The Citizen News

Over 95% of large ocean-going vessels moving in U.S. waterways are under the direction and control of a pilot that is a member of the American Pilots’ Association  (APA). The enormous increase in vessel sizes – as much as five times bigger than just twenty years ago – without corresponding expansions of waterways has made the already difficult work of these pilots even more challenging.APA-member pilots are generally the only U.S. citizen aboard foreign ships moving in the fragile bays, ports, rivers, and lakes that are the lifeline of this country.

On March 9, Chief Mate Ali Albokhari’s 30-year sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in Turkey.Albokhari was arrested in 2023 while working on the Panama-flagged Phoenician M after drugs were found in the vessel’s cargo holds. No evidence was found that linked any of the crew to the drugs, and all other crew members have long since been released from prison.The news comes as geopolitical threats are increasing for seafarers.NGO Human Rights at Sea joined the wider industry in calling for the protection of seafarers as war activities escalate in the Middle East.

With everything going on around the maritime industry these days — from a Presidential Executive Order to Make U.S. Maritime Great Again, to bipartisan legislation in Congress to boost our shipyards and merchant marine, to the import tariff rollercoaster ride we’re all on — it’s easy to forget some other important U.S. maritime policy initiatives whose benefits are just over the horizon. One such initiative we mustn’t lose sight of is the effort by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S.

The U.S. military killed two alleged drug smugglers in a strike against a vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, an attack that expands the Trump administration's use of the military in its counter-narcotics campaign.The strike is the first known U.S. military operation in the Pacific since President Donald Trump started a new military offensive against the drug trade that has led to at least seven strikes in the Caribbean and dramatically raised U.S.

The criminalization case of Syrian-born, Finnish citizen and Chief Mate Ali Albokhari sentenced to a 30-year prison term for allegedly being part of the smuggling of cocaine from Columbia continues to be fought against by his wife, Elena Albokhari.Ali Albokhari denies the charges. He remains the only crewmember of the Phoenician-M vessel remaining in prison after their 2023 arrest in the Turkish port of Eregli.Captain Marko Bekavac, also detained, was able to return home to Croatia…

Twelve new research projects will strengthen Norway’s ability to prevent and handle serious incidents that threaten life, health, and critical infrastructure.Topics include handling hybrid threats in Norwegian sea areas, early warning systems for critical underwater infrastructure, security management for renewable energy systems, natural hazards, societal vulnerability, and citizen involvement in crisis management.The projects are financed by funds from nine ministries: the Ministry of Justice and Public Security…

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned a network of shipping companies and vessels led by an Iraqi-Kittitian businessman for smuggling Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil.The administration of President Donald Trump is keeping pressure on Iran while nuclear talks have stalled. A sixth round of negotiations was suspended after the start of a 12-day war in June.A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that the path to nuclear negotiations is not closed but U.S. demands for curbs on Iranian missiles are obstructing prospects for talks.The Treasury said the network…

Panama's maritime authority (AMP) said on Monday it has launched a process to cancel the registrations of 17 vessels included in a list of sanctions from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)."The AMP has tightened its control mechanisms to avoid the inclusion of unwanted actors under the Panamanian flag," it said in a statement, saying this followed the recent addition of a company, a Panamanian citizen and 17 vessels registered on Panama's ship registry on an OFAC sanctions list.(Reuters)

The board of directors of MacGregor Group AB has appointed Jonas Gustavsson Chief Executive Officer of MacGregor as of August 1, 2025. He succeeds Leif Byström, who is retiring.Jonas Gustavsson joined MacGregor in March 2025 as Deputy President. Prior to that he served as the CEO of AFRY AB from 2017 until early 2025. His earlier positions include 23 years of leadership experience with various senior roles at Sandvik, Rotax, Bombardier and ABB. Jonas is a Swedish citizen, born in 1967…

The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) presented its Strategic Plan at the Clock Building of the Port of Valencia, outlining a vision and series of projects with a clear target year of 2035.This is a ten-year plan designed to consolidate Valenciaport as a generator of wealth and quality employment, while also acting as a driver of investment and transformation in the port and logistics ecosystem. Its mission is to deliver the best possible service to the business sector.By 2035, Valenciaport aspires to handle up to 45% of Spain’s loaded container traffic for imports and exports.

