Sky News

Yemen's Houthi movement will expand its targets in the Red Sea region to include U.S. ships, an official from the Iran-allied group said on Monday, as it vowed to keep up attacks after U.S. and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.Attacks by the Houthis on ships in area since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers in an escalation of Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The group says it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians.British…

Four Australian surfers have been found alive after their boat went missing in bad weather off the east coast of Indonesia's Aceh province on Sunday, however at least one of three Indonesian crew members is believed to still be missing.The seven were aboard a 10-metre (30 foot) wooden vessel travelling from Nias Island to Aceh province's Banyak Islands when they were separated from a second vessel during bad weather around 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to Indonesia's national rescue agency.All four surfers had been found safe…

A five-person submersible vessel taking wealthy adventurers on a $250,000 trip to see the wreckage of the 1912 Titanic disaster 12,500 feet (3,800m) undersea is missing in the Atlantic off Canada.Reuters is reporting the following individuals onboard:HAMISH HARDING. The British billionaire and chairman of aviation consultancy Action Aviation is among those missing, according to his stepson. Dubai-based Harding had posted on social media that he was proud to be heading to the Titanic as a "mission specialist"…

Major leaks that suddenly erupted in the Nord Stream gas pipelines that run from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea have generated plenty of theories but few clear answers about who or what caused the damage.Here is what we know and what has been said so far:WHO IS BEING BLAMED?As probes by European authorities continue, the Swedish security police said on Thursday that suspicions of gross sabotage on the pipelines had been strengthened following a crime scene investigation.

Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is detaining a second P&O ferry, the Pride of Kent, following safety checks by the authorities, Sky News reported on Monday.The MCA earlier in the day said the ferry was undergoing checks to ensure it was safe to put to sea without passengers or cargo, ahead of a full inspection at a later date, Sky News said.The report comes after Britain said it will force ferry operators docking in its ports to pay the minimum wage as it stepped up pressure on P&O Ferries to rehire 800 workers the company fired without notice in favor of cheaper staff.(Reuters

About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday.Tonga, hit by a massive volcanic eruption and a tsunami on Jan. 15, has asked for aid to be delivered without human contact amid concerns a COVID outbreak would be devastating for the tiny Pacific island nation.Australia's Defense Minister Peter Dutton said 23 personnel aboard the HMAS Adelaide have tested positive for COVID.

Britain gave France 48 hours on Monday to back down in a fishing row that threatens to spiral into a wider trade dispute between two of Europe's biggest economies or face tortuous legal action under the Brexit trade deal.Post-Brexit bickering over fish culminated last Wednesday in the French seizure of a British scallop dredger, the Cornelis Gert Jan, in French waters near Le Havre. Paris has threatened sanctions from Nov. 2 that could snarl cross-Channel trade.The measures could include increased border and sanitary checks on goods from Britain and banning British vessels from some French ports."The French have made completely unreasonable threats…

Ferry firm Stena Line’s role in the roll-out of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is going well, and the firm is prepared to deal with any eventuality of Brexit trade talks, the company’s Brexit chief said on Friday.“We have trust and confidence in the government to use these last few days (of Brexit talks) wisely... we will be ready for any eventuality thrown at us,” Ian Hampton told Sky News, adding that the transportation of Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine was “very good.”“Our ships are operating on time.

The United States is planning to build additional military infrastructure in Australia once Congress gives approval to the U.S. Navy for $211.5 million, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday.The plans for a bigger U.S. footprint in Australia come at a time when the Western allies have become increasingly concerned by China's efforts to expand its influence in the Pacific."The development of facilities will support the Force Posture Initiatives," Payne told Sky News…

Britain on Monday warned Iran that if it wants to "come of the dark" then it must follow international rules and release a British-flagged vessel seized by the Islamic Republic in the Gulf. UK rejects 'barter' for release of Iranian Tanker."If the Iranians want to come of the dark and be accepted as a responsible member of the intentional community they need to adhere to rules-based system of the international community," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News."You cannot go about detaining unlawfully foreign vessels."Also on Monday, Britain rejected the idea that it could release a Iranian tanker in exchange for a British-flagged…

Britain has recommended all British-flagged ships go to a heightened state of security in the Strait of Hormuz, Sky News reported on Thursday, citing unnamed maritime industry sources.A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "The Department for Transport, as competent authority, regularly provides Security Advice to UK and Red Ensign Group Shipping on how they should operate in areas of high risk." (Reuters, Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)

The world’s largest port operator DP World is in advanced discussions to acquire Topaz Energy & Marine, marking the Dubai-based company's first potential foray into the oil and gas industry.Britain’s Sky News, citing sources, earlier reported that a $1.3 billion deal for DP World to take over Topaz could be announced as early as Monday. The report didn't specify whether the valuation was referring to the equity or enterprise value of the transaction.However, Bloomberg reported that the port operator is in “very advanced” discussions to acquire Topaz Energy. The report quoted official sources confirming it is in discussions to purchase Dubai-headquartered Topaz Energy on Sunday."While negotiations are ongoing…

