Government & Military News

Saronic was selected to support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Pulling Guard program, an effort to develop and demonstrate semi-autonomous escort systems designed to enhance the survivability of unarmed logistics vessels. Saronic will participate in the program under Focus Area 2 (FA2), where it will focus on designing an autonomy-enabled, modular vessel to address maritime security challenges.DARPA’s Pulling Guard program aims to develop semi-autonomous overwatch and escort capabilities, collectively referred to as the Pulling Guard system.

Fincantieri said its subsidiary WASS Submarine Systems has secured a contract worth more than $237 million euros to supply MU90 lightweight torpedoes to the Royal Saudi Naval Force.The agreement, awarded by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense, represents the largest contract in WASS’s 150-year history and includes the supply of torpedoes and associated logistics support services.Deliveries are scheduled between 2029 and 2030 and will be managed from WASS’s facility in Livorno, Italy.The MU90 torpedo…

Fincantieri said its subsidiary WASS Submarine Systems has secured a contract worth more than $237 million euros to supply MU90 lightweight torpedoes to the Royal Saudi Naval Force.The agreement, awarded by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense, represents the largest contract in WASS’s 150-year history and includes the supply of torpedoes and associated logistics support services.Deliveries are scheduled between 2029 and 2030 and will be managed from WASS’s facility in Livorno, Italy.The MU90 torpedo, designed for anti-submarine warfare operations, is currently in service with the navies of Italy and more than 10 other countries and can be deployed from surface vessels and aircraft.“This contract represents a milestone for WASS and for the entire Fincantieri Group.

While the IMO has established interim guidelines to facilitate the use of ammonia as a marine fuel, international standards governing the safe treatment and discharge of toxic ammonia effluent generated during vessel operations have yet to be developed.Unlike typical aqueous ammonia, this effluent exhibits different physical and chemical characteristics, and the lack of clearly applicable international standards has created uncertainty for ship design, operation, and environmental management.In response…

The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies apprehended a stowaway smuggler and seized 10 bales of cocaine in San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, on January 28.The seized contraband weighed a combined total of 358kg/789.25 pounds and is estimated to have a wholesale value of more than $5 million. The apprehended suspect faces federal prosecution on drug trafficking charges.Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders received a VHF Channel 16 marine radio communication from the tug Signet Thunder at approximately 5:48 a.m., Jan.

U.S. military forces boarded a crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuing it from the Caribbean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, accusing the vessel of breaching Washington's blockade on sanctioned vessels traveling to or from Venezuela."Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident " Hegseth wrote in a post on X. "It ran, and we followed."After capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid last month in Caracas, the U.S.

Norwegian security services said they expect Russia to step up its spying on Norway this year, with a focus on the Arctic, and Moscow may commit acts of sabotage aimed at undermining Oslo's support for Ukraine.Norway, an ally of Ukraine and Europe's top supplier of pipeline gas, has been increasingly concerned that Russian intelligence agencies could target its energy infrastructure, either physically or via cyberattacks."We expect Russian intelligence services to increase their activity in Norway in 2026…

The U.S. Department of Labor published a notice providing enhanced and transparent guidance for calculating the amount of securitization required by insurers writing policies under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. This new guidance is designed to represent a transparent and structured approach that will lower the cost of doing business for industries vital to America’s economic and military dominance while continuing to put injured workers first. It will also improve industry confidence regarding potential liabilities and how to improve their outcomes.

The European Commission on Friday proposed a sweeping ban on any services that support Russia's seaborne crude oil exports, going far beyond previous piecemeal EU sanctions in its effort to stunt Moscow's key source of income for its war on Ukraine.Russia exports over a third of its oil in Western tankers - mostly from Greece, Cyprus and Malta - with the help of Western shipping services.The ban would end that practice, which mostly supplies India and China, and render obsolete…

About 2 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude are being sent to refineries owned by oil producer Repsol in Spain, following purchases the company negotiated with trading house Trafigura, according to shipping schedules seen by Reuters.Trafigura and Vitol were granted U.S. licenses last month to export millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. and other destinations, following the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro. The companies have since been storing the oil in Caribbean terminals and marketing cargoes to refiners in the U.S.

