Sovereign News

China on Wednesday launched sea trials for the Fujian, its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, state media reported.The start of tests by the Chinese navy came nearly two years after the aircraft carrier was first unveiled in June 2022.The Fujian, entirely designed and built domestically, is larger and more advanced than the Shandong, commissioned in late 2019, and the Liaoning, which China bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998.The development of the Fujian is part of a build-up central to President Xi Jinping's bid to make China the preeminent military power in the region…

As Russia's war in the Ukraine drags on now into its third year, NATO today launched one of its biggest naval deployments since February 2022, with French aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle under the command of the alliance for the first time.The French nuclear-powered carrier began its mission in the Mediterranean Sea, close to its home port of Toulon. Placing the Charles de Gaulle under NATO operational control for the first time is highly symbolic, not least because the…

The U.S. Coast Guard has rejected comments by a Chinese diplomat that its recent boardings of Chinese fishing boats in the Pacific Islands alongside local police are illegal, saying the joint patrols are at the behest of Pacific nations to protect coastal fisheries.Reuters reported last month that six Chinese fishing boats were found to be violating Vanuatu's fisheries law after being inspected by local police who were on board the first U.S. Coast Guard boat to patrol the waters of the Pacific Islands nation.China's Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong…

DNV has teamed up with Ocean Sovereign to obtain French registration for the deployment of a unique fish farming superyacht.Ocean Ark’s patented advanced self-cleaning trimaran superstructure was developed by Ocean Sovereign according to MARPOL, SOLAS and IMO regulations. The vessel is designed to operate in high offshore waters, drifting with the natural current and natural fish shoals. The mobile nature of Ocean Ark will help to ensure the health and welfare of the fish and…

The Philippines summoned China's deputy chief of mission in Manila on Tuesday to protest what it called "aggressive actions" by Chinese naval forces against a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed on a South China Sea shoal.Manila's South China Sea task force said Philippine vessels carrying out the routine mission to the Second Thomas Shoal were "harassed (and) blocked" by Chinese maritime militia and coast guard ships on Tuesday.Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon…

A downturn in Egypt's private sector activity deepened in February as a drop in Suez Canal freight due to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea worsened a long-running foreign currency shortage, a survey showed on Tuesday.The S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for Egypt slipped to 47.1 in February from 48.1 in January, remaining below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth from contraction for a 39th consecutive month.The overall index reading was the lowest for 11 months…

Lighting solutions specialist Glamox has won a contract from PGS to provide marine LED lighting for eight of its vessels that undertake seismic surveys of the seabed.This first phase of the major retrofit project will involve replacing fluorescent tube lighting with around 2,500 marine-certified LED luminaires fitted on the exterior and interior of the eight vessels.PGS’s switch to energy-efficient LED lighting is being driven by its desire to comply with emission reduction targets…

Shipbuilding group Austal Limited announces that Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy.The A$157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on November 23, 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered to the Navy, under the SEA1445-1 Project, to ten.Austal Limited Chief…

The Philippines' coast guard (PCG) on Sunday accused China of "dangerous and blocking" manoeuvres while its vessel patrolled near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea this month.Manila's coast guard said in a statement that on a nine-day patrol near the shoal by its 97-meter (318-foot) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, four Chinese coast guard (CCG) vessels had shadowed the boat more than 40 times.Four Chinese maritime militia vessels were also present near the shoal, the PCG said.Located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ)…

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has launched the masterplan for THE RIG – a world-first adventure tourism destination to be built on an offshore platform in the Arabian Gulf.The vision for THE RIG project is to redefine the sea sports and leisure experience while celebrating the legacy of Saudi Arabia's rich oil and gas heritage.The project will be developed by PIF’s subsidiary the Oil Park Development Company (OPDC), under its CEO Raed N.

