Vessel Tracking News

Cuba Reconnects Electrical Grid, Millions Remain Powerless

Cuba has reconnected its electrical grid across much of the island, the Energy and Mines Ministry said early on Tuesday, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against the communist-run island, saying he could do anything he wanted with Cuba.Cuba's national electric grid collapsed on Monday, leaving about 10 million people without power amid a U.S.-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the island's already obsolete generation system.Energy officials said they had reconnected the grid from westernmost Pinar del Rio province to Holguin…

Trump Upset as Other Nations Reject Call for Hormuz Warship Escorts

Several U.S. allies rebuffed Donald Trump's call on Monday to send warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing criticism from the U.S. president, who accused Western partners of ingratitude after decades of support.The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in sight. The critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flow, remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.The conflict has already imposed economic costs on U.S.

Iranian Oil Exports Continue Through Hormuz Strait as Gulf Flows Stall

Iranian crude oil has continued to flow through the Strait of Hormuz at a near-normal pace even as Tehran-linked attacks on ships in the narrow waterway have decimated exports from other Gulf countries, a Reuters review of tanker tracking data showed.Iran has exported about 13.7 million barrels of crude oil since Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on the country on February 28, according to analysis from TankerTrackers.com, a maritime intelligence company that specializes in tracking the so-called shadow fleet…

Tankers Ablaze, Iranian Oil Still Shipping

Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire, Iraq's director general of the General Company for Ports Farhan al-Fartousi told Reuters on Wednesday.Iraq evacuated the 25 crew members from the two vessels and fire is still ablaze on both ships, he added.This follows news that three vessels had been hit by unknown projectiles, with one of the strikes leading to a fire onboard a ship which forced most of its crew to evacuate it.Meanwhile…

China in Talks with Iran on Safe Passage

China is in talks with Iran to allow crude oil and Qatari liquefied natural gas vessels safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Israeli war on Tehran intensifies, three diplomatic sources told Reuters.The war, which entered its sixth day on Thursday, has left the critical shipping passageway all-but shut, with countries around the world cut off from a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.China, which has friendly relations with Iran and relies heavily on Middle Eastern supplies…

Global Energy Prices Jump as Middle East Crisis Interrupts Shipping, Oil Production

Global oil and gas prices jumped on Tuesday as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran halted energy exports from the Middle East, with Tehran attacking ships and energy facilities, closing navigation in the Gulf and forcing production stoppages from Qatar to Iraq.The benchmark Brent crude oil contract gained nearly 8% on Tuesday to above $83 per barrel, the highest since July 2024, taking gains since Friday to more than 15%. European gas prices soared as much as 40% before paring gains, adding to a 40% surge on Monday.

Necropolitics: The Disposability of Migrant Fishers

The term necropolitics was first coined with reference to concentration camps, apartheid regions, and historical slave plantations.It is the exercise of sovereignty which resides, to a large degree, in the power and the capacity to dictate who may live and who must die.Now researchers from Australia and New Zealand have extended the concept to fishing vessels where captains control medical decisions, food and water distribution and the use of violence onboard.Migrant fishers onboard remote fishing vessels can suffer “active” or “slow” deaths.

US pushes Fisheries Tech at APEC Amid China Rivalry

The Trump administration is promoting artificial intelligence exports and maritime surveillance technology at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in southern China this week, as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s technological and maritime influence.Casey Mace, the U.S. senior official to APEC, said the Trump administration had launched a $20 million fund to support adoption of American AI technologies by partner economies in the region, part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S.

Pole Star Defense Tapped for Mission-Critical Maritime Intelligence by Multiple U.S. Federal Agencies

Pole Star Defense closed Q4 2025 with two federal wins: a $36 million, three-year renewal with the U.S. Coast Guard and a new five-year contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Together, the awards extend the company’s role as a provider of maritime domain awareness to U.S. government customers. The Coast Guard renewal builds on a partnership first established in 2020 with a $50 million award. Under the extended agreement, Pole Star Defense continues to deliver vessel tracking, system modernization, and cloud-based analytics that support Coast Guard operations nationwide.

Venezuelan Oil Exports Progress Slowly Under US Supply Deal

Venezuelan oil exports under a flagship $2 billion supply deal with the U.S. reached about 7.8 million barrels on Wednesday, vessel-tracking data and documents from state-run PDVSA showed, with shipments accelerating after the U.S. eased its blockade but not enough for PDVSA to fully reverse output cuts.Following the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro in early January, Caracas and Washington agreed to a deal to sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude stored in tanks and vessels. Trading houses Vitol and Trafigura obtained the first U.S.

