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John Irish News

17 Jan 2024

Italy Pushes for Quick Decision on EU Maritime Red Sea Force

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

Italy would like a political decision made to create an EU maritime security mission for the Red Sea by next week so that it can become operational as soon as possible, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.European Union member states gave initial backing on Tuesday to the mission to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia in the Red Sea on concern that disruption in one of the world's top trading arteries could hit the global economy.A U.S.-led mission is already operating in the region.The objective of EU states was to establish their mission by Feb.

19 Dec 2023

US Launches Multi-National Operation to Safeguard Red Sea Commerce

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III greets Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. Austin traveled to Israel to meet with counterparts and underscore unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law. (Source: US Department of Defense)

The United States on Tuesday launched a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants forced major shipping companies to reroute, stoking fears of sustained disruptions to global trade.The Houthi militant group, which controls vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, has since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea - attacks it says respond to Israel's devastating assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.This week…

21 Mar 2022

EU Split on Russia Oil Sanctions, Mulls Other Steps

© Andrey Sharpilo / Adobe Stock

The European Union's foreign ministers disagreed on Monday on whether and how to slap sanctions on Russia's lucrative energy sector over its invasion of Ukraine, with Germany saying the bloc was too dependent on Russian oil to decide an embargo.The EU and allies have already imposed hefty measures against Russia, including freezing its central bank's assets.Russia's siege and bombardment of Mariupol port, which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called "a massive war crime"…

24 Feb 2022

NATO Leaves Black Sea Exposed as Russia Invades Ukraine

(Photo: Andrea Rumple / U.S. Navy)

When Russia attacked Ukraine, the nearest naval vessel of a major NATO ally was in the Mediterranean. The last such ship from a major naval member of the Western military alliance left the Black Sea – an area roughly the size of California bordering Russia, Ukraine and NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania – over a month ago.A French warship completed a tour in early January and no major NATO naval ally has patrolled its waters since, according to Turkish maritime website Turkishnavy.net, which tracks the movements of foreign warships.

21 Sep 2021

Australian Documents Showed French Submarine Project was at Risk for Years

(File photo: Royal Australian Navy)

France should not have been surprised that Australia cancelled a submarine contract, as major concerns about delays, cost overruns and suitability had been aired officially and publicly for years, Australian politicians said.Paris has recalled its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington, saying it was blindsided by Canberra's decision to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain rather than stick with its contract for French diesel submarines.Yet as early as September 2018, an independent oversight board led by a former U.S.

15 Sep 2021

Australia to Get US Nuclear Submarine Tech as China Looms Large

(File photo: General Dynamics Electric Boat)

The United States, Britain and Australia will establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will involve helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as Chinese influence over the region grows.Under the partnership, to be announced on Wednesday by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minster Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the United States will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines…

23 Jun 2021

Iran says US to Lift Oil and Shipping Sanctions, US Says Nothing Agreed

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Iran said on Wednesday the United States had agreed to remove all sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping but Washington said "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" in talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.The remarks by outgoing President Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi echoed previous assertions by officials in Rouhani's pragmatist camp that Washington is ready to make major concessions at the nuclear talks in Vienna that began in April.The indirect talks adjourned on Sunday for consultations in capitals…

02 Apr 2021

Germany to Propose Beirut Port Reconstruction with 'Strings Attached'

© Ali / Adobe Stock

Germany will next week present a multi-billion-dollar proposal to Lebanese authorities to rebuild the Port of Beirut as part of efforts to entice the country’s politicians to form a government capable of warding off financial collapse, two sources said.A chemical explosion at the port last August killed 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed entire neighborhoods in Lebanon’s capital, plunging the country deeper into its worst political and economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.According to two diplomatic sources with knowledge of the plans…

