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Us Embassy News

22 Mar 2024

Philippines to Build Islands Port Near Taiwan

Copyright Peter Hermes Furian/AdobeStock

The U.S. military will not be involved in development of a port in the Philippines' remote northernmost islands near Taiwan, the local governor said, removing a potential source of friction with China over the U.S. presence in the region.The governor of the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, said in August she had sought U.S. funding for a new port there. The U.S. embassy had at the time confirmed its diplomats and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) experts had…

16 Oct 2023

Americans Evacuate Israel Aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea is transporting American citizens fleeing war between Israel and Hamas.Sailing at the request of the U.S. embassy in Israel, the Rhapsody of the Seas arrived at Israel's Haifa Port on Monday morning, loaded an unknown number of passengers and departed en route to the Port of Limassol in Cyprus.Many flights departing Israel have been canceled, leaving countless trapped inside the country as violence rages on."The U.S. government is assisting U.S. nationals and their immediate family members with a valid travel document to depart Haifa via sea for Cyprus on October 16, 2023," the U.S. embassy in Israel said in a recent security alert.“Royal Caribbean Group is actively supporting the U.S.

05 Sep 2023

South Africa Inquiry Finds No Evidence of Arms Shipment to Russia

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that an independent inquiry has found no evidence that a Russian ship had collected weapons from the country late last year destined for Russia.In claims that sparked a diplomatic row, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, told local journalists in a May briefing that Russian cargo ship Lady R had uploaded weapons at a naval base near Cape Town in December.The U.S. accusations raised questions over South Africa's professed stance of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia's war in Ukraine and concerns of possible Western sanctions.In an address to the nation, Ramaphosa…

05 Sep 2023

US Army Mariners Rescue Man Overboard

The crew of LCU 2032 Palo Alto display the plaque they received from the Sailors assigned to the Indonesian Navy ship KRI Panah-626 for rescuing an overboard fisherman after his boat capsized boat 10 miles off the western coast of Obi Island, Indonesia Sept. 1, 2023. (Courtesy asset)

U.S. Army Mariners assigned to 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) aboard the LCU 2032 Palo Alto rescued an overboard fisherman 10 miles off the western coast of Obi Island, Indonesia Sept. 1, 2023.Sgt. Seth Leonard, a watercraft engineer, was on the bridge of the ship when he observed the typical calm waters in the path of the ship were more active than usual.“I noticed what looked like someone waving their arms, which is the signal for distress in water,” said Leonard.

11 May 2023

US Envoy Says Russian Ship Picked Up Arms in South Africa

The United States envoy to South Africa said on Thursday he was confident that a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa last year, in a possible breach of Pretoria's declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.The rand and South Africa's 2030 government bond extended losses after the U.S. assertion as currency traders said they were worried that South Africa could now face Western sanctions.The government is launching an independent inquiry led by a retired judge into the alleged arms shipment, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.Earlier, Ramaphosa did not confirm or deny the shipment took place when an opposition leader asked him about it in parliament.The U.S.

22 Mar 2023

China Firm Wins Solomon Islands Port Project as Australia Watches On

The Solomon Islands has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara in a project funded by the Asian Development Bank, an official of the island nation said on Wednesday.The United States and its allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan, have held concerns that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing last year."This will be upgrading the old international port in Honiara and two domestic wharves in the provinces…

21 Mar 2023

Philippines Finds Sunken Fuel Tanker 3 Weeks after Spill

Credit: The Philippines Coast Guard

A leaking fuel tanker that sank off the central Philippines three weeks ago has been found using an underwater robot from Japan, a provincial governor said on Tuesday, as authorities sought more foreign help to address the oil spill.The discovery of MT Princess Empress, which was carrying about 800,000 liters (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it capsized on Feb. 28 and eventually sank, was deemed crucial in stopping the spill, which reached shorelines in three provinces.