Norway's parliament on Thursday rejected a proposal to block Equinor's plan to supply electricity to its Hammerfest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant from the region's power grid, allowing the ongoing development to continue.Opposition parties had sought to revoke the LNG plant's planned link to the power grid, but the motion failed when the Socialist Party withdrew its support for the plan, calling it "in practice unlawful".A total of 48 members of parliament, known as the Storting, backed the opposition's proposal while 54 voted against."For Equinor and our partners, it is crucial to be able

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday that the concession of contracts to operate two ports held and operated for nearly three decades by Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings will "never again" be issued to a single company.Panama's Supreme Court last week nullified CK Hutchison's contract to operate two ports along its strategic canal through its Panama Ports Company subsidiary, ruling that the contracts violated the Central American nation's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions."I don't expect this situation to escalate…

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Chairman of the House Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, was presented with Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) 23rd Annual Leadership Service Award on February 4, for championing the Nation’s inland waterways and the Chickamauga Lock project. The award was presented at a Capitol Hill reception."Throughout his tenure in Congress, Congressman Fleischmann has supported the modernization of the Nation’s inland waterways and of Chickamauga Lock…

Fifteen migrants died after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel, capsized and sank off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea late on Tuesday, the coast guard said, in one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in Greece in years.The incident occurred after a migrant boat sailing towards Chios with its navigation lights switched off ignored signals from a coast guard patrol vessel and changed course, the coast guard said in a statement.All those on board were thrown into the sea a few miles off the Turkish coast, it said.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, today announced another major step toward expanding offshore energy development pursuant to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. BOEM released the Final Notice of Sale for Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 2 (BBG2), the second of 30 Gulf of America lease sales required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law No: 119-21). BOEM will again invite lease sale bidders to attend the live bid reading, per BOEM instructions, on March 11, 2026, starting at 9 a.m. Central Time.

Ultra Maritime has secured a USD$54.6 million (£40 million) contract from the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) to deliver sonobuoys for the Royal Navy’s Merlin Maritime Patrol Helicopter—significantly strengthening the UK’s undersea surveillance and deterrence posture at a time when British waters are under increasing threat from foreign actors. Sonobuoys are the frontline sensors of the UK’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) network, and give the Royal Navy the ability to detect, track and deter hostile submarines and other underwater vessels.Based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall…

A U.S. judge on Monday will consider a request from Danish energy company Orsted to block the Trump administration's halt on its Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York.The preliminary injunction request is the fifth brought by an offshore wind developer since the Interior Department's December 22 pause on five offshore wind leases in federal waters. The agency stopped work on the multi-billion-dollar facilities due to national security concerns around radar interference.Orsted has spent or committed more than $7 billion to date to build Sunrise Wind, the company said in a court filing.

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 mariners on Saturday after their Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel caught fire approximately 500 miles north-northwest of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.At 3:51 p.m. PST, Saturday, Rescue Coordination Center Alameda received a notification from the Garmin Search and Rescue Command Center of an SOS distress alert from the 240-foot fishing vessel La Pena.Using a crewmember’s satellite messaging device, Coast Guard watchstanders established communications with the crew and confirmed the vessel had caught fire and sank.

Two tankers suspected of illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers were detained and more than 512 million ringgit ($129.9 million) worth of crude oil seized 24 nautical miles west of Muka Head, Penang last week, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said on Saturday.The agency did not specify the origin of the oil being transferred.The waters off Malaysia are known as a regular site for illegal ship-to-ship transfers, where oil is shifted between tankers at sea to obscure its origin.

The U.S. Coast Guard is accelerating long-term investments in cutters, aviation assets and autonomous systems following what service leaders described as a historic infusion of funding from Congress in 2025, according to testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.During the hearing, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) pressed Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, on how the service is translating recent budget increases into operational capability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.Adm.

The U.S. Coast Guard is accelerating long-term investments in cutters, aviation assets and autonomous systems following what service leaders described as a historic infusion of funding from Congress in 2025, according to testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.During the hearing, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) pressed Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, on how the service is translating recent budget increases into operational capability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.Adm. Lunday said the Coast Guard has already expanded its cutter presence in the region, adding nine vessels and permanently shifting a medium-endurance cutter to the Pacific.

