C Command News

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has charged six crew members of a merchant vessel following a joint investigation into an organised crime syndicate which allegedly imported one tonne of cocaine into Australia. It will be alleged the men from Honduras and Ecuador operated a specially modified 40m vessel found to contain three professionally built and installed smuggling hides. An investigation into the vessel began in January 2026, after French authorities intercepted the ship in international waters.

On March 12, Havariekommando, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME), held a naming ceremony for its latest vessel, a Damen Multi Cat (MuC) 2309. The vessel, named Lütt Matten, will operate out of Sassnitz on the Baltic island of Rügen, providing emergency response capabilities. Havariekommando is responsible for performing maritime emergency management in the German Baltic and North Seas. The Damen MuC 2309 is a versatile vessel providing the capability to perform a wide range of duties including transport, monitoring and oil spill recovery.

Iran said on Sunday it would strike the energy and water systems of its Gulf neighbours in retaliation if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran's electricity grid in 48 hours, escalating the three-week-old war.The prospect of tit-for-tat strikes on civilian infrastructure could deepen the regional crisis and further rattle global markets when they reopen on Monday morning.Air raid sirens sounded across Israel from the early hours of Sunday, warning of incoming missiles from Iran…

Amidst the IMO sustainable fuel regulation highs and lows there are other parts of the maritime regulatory environment that may warrant a closer look.For roughly a century, maritime relied on liquid fossil fuels. Meanwhile, it took over half a century for regulations to start to deal with the negative effects of liquid fossil fuels and to effectively deal with maritime fossil fuel disasters.The star player in this effort was OPA90, which, once implemented, massively reduced the…

European Union foreign ministers will discuss on Monday bolstering a small naval mission in the Middle East but are not expected to decide on extending its role to the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, diplomats and officials say.The EU’s Aspides mission was established in 2024 to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group in the Red Sea. It currently has an Italian and a Greek ship under its direct command and can also call upon a French ship and another Italian vessel…

Iran's U.N. Ambassador said on Thursday Tehran was not going to close the Strait of Hormuz, but added that it was Iran's right to preserve the security of the key shipping route.Amir Saeid Iravani made his comments to reporters at the United Nations when asked about remarks by new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who said on Thursday that the "lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used.""We are not going to close the Strait of Hormuz," Iravani said.

A Unified Command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), continues its recovery and cleanup efforts after a crude oil discharge reported near the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port on February 26, 2026.The Unified Command was officially established on February 27, 2026, to manage the spill's environmental impact. Multiple contractors have been engaged to assist in the cleanup effort.As of March 7…

The U.S. will provide reinsurance for losses up to $20 billion in the Gulf region, to help provide confidence for oil and gas shippers during the war on Iran, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation said on Friday.President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered the DFC to provide political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade in the Gulf after oil and liquefied natural gas tanker transit had ground to a halt in the Strait of Hormuz waterway off Iran…

The maritime domain has always been central to global stability and our nation’s prosperity. In today’s rapidly evolving security environment, its importance has never been more pronounced – or more vulnerable. Over ninety percent of global trade moves across the world’s oceans, making maritime transportation the backbone of international commerce, energy distribution, and economic resilience. Yet this vast ecosystem faces escalating risks including geopolitical tensions, deteriorating infrastructure…

Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel  for the future USS Philadelphia (LPD 32), a Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship.The ceremony included ship sponsor Maureen Paparo, a Philadelphia native, who was joined by her spouse, Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Also, attending the ceremony was Chris Kastner, HII’s president and CEO, Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president and key U.S. Navy officials.As part of the ceremony…

A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister identified the warship as the frigate IRIS Dena, and said it was heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port.The attack happened hundreds of miles across the Indian Ocean from the Gulf, where U.S. and Israeli forces are striking Iran and Tehran is retaliating with missile and drone attacks."An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters…

The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Tehran kept up its missile and drone attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation could continue for some weeks and that it was unclear who was in charge in Iran, following the targeted killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israel campaign over the weekend.The attack on Iran has pitched the Gulf into war…

ACUA Ocean has announced the launch of FleetMind, an integrated platform monitoring system for autonomous vessels, filling a gap in the medium and large unmanned surface vehicle (USV) management capability.While existing autonomy software solutions focus on command and control, navigation and collision avoidance, end users are consolidating the number of systems being deployed. This necessitates a modular approach to the C2 software integration layer, allowing focus to be spent on reducing the operating burden of vessel management and maintenance.

