Global Commons News

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are not…

The World Shipping Council, International Chamber of Shipping and BIMCO have expressed their thanks to the 12 nations that have jointly condemned the ongoing illegal attacks on ships in the Red Sea and unlawful detention of vessels and crews there.“As the governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have all stated, these attacks are unacceptable, illegal and directly threaten the freedom of navigation that is fundamental to global trade…

In 2007, scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who holds a doctorate from the University of Paris, wrote a bestselling book titled “Black Swan,” which proposed a theory involving unpredictable events with significant impact. Taleb believed that a black swan event was an outlier with significant impact and, once it occurs, is the source of deep reflection and rationalization. Since the book’s publication, a significant number of research efforts have been developed to consider possible black swan events that significantly impact the Maritime Transportation System (MTS) and the Maritime Global Commons.

“Freedom” – the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic governmentIt has been decades since international relations in the world order dictated true competition for sea control, sea lines of communication, access to world markets, and diplomatic partnerships. However, it is becoming increasingly alarming that nations such as Iran, China and Russia seek to accumulate/consolidate power and re-define international maritime norms, potentially at the peril of diplomatic…

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) invited two U.S. Naval War College (NWC) faculty members to testify in Washington, D.C. on understanding and countering China's growing maritime concerns. Erickson's testimony centered on China's growing involvement of their Maritime Militia, which he describes as the third maritime force in addition to the nation's navy and coast guard. The Maritime Militia is a civilian force posing as fishing boats and other noncombatants but is clearly under the operational control of the government, according to Erickson.

The intervention of China in the Arabian Sea is increasing with each passing day. China's deadliest attack submarine crept past Indian waters and docked in Karachi. China had made similar visits to Colombo over the last one year, sparking further concerns in the Indian security establishment. According to India Today, China's Yuan Class 335 submarine crossed the Arabian Sea and entered Karachi port on May 22. The submarine with at least 65 crew members reportedly spent at least a week in Karachi refuelling and restocking before sailing back to China. The incident took place less than a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wrapped up Beijing trip.

The U.S. National Security Agency chief called on Wednesday for an "open, reliable and safe" Internet governed by international rules akin to the Law of the Sea, while deflecting critics who say NSA spying has undermined public trust in the cyberworld. Admiral Michael Rogers spoke a few days after the U.S. Senate rejected a bill to extend spy agencies' bulk collection of Americans' telephone records, putting the programme in doubt shortly before its expiry on June 1. Addressing a cyberwarfare conference in Estonia, Rogers adopted the diplomatic language of a grassroots online governance activist, hailing the Internet's openness and value as a shared, public good.

Odisha has the opportunity to reclaim its trade and cultural relations with nations in the Indian Ocean Region. The state can become the maritime gateway of India once again, said Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Recollecting the rich trade practice of Kalinga merchants, Naveen said the state is in the process of developing a number of ports in the 480-km coastline. He was addressing international conference on "India and Indian Ocean" in Bhubaneswar, capital of the state. Naveen said having a glorious maritime history and with a resurgent economy in the beginning of the 21st century, India is poised to rediscover its legacy and reestablish its ancient glory.

U.S. and Ghanaian and maritime forces completed Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) 2015 operations, Feb. 24, 2015. The Military Sealift Command’s joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) and an embarked combined law enforcement detachment (LEDET), working in tandem with Ghanaian navy’s Western Naval Command Maritime Operations Center (MOC) and patrol vessels, were able to detect three vessels that were violating Ghanaian maritime law and cite them for follow-on judicial action. The combined Ghana-U.S. efforts—another example of the Global Network of Navies—improves interoperability between both nations and helps deter illicit activity that threatens freedom and security in the global commons.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says that Hall brings maritime and piracy analytic experience to the association. For the past three and a half years, Hall was Senior Analyst with the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI), supporting DHS S&T, USCG Headquarters, USCG Atlantic Area, and the National Strike Force Coordination Center. CLIA adds that Hall specializes in maritime security. Prior to HSSAI, she was a research analyst in the Center for Naval Analyses' (CNA) Strategic Initiatives Group focusing on threats and issues pertaining to the global commons. While at CNA, she was the CNA field representative to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S.