Panama's Supreme Court has annulled key port contracts held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, leaving the future ownership of some Panama Canal operations unclear and possibly upsetting its plans to sell some terminals.Panama Ports Company (PPC), a CK Hutchison subsidiary, has held contracts since the 1990s to operate container terminals at the canal's Pacific and Atlantic entrances, separate from the waterway's operations.The decision could disrupt CK Hutchison's proposed $23 billion sale of dozens of ports worldwide…

Captain Steve Jones is President of the Passenger Vessel Association for 2025. As his term comes to a close in February at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2026 in Covington, KY, Captain Jones has achieved several long-sought-after successes during his term and set in motion other important association undertakings intended to deliver noteworthy benefits to PVA members in the coming year and beyond. Captain Jones has been with the Gateway Clipper Fleet since 1987. The Gateway Clipper Fleet…

In the 1990’s, my father was asked to attend a side shell damage on a US Navy vessel. The damage was caused by assist tug hard contact. He surveyed the damage and came back to the office to write it up. His partner Harry Ottaway saw my Dad’s commercial damage repair estimate, and said: “Henk it is a Navy ship. Double it, and double it again”. He did and came pretty close to the Navy’s claimed repair cost.This was not a complex damage, and in actual repair process was no different than the repair of a commercial vessel side shell damage…

On January 28, 2026, President Donald J. Trump designated Laura DiBella to serve as Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.Chairman DiBella was sworn in as a Commissioner on January 6, 2026. She was nominated by President Trump on September 3, 2025 and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 2025, to serve a term that expires on June 30, 2028.“It was a true honor to simply be nominated as a Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission, and to now be tapped as Chairman is nothing short of a privilege…

The U.S. Coast Guard is actively conducting icebreaking operations in New York Harbor and the Hudson River in response to worsening ice conditions caused by prolonged extreme cold and Winter Storm Fern. Ice conditions have developed and expanded quickly across New York Harbor and the Hudson River, with significant ice formation now affecting the waterway from New York Harbor north through the Hudson Valley. Shore and drift ice are present throughout the area, and forecasts indicate continued ice growth over the coming days as cold temperatures persist.

TKMS and Seaspan, Canada’s largest shipbuilding, design and repair company, have signed a Teaming Agreement to collaborate in support of the Government of Canada’s objective to achieve a sovereign capability for the sustainment and through-life support of naval ships. The collaboration focuses on the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) with potential further opportunities arising from TKMS’s international customers and programs. This agreement is the latest in a string of…

The U.S. Navy has sent an additional warship to the Middle East, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday, amid a large military buildup in the region and soaring tensions.The official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Delbert D. Black had entered the region in the past 48 hours. This brings the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, along with an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships. The additional warship in the region was first reported by CBS News.(Reuters)

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure called a draft law proposing to allow offshore oil and gas exploration in its overseas territories "anachronistic" during a debate in the country's Senate on Thursday.In a world first, France banned new oil and gas exploration and production licenses in 2017, hoping other nations would follow suit. But energy security fears following the loss of Russian gas, along with worries over increased reliance on U.S. liquefied natural gas have led senators to reconsider developing domestic resources."The government is not favourable to this proposal ...

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg crew members held a memorial service honoring the fallen crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn, Wednesday, at the Blackthorn Memorial in St. Petersburg.The memorial ceremony marked the 46th anniversary of the 23 lives lost during the collision between Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn and the motor vessel Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan. 28, 1980. The ship had a crew complement of 50.“Today, we honor the memory of the 23 men we lost that day,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Henry J. Audette Jr., Southeast District command master chief.

The Government of the Republic of Palau has contracted Palau Ship Registry to operate the nation’s official shipping registry under a new governance framework.The appointment follows a period during which the Government considered how the registry should operate going forward, with a focus on accountability, transparency, and alignment with international maritime standards.In December, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Industries assumed responsibility for operating the Ship Registry to ensure uninterrupted service to vessels flying the Palau Flag.

Egypt said on Wednesday that it is working on securing the release of four citizens who were detained by Iran last month after Tehran seized a foreign tanker on charges of carrying "smuggled fuel" in the Gulf.In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said four Egyptian crew members were currently on board the Reem alKhaleej vessel at Iran's Bandar Abbas port.Iran said last month that it had seized a foreign oil tanker carrying 4 million litres of smuggled fuel near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf.

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.