The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted delivery of the 62nd Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), in Key West.Danz was serving in the New York City Police Department, Emergency Services Unit, ESU Truck 3, when he responded to the World Trade Center as part of a massive emergency response and was killed when the World Trade Center collapsed. He was posthumously awarded the New York City Police Department’s Medal of Honor for his heroic deeds. His actions that day embodied the Coast Guard's core values of honor…

The barge Defiant was refloated from the Castillo San Felipe del Morro shoreline in San Juan Harbor, Wednesday at approximately 2:22 a.m., just before high tide.Salvage crews and tugboat operators prepositioned three tugboats and completed all the preparations, including the pressurization of all cargo tanks, voids and compartments in the barge. The tugboat, Lobo Grande, successfully pulled the barge off the rocks with the assistance of the incoming tide.An earlier attempt on…

In collaboration with Linde Gas & Equipment, ESAB announced that its new Ruffian EMP 270G EDW engine‑driven welding generator will make its official debut at CONEXPO‑CON/AGG 2026 and attendees can place orders directly in Linde’s booth (S63335). ESAB and Linde have also teamed up to offer exclusive, show‑only pricing during CONEXPO, which runs March 3–7 in Las Vegas.The show special packages feature the Ruffian EMP 270G with an Sentinel A60 welding helmet, a Sentinel A60 helmet and a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 50+ hand-held plasma cutter…

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has acted under Operation BROADSTAFF, intercepting two foreign fishing vessels in the vicinity of Albany Islands, Queensland on February 20.During intelligence led patrols of the region, ABF officers from Maritime Border Command (MBC), working with partner agencies, intercepted two suspected illegal foreign fishing vessels near Cape York.Officers identified 510kg of salt and fishing equipment on board the vessels. The crew were apprehended and transferred to Darwin.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday "no thanks" to U.S. President Donald Trump's idea of sending a hospital ship to Greenland, a territory that Trump has repeatedly said he wishes to take over.Trump said on Saturday on social media he was working with Louisiana Governor and special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, to send a hospital boat to Greenland."President Trump's idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has seen early results under Operation BROADSTAFF, intercepting two foreign fishing vessels in northern Queensland and the Torres Strait over the weekend before illegal fishing activity could occur.Launched last week, Operation BROADSTAFF is designed to deter, detect and disrupt illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters.On 14 and 15 February 2026, during intelligence led patrols, ABF officers from Maritime Border Command (MBC), working with partner agencies…

Captain Vladimir Motin was sentenced to six years’ jail on February 2 after being found guilty of “gross negligence manslaughter” for his role in the container ship Solong’s ramming of the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate in March 2025.The circumstances of his case, heard at the Old Bailey in London, are different to those of Ali Albokhari, currently serving a 30-year term in a Turkish jail, but the contrast that is even more apparent is the mismatch in due process and access to justice…

The Coast Guard commissioned its newest and sixth Arctic District Fast Response Cutter (FRC), Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Mann (WPC 1160), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in Kodiak, Alaska, Friday.The ceremony was presided over by Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Arctic District. Members of the Mann family were also in attendance, including the cutter’s sponsor, Mrs. Eugenia "Jeannie" Mann Hyder, niece of Frederick Mann. “Commissioning the Frederick Mann increases U.S. strength and ensures control of our maritime borders and approaches,” said Little.

For more than a decade, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division has invested in regional schools through STEM events, robotics competitions and technology donations, recognizing that the next generation of scientists and engineers is already sitting in today’s classrooms.On Feb. 13 and 14, NSWCDD will host its annual Innovation Challenge at Dahlgren, called IC@D for short, for middle and high schoolers at the Fredericksburg Convention Center. The invitation-only event will…

A U.S. warship and a Navy supply vessel collided during refueling Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Southern Command told Reuters in an emailed statement on Thursday.The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply collided during a replenishment at sea, said the statement from the Southern Command, whose areas of responsibility include Central and South America and the Caribbean.