What does it take to win in the littoral? Start with knowledge. Naval warfare in littoral waters is very different from open ocean operations. The U.S. Navy is dominant in “blue water” scenarios, but less so in the littoral, naval experts say. “We are good at blue water operations, but we are not that skilled in fighting and operating in the littoral waters in places like the South China, the Baltic and Black Seas as well as the Persian Gulf,” said Prof. Wayne Hughes, a retired U.S.

A new study by Lloyds Register and University College, London, discusses the prospects of marine fuels in 'Global Marine Fuel Trends 2030', giving insights into future fuel demand for the containership, bulk carrier/general cargo and tanker sectors (which represent about 70% of the global shipping industry's fuel demands). Fuel oil remains the main fuel for deep sea shipping; LNG develops a deep sea bunker market share of 11%; low sulphur heavy fuel oil and hydrogen emerge as alternatives in certain scenarios.

The progress we have made in understanding and funding manpower shortages, establishing and funding defendable maintenance requirements, stabilizing procurement accounts, and the successful deployment of the littoral combat ship USS Freedom to the Western Pacific have led me to reassess the N96 Surface Warfare priorities. As President Obama highlighted in his Defense Strategic Guidance, the center of world mass is moving east towards Asia. This new focus brings into sharp relief…

The imperative for a holistic United States maritime strategy has never been greater. This is not news to many of you, but the call must be raised more persistently, more vocally and by many more of us, in order to drive action beyond rhetoric. The National Strategy for the Marine Transportation System was published in July 2008 by the previous administration. We are now in the second iteration of leadership changes at the Department of Transportation and Maritime Administration since the strategy was issued. The White House, the Congress, and the maritime industry should collectively and collaboratively address the evermore pressing…

Three scenarios shaping the future of the world’s maritime industries. Report issued  at events in Singapore and London indicates strong growth for the maritime sector in the years up to 2030 and an even bigger role for China in the maritime world, as seaborne trade increases from 9 billion tonnes annually to between 19-24 billion tonnes. Lloyd’s Register, Qinetiq and Strathclyde University has released Global Marine Trends 2030, a report based on two years of research into the future of the maritime industries.

The oceanographer of the Navy and commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) recently discussed the Navy's future in the Arctic at the third Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations at the U.S. Naval Academy. Rear Adm. David Titley spoke about the Arctic and is scheduled to deliver a "roadmap" for Navy action regarding the Arctic late this summer. Titley's task came out of a Chief of Naval Operations Executive Board (CEB) meeting on the Navy's response to the changing environment and a new national Arctic policy. "My first deliverable, a Navy Arctic roadmap, is a way to get a handle on the Arctic and climate change in general," Titley said. In 2007, the summer sea ice minimum in the Arctic reached a record low.

Contrary to the romanticized portrayal of pirates that have populated folk tales and captured youngsters' imaginations, modern-day pirates pose a clear and present threat to lives, commerce and the environment as they lurk over shipping lanes attacking ships and crew without regard for nationality or cargo. Piracy in the Gulf of Aden not only poses a threat to global commerce, but also threatens aid delivery by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to victims of the ongoing civil war in Somalia.

Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, announced the appointment of Jeffrey G. Lantz as the Coast Guard's director of national and international standards. Lantz will begin his senior executive service position at the Coast Guard's Washington headquarters on June 25. "The Coast Guard's role within the International Maritime Organization is vital to the safety and security of America as well as ships and professional mariners around the globe," Allen said. Lantz, a native of Montana, currently serves as chief of the Coast Guard's lifesaving and fire safety standards division, where his responsibilities have included the safety standards for vessel designs in the areas of structure…

The following is a statement, in its entirety, from Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen regarding his nomination to be commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, given before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Washington - Good afternoon Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee. I am honored to be before you today and look forward to listening to your views and answering your questions. I am grateful for the confidence of President Bush in nominating me to be the 23rd Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. I can think of no greater honor and no better way to continue serving our Nation than through our Coast Guard, a Service whose embedded responsibilities impact every American.