The captain of a Venezuela-linked crude oil tanker seized by the U.S. this month has been taken from British territorial waters and is now aboard a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, a lawyer for the captain's wife said on Tuesday.The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. military special forces, bearing a judicial seizure warrant, apprehended the Russian-flagged Marinera in the Atlantic near Iceland on January 7 after pursuing it for more than two weeks as part of Washington's efforts to block Venezuelan oil exports.After its capture…

The militaries of the Philippines and the United States sailed together this week at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Manila's armed forces said on Tuesday, in joint exercises aimed at easing cooperation between the treaty allies.Military engagements between them have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the South China Sea.The 11th such drill between the United States and…

Teledyne Gavia, a leader in modular autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), announced the successful delivery of the first four GAVIA AUV systems to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV).The newly delivered GAVIA Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) system forms part of a multi-year framework agreement between Teledyne Marine and FMV, under which GAVIA AUVs will support fleet modernization initiatives for the Swedish Armed Forces by enhancing underwater surveillance…

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC or Commission) launched an investigation related to possible non-compliance of the Shipping Act by ocean common carriers that may be unjustly and unreasonably restricting motor carriers (truckers) and shippers in their choice of chassis providers.The Commission seeks to determine whether ocean common carriers are using practices that directly or indirectly deprive truckers and shippers from negotiating and dealing with chassis providers. Any practices…

Fincantieri has launched Italian Navy’s newly built hydro-oceanographic ship (N.I.O.M.) Quirinale at its integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso, marking a milestone in Italy’s maritime research and monitoring capabilities.The vessel, designated N.I.O.M. Quirinale, has been designed to support scientific mapping and monitoring activities and will operate in support of the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute, the state authority responsible for producing official national nautical documentation.Measuring approximately 110 meters in length with a displacement of around 6…

China and Denmark renewed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in green maritime technology and shipbuilding during a meeting between the two nations' industry ministers in Beijing on Tuesday, China's industry ministry said in a statement.China is willing to jointly conduct research and development with Denmark on low-carbon and zero-carbon fuel-powered ship technologies and explore cooperation potential in the new energy vehicle sector, Li Lecheng, the Chinese minister, told Denmark's Business and Industry Minister Morten Bodskov.(Reuters - Reporting by Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang and Rya

Norwegian police said on Monday they had charged an oil company and two executives in Norway on suspicion of paying millions of dollars in bribes to close family members of Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso.Norwegian police said the investigation was launched after Monaco police sought legal assistance related to a suspicious bank transaction, and that substantial assistance also came from other countries, including France and the United States."The bribes... are linked to the President of Congo and his close family members…

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday that her country has agreed with Germany to jointly proceed with the Bornholm Energy Island, a large offshore wind project.Frederiksen was speaking at a press conference at an energy conference in Hamburg alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.(Reuters)

Finland's Border Guard hopes to prevent damage to critical undersea infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland with a maritime surveillance centre it plans to set up in cooperation with other Baltic Sea states and the EUCommission, it said on Monday.The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the issuance of two Calls for Information and Nominations to solicit industry nominations and public comments on areas of interest for potential offshore oil and gas leasing in Southern California and Central California under President Trump’s 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Program.Publishing these calls in the Federal Register marks the first step in BOEM’s offshore oil and gas leasing process under 30 CFR 556.301.

Fincantieri has signed new contracts with the Italian Navy to enhance the cyber resilience of modern naval units, strengthening protection against cyber threats to onboard systems and mission security.The contracts, signed through e-phors, a subsidiary of Fincantieri NexTech, cover the deployment of an integrated solution designed to monitor and counter cyber threats targeting ships’ onboard Ship Management System networks. The program is aimed at reinforcing platform protection…

Finland’s Border Guard is setting up a maritime surveillance centre together with other Baltic Sea states and the European Commission for the protection of critical undersea infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland, it said on Monday."Competent authorities must have the capability and the authority to intervene in situations occurring in the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone," it said in a statement.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 NATO has increased its Baltic Sea pr

Mosaic tiles, crane parts, buses, expensive fabric and 'vegetable spring rolls'. These are just some of the elaborate concealment methods criminals have used to try to smuggle drugs into Australia.In the 2025 calendar year, Australian Border Force (ABF) intercepted varied air, mail and sea cargo consignments of illicit substances and precursors destined for Australian shores and, with the AFP, seized:• 9.2 tonnes of methamphetamine, which had an estimated street value of $5.5 billion…

