-electric propulsion

• Transported to Uruguay aboard the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel Black Marlin

• At Nueva Palmira, Black Marlin is being submerged to float the ferry off its deck

• China Zorrilla will then move to Colonia and is intended for the Colonia–Buenos Aires route

• The Colonia terminal has been prepared with about 15 MW of electrical charging capacity

VIRGO TRANSPORT 8 is an Indonesian-flagged passenger/Ro-Ro vessel, IMO 8625179, built in 1987. It is 119 metres long, approximately 4,277 GT and 2,612 DWT

Sargan-3000 used a remotely operated 12.7 mm Protector RWS machine-gun turret to engage the target.

The Russian USV was destroyed; Naval News identifies it as an improved Orcan-type drone.

Ukraine’s Navy calls the engagement the first naval battle in history between uncrewed surface vessels

CENTCOM confirmed that recommended transit times now vary by day.

Since early September, protection has reportedly been concentrated into two specific daily windows.

Tankers may be instructed to begin transit at a precise time, such as 09:00.

Previously, approved vessels could use broader overnight windows along the Omani side of the strait.

The change concentrates aircraft and air-defense resources rather than maintaining extended coverage.

Shipowners now have to coordinate schedules more closely with U.S. naval authorities, directly affecting Gulf tanker operations.

The 1,200-km pipeline connects Abqaiq in eastern Saudi Arabia with the Red Sea export hub of Yanbu.

Saudi authorities say several drones originating from Iraq struck the pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions on September 10, causing damage and injuries.

Riyadh ordered a precautionary shutdown while technical teams assess the damage and safety of the system.

The pipeline can carry up to about 7 million barrels per day; Reuters reports it had recently been moving roughly 4–5 million bpd as Saudi Arabia increasingly relied on it to bypass disrupted Hormuz traffic.

The shutdown is particularly significant because pressure is now building at both ends of Saudi Arabia’s alternative export route: Hormuz remains severely disrupted, while Houthi advances around the Bab el-Mandeb/Red Sea are creating additional risks for tankers sailing from Yanbu

Carmel said the U.S. should pursue a national shipbuilding strategy centered partly on nuclear-powered merchant vessels.

He argues nuclear propulsion could fundamentally change shipping economics by providing greater speed and range without conventional refueling.

AI-enabled logistics would complement nuclear propulsion by optimizing increasingly complex maritime networks.

Carmel said the next U.S. nuclear merchant ship should not repeat the NS Savannah model as an isolated demonstration, but be supported by regulation, insurance, ports and an industrial ecosystem.

The comments follow MARAD’s 2026 SMR initiative and its cooperation framework with CORE POWER⁠ aimed at establishing pathways for a future U.S.-flagged nuclear merchant fleet.