09 Nov 2022

US Allows Transactions to Free Sanctioned Oil Tanker Stranded in Indonesia

©Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Laut

The U.S. government has allowed some transactions to take place with a sanctioned oil supertanker in efforts to free the vessel stranded in Indonesian waters, the U.S. embassy in Singapore said on Wednesday. The Indonesian navy has been trying to free the Djibouti-registered ship, Young Yong, which ran aground off Indonesia's Riau Islands on Oct. 26 near a gas pipeline. The U.S. last week issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's elite Quds Force…

07 Nov 2022

Oil Supertanker Grounded in Indonesia Will Take a Month to Free - Navy

Indonesian authorities said on Monday it could take up to a month to free a crude oil tanker stuck in its waters, while the United States slapped sanctions on the vessel for alleged links to Hezbollah and a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The Indonesian navy has been trying to free the Djibouti-registered vessel, Young Yong, which ran aground off Indonesia's Riau Islands on Oct. 26. The U.S. last week issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force, targeting dozens of people, companies, and tankers as Washington sought to mount pressure on Tehran. The Young Yong was among the vessels sanctioned. U.S. embassy officials in Singapore and Jakarta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

13 Oct 2022

US and Micronesia Expand Shiprider Agreement

USCG Forces Micronesia Sector Guam Commander Capt. Nicholas R. Simmons and Joses R. Gallen, Secretary of Justice, Federated States of Micronesia, signed an expanded shiprider agreement aboard the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) in Guam, on Oct. 13, 2022. (Photo: Sara Muir / U.S. Coast Guard)

The United States and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) on Thursday signed a remote shiprider agreement enabling the U.S. to act on behalf of the country to combat illicit maritime activity when an FSM law enforcement officer is not present.FSM is a nation with over six hundred islands in the Pacific, and the agreement provides a coordinating mechanism and process for U.S. law enforcement personnel to work with the FSM National Police through command centers to receive approval from the FSM to act.

28 Sep 2022

Ship Captains Held by Indonesian Navy Decry Bribes and Betrayal

Plagued by mosquitoes at night and marauding monkeys by day, ship captain Glenn Madoginog was held for months at an Indonesian naval base before ending up in a cramped prison cell, sleeping alongside convicted murderers and child rapists.The Filipino father of four was one of dozens of captains held at the Batam naval base after being arrested for anchoring in Indonesian waters without a permit while waiting to enter Singapore, according to a dozen people involved in the cases, including captains, ship owners, intermediaries and insurers.Most of the captains were freed after a few weeks once ship owners made unofficial payments to navy intermediaries of between $300…

08 Sep 2022

Q&A: Growing Blue Economy Opportunities for US Exporters in Canada

Tracey Ford

Canada is one of 20 markets to be featured at the Discover Global Markets: The Blue Economy export forum September 20-22, 2022The growing demand for marine technologies is generating new export possibilities for U.S. companies. To help American businesses pursue these opportunities, the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) is hosting Discover Global Markets: The Blue Economy, in Providence, Rhode Island, Sept. 20-22, 2022. Based at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada Senior Commercial Specialist Tracey Ford is leading a delegation with a Canadian buyer to the event.

15 Aug 2022

US Says India Hid Russian Origin of Fuel Shipped to US

© MotionCenter / Adobe Stock

The United States has expressed concern to India that it was being used to export fuel made from Russian crude, through high-seas transfers to hide its origin, to New York in violation of U.S. sanctions, a top Indian central banker said on Saturday.The U.S. Treasury Department told India that an Indian ship picked up oil from a Russian tanker on the high seas and brought it to a port in Gujarat on the west coast, where it was refined and shipped on, said Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Michael Patra.U.S.

08 Aug 2022

Metal Shark Bulding Military Patrol Vessel for Guyana Defense Force

Credit: Metal Shark

Louisiana-based boat builder Metal Shark is building a welded aluminum monohull patrol vessel for the Guyana Defense Force (GDF).Construction of the 115ft x 27ft (35m x 8m) vessel is underway at Metal Shark’s Franklin, Louisiana shipyard on the new 115 Defiant multi-mission vessel designed in-house by Metal Shark’s engineering team and being acquired by the GDF via direct purchase. Once complete, the new vessel will join the eight other Metal Shark interdiction and patrol vessels currently in service with the GDF.“Due to increasing maritime security concerns…

01 Aug 2022

First Ukraine Grain Ship Leaves Odesa Following Export Deal

A ship carrying grain left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon on Monday under a safe passage agreement, Ukrainian and Turkish officials said, the first departure since the Russian invasion blocked shipping through the Black Sea five months ago.Ukraine's foreign minister called it "a day of relief for the world", especially for countries threatened by food shortages and hunger because of the disrupted shipments.The sailing was made possible after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain-and-fertilizer export agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month - a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a conflict that is grinding on with no resolution in sight."The first grain ship since #RussianAggression has left port," Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