16 Mar 2021

Reuters: Germany Bets U.S. Will Make the Best of 'Bad deal' Nord Stream Pipeline

© Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt

Germany is betting the U.S. administration will take a pragmatic approach to the Nord Stream 2 project to ship Russian gas to Europe and is pushing for the pipeline’s completion in defiance of U.S. opposition, officials and diplomats said.To try to block the $11 billion project, led by Russia’s Gazprom, successive U.S. administrations have imposed sanctions on some entities and warned other companies involved in the project about the sanctions risk.President Joe Biden thinks the pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany is “a bad idea for Europe…

01 Jul 2020

France Suspends Role in NATO Naval Mission After Turkish Incident

File photo (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Caleb T. Maher)

France has informed NATO that it is suspending its involvement in a naval operation in the Mediterranean after the results of an investigation into an incident between French and Turkish warships, an Armed Forces Ministry official said on Wednesday.Turkey's ambassador to France Ismail Hakki Musa had earlier told French senators that Paris was withdrawing after the investigation into the incident had been inconclusive and did not back Paris' claims.Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have soured in recent weeks over Libya…

15 Jun 2020

Fire Breaks Out Aboard French Nuclear Submarine

(Photo: Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean)

Fire broke out onboard a nuclear submarine docked at the Mediterranean port of Toulon on Friday and was still raging but under control by afternoon, local officials said.Nobody was hurt and no nuclear materials or weapons were on board the vessel, the Perle, which is in dry dock for repairs, the prefecture said in a statement.“The fire is under control. It will not spread, but it has not yet been put out,” a spokeswoman for the Mediterranean prefecture told Reuters.The prefecture also said that smoke coming from the Perle was not radioactive.Dozens of firefighters were on the scene…

20 Apr 2020

Almost Half of French Aircraft Carrier Crew Test Positive for COVID-19

File photo: French Navy nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) (Official French navy photo)

Almost half the 2,300-strong crew on France’s sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the armed forces minister said on Friday.Florence Parly told parliament that 1,081 out of 2,010 tests carried out had shown a positive result.

20 Mar 2020

France Sends Warship to Evacuate Coronavirus Patients

 French helicopter carrier Tonnerre (© Marine nationale)

France will use a helicopter warship to transfer coronavirus patients in critical condition from Corsica to hospitals in the southeast of the country, its armed forces minister said on Friday.As of Thursday, there were 162 confirmed coronavirus cases on the Mediterranean island.

14 Feb 2020

France, Australia Downplay Tensions over Submarine Deal

The Future Submarine Program Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA) is signed by the Commonwealth of Australia and Naval Group in February 2019 (Photo: Naval Group)

France and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to a A$50 billion ($34 billion) submarine deal on Friday, seeking to defuse tensions after French shipbuilder Naval Group raised concerns over the capability of Australian contractors.Australia signed a production contract with Naval Group in February 2019 for a fleet of 12 attack-class submarines, ending a two-year wrangle over one of the world's most lucrative defense deals.Australia had selected the French firm as its preferred bidder in 2016 ahead of other offers from Japan and Germany.

19 Jul 2019

Stakeholders Ignore U.S. Middle East Coalition Proposals

USN File photo: flight operations underway on the USS Boxer, the warship credited this week with downing an Iranian drone.

The United States is struggling to win its allies' support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.Washington proposed on July 9 stepping up efforts to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen where it blames Iran and its proxies for tanker attacks. Iran denies the charges.But with Washington's allies reluctant to commit new weaponry or fighting forces…

03 Jul 2019

France Seals Navy Ship Deal with Romania

(Photo: Naval Group)

France's defense ministry said on Wednesday that defense firm Naval Group had won a 1.2 billion euro ($1.35 billion) contract to build four Gowind navy corvettes for Romania, as it looks to ensure security in the Black Sea.The deal, which will also see Naval Group renovate two existing Romanian frigates, ensures the delivery of the first ships in 2022."Romania becomes the first European country, but also the first NATO country, to acquire this type of warship," the French defense ministry said in a statement."The Godwin has the ideal capacity to ensure security in the Black Sea…