The captain of an oil tanker intercepted by the French navy has been detained under investigations into whether it was operating under a false flag, the Marseille prosecutor’s office said on Sunday.The vessel named Grinch was seized in the Mediterranean on Thursday, then diverted to anchor off the French port city, on suspicion of being part of the shadow fleet that lets Russia export oil despite sanctions.The 58-year-old captain, an Indian national, was detained as part of the preliminary investigations, the prosecutors said in a statement that did not mention Russia.The vessel left the Russi

A migrant has been rescued and 50 others are feared drowned after a boat sank in the Mediterranean, officials said on Sunday.The man had been in the sea for 24 hours and said he believed everyone else on the vessel had died, according to the Alarm Phone group which runs an emergency hotline for migrants.The boat had come from Tunisia, it added, a common departure point for migrants risking the dangerous journey to reach Europe.The man was rescued by a merchant ship off Tunisia and brought to Malta for medical treatment, Malta's armed forces said.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) began icebreaking operations in the Southern Ocean in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2026 and marked its 50th year of commissioned service Saturday by freeing and escorting a cruise ship trapped in pack ice.The Australian-owned cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II contacted Polar Star at approximately 11 p.m., local time Friday after becoming beset in pack ice roughly eight nautical miles from McMurdo Sound. Polar Star’s crew conducted two close passes to break the vessel free…

This week’s maritime security report from Palaemon Maritime starts by saying: “Hello Shipmate, this week saw a sharp escalation in maritime security incidents across Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia.”Key developments include:• Ballistic missile attack on Chornomorsk Port, Ukraine, causing container damage and an oil spill• Greek-managed oil tankers hit by drone strikes near the CPC terminal off Novorossiysk• A Panama-flagged vessel struck by a Russian UAV, injuring one crew member• A cargo vessel sunk in the Caspian Sea, all 14 crew rescued• Americas – U.S.

As Americans do each year, with 2026 just the same, we are hopeful for a more promising year, with better outcomes and calmer seas. But for construction of the Nation’s inland waterways lock and dam infrastructure, there is a strong sense of urgency like never before.Since 1987, just 10 projects to modernize or expand locks on the inland waterways system have been completed, with seven of them started and finished between 1987 and 1997 at an average cost overrun of 33%.Since 2008, only two lock modernization projects have been completed.

Marine Group Boat Works (Marine Group), a full-service shipyard based in San Diego, won a Navy Grant to establish a maritime welding program designed to expand the skilled labor workforce supporting the U.S. Navy’s growing shipbuilding and repair demands. Marine Group was awarded this grant because it addresses workforce constraints by increasing the number of highly skilled welders certified to NAVSEA standards, thereby enhancing production resources for Navy surface ships and critical maritime assets.

The French navy on Thursday intercepted a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean suspected to be part of the shadow fleet that enables Russia to export oil despite sanctions."This operation was carried out ... with the support of several of our allies. It was conducted in full compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," French President Emmanuel Macron said on X.The interception was carried out on high seas in the Western Mediterranean, between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco…

Kongsberg Maritime is participating in the prequalification phase of the competition for the Royal Norwegian Navy’s new standardized vessels (P1118). The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency has announced a national competition for vessel design and concept development covering up to 28 standardized vessels for the Royal Norwegian Navy.“We are participating in the competition with our full product portfolio, including ship design and integrated system solutions for advanced vessels.

U.K. defense contractor Babcock has secured its first agreement under the $5.3 billion (£4 billion) Maritime Partnership Program (MPP) with Indonesia, covering the sale of two Arrowhead 140 frigate licenses to be delivered over the coming months.The agreement includes a Letter of Intent outlining Indonesia’s procurement ambitions under the MPP, alongside the initial license deal. It builds on Babcock’s original export of two Arrowhead 140 licenses to Indonesia in 2021 and follows…

The U.S. military said it seized a Venezuela-linked tanker on Tuesday in the Caribbean, marking the seventh such apprehension since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump's month-long campaign to control Venezuela's oil flows.The U.S. military's Southern Command, which is overseeing nearly a dozen warships and thousands of troops in the Caribbean, said in a statement it apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta "without incident.""The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance…