28 Jun 2022

US Supplying Ukraine with Over 20 Metal Shark Military Vessels

(Photo: Metal Shark)

The United States is providing Ukraine with a range of defense articles, including 23 welded-aluminum military vessels built by Louisiana-based Metal Shark, to help Ukraine to better protect its coastline, waterways and ports.Last week it was announced that six of the U.S. Navy’s new 40 PB maritime combat vessels would be sent to Ukraine as part of a $450 million security assistance package. Built by Metal Shark and delivered to the Navy in 2021 as part of a currently active defense contract for 50 vessels…

04 May 2022

United States Can Seize Russian Superyacht, Fiji Court Rules

Fiji court ruled on Tuesday that the United States can seize a Russian-owned superyacht, 21 days after it arrived and was impounded by police, as the United States and its allies press Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.U.S. authorities assert that the luxury vessel, the Amadea, is ultimately owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.The U.S. Justice Department's Taskforce KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under strain in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

22 Nov 2021

US Patrol Boats Sent to Beef Up Ukrainian Navy Near Black Sea

Ukrainian naval personnel and their American trainers pose in front of Sumy in the summer of 2021. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A ship carrying two refitted former U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats designed to beef up the Ukrainian Navy transited the Dardanelles strait on Saturday days after Ukraine said it feared Russia might be preparing an attack on it.The ship carrying the two Island-class patrol boats departed Baltimore for the Ukrainian port of Odessa on November 8. Ukrainian sailors have already undergone extensive training on the vessels in the United States. Ukraine got two similar vessels in 2019.The two new boats are part of a security package to Ukraine worth over $2.5 billion since 2014…

26 Aug 2021

VP Harris Says US Will 'Speak Up' on South China Sea

(File photo: Gage Skidmore)

The United States welcomes competition and does not seek conflict with Beijing, but will speak up on issues like maritime disputes in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday as she concluded a trip to Southeast Asia.In visits to Singapore and Vietnam, Harris charged China with bullying its neighbors in the region, triggering here sharp rebukes from Beijing, which accused the U.S. of meddling in regional affairs and disrupting peace.“We welcome stiff competition…

25 Aug 2021

US VP Harris Offers Vietnam Support to Counter Beijing in the South China Sea

File photo: U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) underway conducting exercises in the South China Sea in 2017. (Photo: Amy Ressler / U.S. Navy)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met Vietnam’s top leaders on Wednesday, offering support in several key areas including the enhancement of its maritime security in an effort to counter Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.Harris also offered more visits by U.S. warships during her talks with Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to a White House official who did not wish to be named.Harris’s seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam is part of a broader U.S.

12 Mar 2021

Iranian Containership Attacked in the Mediterranean

© Vladimir Knyaz / Adobe Stock

An Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-run shipping company said on Friday, adding it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called terrorism and naval piracy.The ship, Shahr e Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesday’s incident by an explosive object which caused a small fire, but no one on board was hurt, the spokesman, Ali Ghiasian, said, according to state media.“Such terrorist acts amount to naval piracy…

27 Jan 2021

China Inquires About Chinese Crew Aboard Tankers Seized By Indonesia

China said on Wednesday it was seeking details about 25 of its nationals who were among 61 crew on two supertankers seized by Indonesia on suspicion of illegally transferring oil.Indonesia said on Sunday it had seized the vessels after they were detected making the transfer from Iranian-flagged MT Horse to Panamanian-flagged MT Freya, causing an oil spill.The Indonesian authorities said the seizure was not related to U.S. sanctions, which Washington imposed in a bid to shut off Iran’s oil exports in a dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.The MT Horse, owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company, and MT Freya, managed by Shanghai Future Ship Management Co…

19 Jan 2021

Germany 'Regrets' U.S. Plan to Sanction Vessel Linked to Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

The United States has informed Germany that it plans to impose sanctions on a Russian pipe-laying ship involved in construction of the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, the German Economy Ministry said on Monday."We're taking note of the announcement with regret," an Economy Ministry spokesman in Berlin said.German business daily Handelsblatt had earlier reported the U.S. sanctions would go into effect on Tuesday as part of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).It said the sanctions would be imposed on the Russian pipe-laying ship "Fortuna" and its owner, KVT-RUS.Nord Stream 2, designed to double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream undersea gas pipeline, would bypass Ukraine, depriving it of lucrative transit fees.