10 May 2019

Saudi Ship Leaves France Without Arms Cargo

A Saudi vessel that had been due to load arms in France left the country's Le Havre port without its cargo of weapons and is now sailing towards Santander in Spain, according to ship tracking data, a local official and a lawyer.Two French human rights groups on Thursday sought to block the loading of weapons onto the ship through a legal filing, arguing the cargo contravened an international arms treaty.A French judge threw out their complaint but the Bahri-Yanbu moved off the coast of Le Havre shortly after. It had been at anchor 25 kilometres off the Le Havre, northern France, since Wednesday evening."The boat has left and without its cargo," Laurence Greig, a lawyer representing the ACAT rights group told Reuters.

15 Mar 2019

CMA CGM Forms Venture with MACCFA

France's CMA CGM has signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture with Ethiopian company MACCFA, as well as a letter of intent with ESLSE to manage Ethiopia's Modjo port, according to a document made available by the French President's office.Marseille-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container shipping lines, recently became the core shareholder in Ceva Logistics, with the company looking to expand in non-maritime freight services. (Reuters, Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

12 Jun 2018

France Says Italy Flouting International Law on Migrant Ship

France's prime minister accused Italy on Tuesday of not meeting its international obligations after refusing to take in more than 600 migrants stranded aboard the rescue ship Aquarius."Italy, the Italian government, has chosen to not respect its international obligations terms of security for the people," Edouard Philippe told lawmakers. "This episode shows that there is no hope in the short-term for a national solution to this problem. There can only be a European response."Philippe said no European country had done more than France to try to stabilise the migrant crisis through its military operations in the Sahel region and its efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Libya.Reporting by John Irish

10 Mar 2017

CMA CGM Returns to Net Profit in Q4

File photo: CMA CGM

CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container line, swung back to a net profit in the fourth quarter of last year, supported by a recovery in freight rates and efficiency measures taken during a prolonged downturn in shipping, the company said. The improvement in the shipping market had continued at the start of 2017, but the sector remained fragile and CMA CGM did not plan to order any new vessels in the near term, it said in a financial results statement on Friday. It had also delayed taking delivery of three vessels scheduled for this year until 2018…

01 Dec 2016

France Worried by Russian Warships off Crimea Coast, Urges Restraint

France called for restraint between Russia and Ukraine after warships from Moscow's Black Sea Fleet took up position off Crimea's western coastline in response to the start of Ukrainian missile tests nearby. "France is concerned about the deployment of Russian warships off Crimea's coastline," Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal told reporters in a daily briefing. "We call on all parties to refrain from all escalation and urge dialogue to which France is ready to contribute in all possible ways." Kiev began two days of missile tests on Thursday, angering Russia, which has put its air defence forces on high alert saying it hopes the war games won't disrupt international flights. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. (Reporting by John Irish)

05 Nov 2015

French Naval Group to Battle Islamic State

France to deploy aircraft carrier to help operations against Islamic State. France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will be deployed to support operations against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, France's presidency said in a statement on Thursday. "The deployment of the battle group alongside the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has been decided to participate in operations against Daesch and its affiliate groups," the statement said after a defence cabinet meeting, referring to the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The statement added that Paris supported efforts to reach a political transition in Syria, but that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in no way could be part of the country's future.

23 Sep 2015

Egypt to Buy French Warships Initially Built for Russia

France has agreed to sell two Mistral helicopter carriers to Egypt for 950 million euros ($1.06 billion) after their sale to Russia was canceled in August, French officials said on Wednesday. Cairo has sought to boost its military power in the face of a two-year insurgency based across the Suez Canal in the Sinai peninsula and fears the conflict in neighbouring Libya could spill over. Egypt's allies are also keen to burnish its image in a region beset by turmoil. "We unwound the contract we had with Russia, on good terms, respectful of Russia and not suffering any penalty for France," Hollande told reporters on his arrival at an EU summit in Brussels.