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Border Force have congratulated authorities in French Polynesia over the reported seizure of about 4.87 tonnes of cocaine intercepted in the Pacific Ocean, with the drugs reportedly bound for Australia.AFP Commander Stephen Jay commended the work of the authorities in French Polynesia and said: “AFP members posted in the Pacific and Taskforce Thunder members will seek to work collaboratively with authorities in French Polynesia…

The Chinese military said on Tuesday it had organised naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft which "illegally intruded" into the airspace over Scarborough Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea."We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop infringing upon China's rights and cease provocations and irresponsible hype," a spokesperson for the military's Southern Theatre Command said in a statement.The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Maritime Council did not immediately respond to requests for co

China's military said it had followed and monitored the transit of guided-missile destroyer USS Finn and oceanographic survey ship USNS Mary Sears through the Taiwan Strait on January 16 and 17, it said on an official WeChat account Saturday.A spokesman for the Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said in the statement that it remains "on high alert at all times" to "resolutely defend national sovereignty and security".The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.(Reuters - Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Toby Chopra)

The U.S. Coast Guard has unveiled a rapid-response approach that identifies, prototypes and delivers breakthrough technologies to meet urgent operational needs and drives accelerated transition to programs. The Office of Rapid Response and Prototyping (CG-RAPTOR) is accelerating the “idea-to-operations” cycle, rolling our solutions within 30, 60, and 90 days through collaboration with operators, industry leaders and subject matter experts.The standup of CG-RAPTOR comes amid Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s push to change how the Coast Guard operates.

Today the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted Dominion Energy’s request for a preliminary injunction allowing construction to resume on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project while Dominion Energy’s lawsuit challenging the agency’s action proceeds. Our team will now focus on safely restarting work to ensure CVOW begins delivery of critical energy in just weeks. While our legal challenge proceeds, we will continue seeking a durable resolution…

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged NATO on Friday to develop "a coordinated presence" in the Arctic region to prevent tensions and respond to "interference by other actors", amid escalating tensions among Western allies over Greenland.In a letter read during the presentation of an Italian government paper on the Arctic, Meloni said the region was becoming increasingly important due to the development of new sea routes and its huge "energy and mineral resources".Italy…

Greece plans to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean Sea, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Friday, despite Turkey's long-standing threat of war should Athens take such a step.The NATO allies, but historic rivals, have eased tensions in recent years but remain at odds over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean - an area believed to hold significant energy potential and with implications for overflights and airspace.Greece has already extended its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from six…

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) inspectors frequently find immersion suit defects caused by adhesivef ailures between the main zipper and the suit body. These failures, illustrated in the images, compromise watertight integrity and pose serious survival risks from water ingress. Contributing factors to the defects include improper maintenance (e.g., the use of non-approved petroleum based lubricants or scented powders), improper storage, and neglecting to conduct periodic pressure testing. Seam and closure deterioration may not always be detectable during routine visual inspections.

A new study undertaken by a group of researchers from the UAE, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan collates a range of statistics and expert opinion to address an urgent puzzle: Where and under what conditions do states prioritize cable security?The researchers focused on three contrasting cable systems: Unity/EAC Pacific (Japan–U.S.), Asia-America Gateway (Guam–Hawaii), and Tata TGNTata Indicom (India–Singapore).The risk to such cables varies predictably with geopolitical tension, peaking during ambiguous periods between peace and overt conflict.

The United States Coast Guard held a formal swearing-in and assumption of command ceremony on Thursday for Adm. Kevin Lunday as the 28th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.Secretary Kristi Noem joined senior Coast Guard leadership, members of the Joint Force and distinguished guests in recognizing the transition of command and Adm. Lunday’s commitment to leading the Service.“President Trump’s plan was simple when he became President of the United States. He wanted to revitalize the Coast Guard…

For Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), the year has had a strong start. Today, a significant milestone was reached in the Squadron 2020 project with the start of production of the fourth multi-purpose corvette and the keel-laying of the third one. This also means that all four multi-purpose corvettes of Pohjanmaa class -- ships that measure 117 x 16.5m with a 5m draft and a crew of 70 -- are now simultaneously under construction at the RMC shipyard. Moreover, preparations are in…

The Government of Canada has concluded a successful two-day mission to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, represented Canada at the Future Minerals Forum. The visit reinforced Canada’s commitment to advancing global critical mineral supply chains and deepening economic ties with Saudi Arabia.On January 13, 2026, Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bandar Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, to enhance cooperation in the field of mineral resources.