China has called for an end to attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea that have dramatically widened the Hamas-Israel conflict and placed Beijing's commercial interests along the Suez Canal at risk.The Iran-backed Houthi militia from Yemen that seeks "Death to Israel" is challenging the ability of the world's biggest trading nation to defend billions in strategic investments in Egypt.Since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2014, China has stepped up its investment and commercial activities along Egypt's Suez Canal…

Attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants in the Red Sea must stop and the U.S. and its partners will continue to protect ships from being targeted, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.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 assault on the Gaza Strip."Attacks on ships in the Red Sea have to stop…

Shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia division has delivered the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, Nafanua III, was accepted by representatives from the Department of Defense and then gifted by the Australian Government, to the Samoa Police Service at a handover ceremony held at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on Wednesday.Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said Nafanua III is the third Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered by Austal in 2023…

India's shipping ministry will follow foreign ministry advice when deciding whether to allow a ship carrying Russian oil that has been placed under U.S. sanctions to berth at an Indian port, the country's shipping regulator said.The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three maritime companies and three vessels owned by them for shipping Russian oil sold above a price cap imposed by the Group of Seven nations, as Washington seeks to close loopholes in the mechanism designed…

The Australian Government has released the report of the Independent Taskforce on the Strategic Fleet, along with its official response to the report, confirming a commitment to delivering a Strategic Fleet of up to 12 vessels that will help Australia build resilience to freight disruptions while supporting our maritime workforce and sovereign capability.Australia’s maritime sector has long been neglected with a shortage of Australian flagged ships and a skilled workforce, says Federal Minister for Infrastructure…

HII announced its Newport News Shipbuilding division has begun production at an additional campus in Norfolk, Va. to support the shipyard’s continued progress toward more effective and efficient shipbuilding.The Newport News Shipbuilding Norfolk Campus is located on land leased from Fairlead in the Lambert’s Point area, at a development known as Fairwinds Landing. NNS shipbuilders have worked at the site for several months constructing steel panels that will eventually make up units of Gerald R.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) said it will provide $553 million financing for a Colombo port terminal project, partly owned by India's Adani Group, advancing the first foray by an Indian company into the sector.Sri Lanka, an island off India's southern coast, is mired in its worst financial crisis in over seven decades after its foreign exchange reserves ran to record lows last year, forcing its economy to contract by 7.8% in 2022. Ports-to-edible oils Adani group…

The crew of the Philippine coastguard boat watch anxiously as an imposing Chinese vessel draws near and cuts off its path, coming within a metre of collision in a vast stretch of open water in the South China Sea.The captain of the BRP Sindangan shuts off the engine and activates the reverse throttle. China's coastguard issues a warning via megaphone to leave as the Filipino crew watch closely on a radar that shows two vessels side by side."In accordance with international and Philippine national laws we are proceeding…

C2X has signed a comprehensive framework agreement to accelerate the large scale production of green methanol in Egypt.The agreement relates to projects strategically located close to the Suez Canal and was signed with the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), the Egyptian New and Renewable Energy Authority, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt for Investment and Development.C2X is aiming to build, own, and operate assets to produce green methanol at scale, with A.P. Moller Holding as majority owner and A.P.

Norway sovereign wealth fund said on Tuesday it revoked the exclusion of Thoresen Thai Agencies from its investments, and ended observation of Hyundai Glovis Co.It had previously excluded one and put another company on observation due to their practice of sending decommissioned vessels to be broken up for scrap in Bangladesh and Pakistan where working conditions were "extremely poor," according to the fund.Thoresen Thai Agencies has not sent any more vessels to Bangladesh since 2018, while Hyundai Glovis established a new policy for responsible disposal of decommissioned vessels, it added in a

Babcock International Group and HII have combined forces in Australia, working together to support critical capability requirements for the AUKUS nuclear submarine program.The partnership builds on the existing agreement between both companies to partner in the UK and US on nuclear decommissioning, disposal and national security opportunities.Babcock and HII will collaborate to develop the optimal models for nuclear-powered submarine capability, including infrastructure, sustainment and the necessary skills development, to support the AUKUS endeavour.

A luxury cruise ship that ran aground this week in a remote part of Greenland with 206 people on board was pulled free by a fishing trawler on Thursday.The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel had been stuck since Monday in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk."We have just successfully become free now. ...

A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people remained stuck in a remote Greenland location on Wednesday after running aground earlier this week, the vessel's operator and rescue services said.The Danish military's Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said Tuesday's tide had failed to lift the 104-metre (341-foot) Ocean Explorer enough to free it."The tide that came in during the day, local time, did not provide the desired help to sail on," the JAC said in a statement.The passengers and crew remained safe on board, Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions said."There is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel or the surrounding environment," Sydney-based Aurora said in a statement.The ship ran aground on Monday while touring the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of