UK Says NATO Talks on the Arctic “Business as Usual”

Britain said on Sunday discussions with other NATO members on deterring Russian activity in the Arctic were "business as usual", after media reports the UK was in talks with its European allies about deploying a military force to Greenland.The Telegraph reported on Saturday that military chiefs from Britain and other European countries were drawing up plans for a possible NATO mission in Greenland, which U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wanted to acquire.The newspaper said British officials had begun early-stage talks with Germany…

Latvia Finds No Link Between Ship, Baltic Cable Breach

Latvian police have found no evidence linking a ship docked in the port of Liepaja to damage to an underwater telecoms cable running in the Baltic Sea from Latvia to Lithuania, but are investigating the incident further, authorities said on Monday.The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the NATO military alliance has boosted its presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.The latest outage…

Crew Evacuated After Fire and Explosion on ONE Henry Hudson at Port of Los Angeles

Firefighters and federal authorities continued working Saturday to contain a hazardous-materials fire aboard the container ship ONE Henry Hudson after an explosion and onboard fire forced the evacuation of all crew members at the Port of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and port officials. By 6:30pm local time, the fire had been substantially contained.The incident occurred Friday at the Yusen Container Terminal in San Pedro. LAFD said the ship experienced an explosion that disrupted the vessel’s power and crane operations…

Sercel Awarded Five-Year Marlin Support Contract by ExxonMobil Guyana

Sercel announced the award of a five-year technical support and maintenance contract by ExxonMobil Guyana Ltd. for the Marlin Vessel Tracking and Alerts (VTA) software solution, delivered to the client in 2024. Sercel will provide comprehensive technical support, system maintenance, and ongoing software enhancements for the Marlin VTA solution currently being deployed by the client to enhance operational safety and increase situational awareness of vessel movements offshore Guyana.

Venezuelan Oil Imports Resume Under New Chevron License

Two tankers chartered by Chevron carrying Venezuelan crude reached U.S. waters on Thursday, marking the first U.S. imports of the South American country's oil following a new license granted by Washington, vessel tracking data showed.The U.S. Treasury Department last month issued a restricted license to Chevron allowing the U.S. company to operate in the OPEC country and export its oil after a three-month pause triggered by more strict policies towards sanctioned Venezuela.The…

Chinese Oil Imports From Iran Surge in June

China's oil imports from Iran surged in June as shipments accelerated before the recent conflict between Israel and Iran and demand from independent refineries improved, analysts said.The world's top oil importer and biggest buyer of Iranian crude brought in more than 1.8 million barrels per day from June 1-20, according to ship-tracker Vortexa, a record high based on the firm's data.Kpler's data put the month-to-date average of China's Iranian oil and condensate imports at 1.46 million bpd as of June 27…

Geopolitical Conflicts Highlight a Ship's Need for "Digital Eyes"

Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-founder of maritime technology company Orca AI, reflects on the recent tanker collision in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that as GPS interference becomes more common, ships urgently need AI-based situational awareness to support crews and maintain safe navigation when traditional tools are compromised.The recent collision between the tankers Front Eagle and the Adalynn in the Strait of Hormuz is more than a tragic incident – it’s a stark warning to the maritime industry.

Iran Maintains Oil Exports During Conflict

Iran is maintaining crude oil supply by loading tankers one at a time and moving floating oil storage much closer to China, two vessel tracking firms told Reuters, as the country seeks to keep a key source of revenue while under attack from Israel.The conflict between Iran and Israel which broke out last week poses a fresh hurdle for Iran, which uses a shadow fleet of tankers to conceal their origin and skirt U.S. sanctions reinstated in 2018 over its nuclear program.Crude exports from Iran, OPEC's third-largest producer, mainly head to China.

Delaware Pilot Boat Equipped with Furuno Electronics

The Pilots' Association of the Bay and River Delaware has welcomed Pennsylvania, the latest pilot boat built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. The Chesapeake Class launch is equipped with a full suite of Furuno marine electronics, installed by Cay Electronics of Rhode Island.At the heart of the navigation system are dual NavNet TZtouch3 TZT9F Multi Function Displays (MFDs). Delivering chart plotting and Radar overlay, these 9” MFDs integrate navigation and communication systems.

Persistent Tracking: Vital to Safeguard Shipping in Dark Seas

The ever-worsening geopolitical situation is creating unprecedented challenges for the shipping sector and wider supply chain.An expanding shadow fleet, openly undertaking illegal Ship-To-Ship (STS) transfers of Russian oil and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), has compounded the longer-standing dark shipping problem that has emerged as a result of illegal activity (people, arms, drugs, contraband and fish smuggling), which not only threatens national security, but also the safety of vessels and heightens concerns regarding environmental disaster and supply chain disruption.In response…

Danish Navy Shadows Chinese Ship after Cable Breaches

The Danish military said on Wednesday that it was staying close to a Chinese ship currently sitting idle in Danish waters, days after two fibre-optic data telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea were severed.Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 was anchored in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday, with a Danish navy patrol ship at anchor nearby, MarineTraffic vessel tracking data showed."The Danish Defence can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3," the military said in a post on social media X, adding it had no further comments.It is quite rare for Denmark's military to comment publicly on individual vessels travelling in Danish waters.

German Lawyers Want Explosives Shipment to Israeli Contractor Blocked

Human rights lawyers have filed a court appeal in Berlin seeking to block a 150-metric-ton shipment of military-grade explosives aboard German cargo ship MV Kathrin which they say is to be delivered to Israel's biggest defence contractor.The European Legal Support Center (ELSC) said on Wednesday the action was filed on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that the shipment of primarily RDX explosives could be used in munitions for Israel's war in Gaza, potentially contributing…

AI-Powered Vessel Tracking and Monitoring

A partnership between Iceland's TM Insurance and Hefring Marine promises to bring the 'big brother is watching' mantra foward faster in marine operations.Touted as an AI -driven ‘digital assistant’, the primary target for this offering are the helm stations of fast craft, and according to Hefring Marine, IMAS Helm addresses both accident prevention and fuel efficiency, aiming to provide fast craft operators with guidance such as a maximum advised speed, based upon the vessel’s route…