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Norway will present to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday the results of a joint probe into attacks targeting tanker vessels off the UAE coast last month, UAE-owned channel Sky News Arabia reported.Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday was searching for a British crew member who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.Arron Hough, 20, went overboard 267 miles (430 km) off the northwest of Puerto Rico on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Coast Guard 7th District told Reuters in a telephone interview.At the time the Coast Guard became aware of the incident, the Harmony of the Seas ship was traveling from its home port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to its first stop of St. Maarten island on its seven-day Caribbean itinerary, the Miami Herald newspaper had reported earlier.The Coast Guard said it continued…

Former senior Goldman Sachs and HSBC banker Matthew Westerman is launching a private investment firm alongside a former colleague and a Greek shipping tycoon, he said on Friday.Westerman will partner his former Goldman Sachs colleague Julian Metherell and Peter Livanos, who owns Greek shipping company Ceres Hellenic, in a new firm called MW&L Capital Partners.The trio will invest in small-to-medium sized targets based on knowledge built up in their respective careers covering financial services, oil and gas, and shipping, Westerman said."We think there is a gap in the market for long-term capital; ours is not '5 year fund money' so we don't have money burning a hole in our pockets and we can afford to be flexible and supportive of management when we see an opportunity…

Britain’s biggest ever warship, the new 3.1 billion pound ($4.2 billion) aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, has a leak and needs repairs, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday. The 65,000-tonne ship is hailed as Britain’s most advanced military vessel and was only commissioned by the queen two weeks ago but it has a problem with a shaft seal that was identified during sea trials, the MoD said. “Sea trials are precisely for finding manageable teething problems like this and rectifying them,” a Royal Navy spokesman said.

Britain's most advanced and biggest warship, 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, set out on its maiden voyage on Monday from the Rosyth dockyard in eastern Scotland. The ship, which measures 280 metres and can move 500 miles a day, took 11 tugs to manoeuvre out into the River Forth and then must wait for low tide so as to pass under the Forth's famous bridges - weather and systems checks permitting. It took eight years to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and along with its sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, it is part of a defence programme worth 6 billion pounds ($7.65 billion), with building and fitting spread over six different shipyards across Britain. It will now spend around two years in sea trials.

Recent security exercises in the English Channel involving military personnel on board ships have sparked heightened media interest in maritime security in the region. As a result, International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s work in this field has been highlighted on the UK news channel Sky News (2 August) by Chris Trelawny, IMO Special Advisor on Maritime Security and Facilitation. Asked about ferry security in the context of terrorism, Trelawny told the programme that “IMO has developed a range of guidance and measures to protect shipping, and to protect the ports serving shipping – including the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code”.

The British government opened talks on Tuesday with potential buyers for Tata Steel's UK operations, including Sanjeev Gupta's commodities company Liberty Group, as it stepped up its battle to find a buyer for the loss-making business. Accused by opposition lawmakers of being "asleep at the wheel" when India's Tata Steel put its entire British operations up for sale last week, Prime Minister David Cameron also met ministers to discuss the options for a business which employs 15,000 people. Britain's business minister Sajid Javid met with Gupta in London to establish how firm his interest was in the business. He was later due to fly to Mumbai to meet Tata Chairman Cyrus Mistry to agree the process for a sale.

Microsoft swims to ocean’s depth to test underwater data center as environmentally friendly cloud computing alternative. The software giant has dropped a data center into the Pacific Ocean off California. Microsoft  gave details of its rationale for going underwater, explaining the idea, called Project Natick, would cut costs when it comes to keeping the data center cool, as well as be environmentally friendly and more responsive to customers. "It may sound like something from a James Bond film, but it could be a solution to one of the industry's most expensive problems - air-conditioning bills," says a report in the Sky news. A Microsoft post said the first data center to be submerged was the Leona Philpot…

Oil explorer Gulf Keystone on Thursday denied a media report that its board and investors planned to call for the resignation of founder and Chief Executive Todd Kozel within months. British broadcaster Sky News reported that several Gulf Keystone directors had held talks this week about Kozel's departure, prompted by a series of rows over executive pay and shareholder returns. Gulf Keystone spokesman Terence Franklin denied the report and told Reuters there was no substance to these "rumours". Franklin confirmed the meetings but said he did not know what had been discussed. Sky, citing sources, said some board members wanted an announcement about a succession plan before the company's annual meeting, typically held in July.

MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) contract with Norwegian Cruise Line extended 5 years. The contract is for VSAT communications, crew calling, Internet services, access to MTN Worldwide TV™ and related services around the globe. MTN will continue to provide its communications solutions to the entire Norwegian fleet, including its newest ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, launching in 2013 and 2014 respectively. With the extension of the contract, MTN will continue providing Norwegian with a full range of communications services…

Renewed Contract Ensures Guests and Crew Have Access to the Most Advanced Maritime Communications Technology Available. MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) has announces  it extended its contract with Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian) for an additional five years for VSAT communications, crew calling, Internet services, access to MTN Worldwide TV™ and related services around the globe. MTN will continue to provide its communications solutions to the entire Norwegian fleet, including its newest ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, launching in 2013 and 2014 respectively. “Throughout our 21-year partnership, MTN has been committed to the highest standard of excellence when it comes to providing reliable and comprehensive communications services to our passengers and crew…