On April 17, 2025, the Office of the US Trade Representative (“USTR”) published a notice of action (the “USTR Notice”) implementing its port fee proposal, first announced on February 21, 2025. The rules differ substantially from the February proposal (summarized here). The calculation of the fees has changed to a net tonnage-based fee (or for certain vessels, based on containers discharged or Car Equivalent Units). Several points have been clarified. Specialized rules apply to LNG transportation and vehicle carriers, including fees and restrictions on non-Chinese vessels.

FarSounder has announced the release of a new citizen science feature in its latest SonaSoft™ software update. Building on its existing Data Sharing Program, this release introduces the ability for users to report whale sightings and floating trash/debris—further integrating marine conservation into day-to-day navigation for Argos users.Since 2019, vessels equipped with FarSounder’s Argos sonars have had the ability to participate in citizen science by contributing to global seabed mapping.

The insurance issued to dozens of ageing oil tankers used by Russia to skirt international sanctions was bogus, according to Norwegian authorities now investigating the small firm behind the forged documents.Norway-registered Romarine AS purported to be an insurance provider with a website listing dozens of tankers believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, including vessels under Western sanctions.However, the company was not registered as an insurance provider by Norway's Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA), the FSA said.Western nations have imposed sanctions on hundreds of ships they suspect Russia is using to avoid price cap restrictions on exports of crude oil and other cargoes.Such vessels are not regulated or covered by conventional Western insurers…

The Northern Pioneer, the world's first commercial liquefied CO2 transport ship, has arrived to Stavanger in Norway, ahead of moving to CO2 receiving facilities in Øygarden for commissioning.The 130-meter-long ship can transport 8,000 tonnes of liqued CO2 and is ready for operations in 2025.Northern Pioneer received blessings from her godmother Tina Bru – a Stavanger citizen and former Minister of Petroleum and Energy when the Longship project was proposed to the Norwegian Parliament in 2019.The ship…

HX (formerly known as Hurtigruten Expeditions) has partnered with the University of Tasmania, Australia, and its Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) on a training program for Antarctic cruise passengers.For the first time, HX’s guests and expedition teams will have the opportunity to explore Antarctic and polar science with world-leading researchers in a university-developed program that blends immersive learning with real-world experiences – with the online course…

Italy police said on Wednesday they had arrested 61 people across four countries and seized 60 million euros ($67.1 million) following an investigation into international drugs trafficking and money laundering.The case had revealed criminal drugs ties between Albania and Latin America, and once again showed how criminals in Europe are using shadow networks of illicit Chinese money brokers, police said.Finance police in the northern city of Brescia said 400 officers had carried out the arrests and searches in Italy, Albania, Switzerland and Poland, with the cooperation of local law enforcement

Divers scoured the wreck of a luxury yacht off Sicily's coast on Tuesday to find six missing people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and a Morgan Stanley executive, following an intense storm that sank the vessel on Monday.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-long (184-ft) superyacht, was carrying 22 people and anchored off the port of Porticello when it was hit by the fierce, pre-dawn storm.Fifteen people escaped before it capsized and the body of one person who died was swiftly recovered.

A U.S. federal court has charged three men, including two Iranian brothers and a Pakistani national, for an attempt to smuggle Iranian weapons that would be used by Houthi rebels for attacks on maritime shipping.According to the court documents, Shahab Mir’kazei and Yunus Mir’kazei work for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while Muhammad Pahlawan, is a Pakistani citizen who allegedly worked for the Mir’kazei brothers as the captain of a dhow used as a smuggling vessel.Pahlawan allegedly worked with Shahab to prepare the dhow for multiple smuggling voyages…

Ukraine seized a foreign cargo ship in the Black Sea off its Odesa region and detained the captain on suspicion of helping Moscow export Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied Crimea, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Thursday.The vessel, which it did not identify, was travelling under the flag of a central African country and repeatedly docked at the Crimean sea port of Sevastopol to pick up "looted" agricultural products in 2023-24, the SBU said.Russian forces occupied…

Viking Life-Saving Equipment won a new order for 11 ambulance boats from the Hellenic Coastguard.The Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 ambulance boats will be used to support emergency services and auxiliary healthcare in remote areas, including the islands of Thassos, Psara, Agios Efstratios, Fournoi, Kea, Lipsi, Kasos, North Evia, Zakynthos and Creta (Sfakia, and Ierapetra).Manufactured in Greece, the Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 is the largest boat currently offered by VIKING and is designed to operate safely up to Beaufort force 8 and at wave heights up to 4m.

The Indian Navy will deploy guided missile destroyer ships in the Arabian Sea as a deterrent after an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel was struck off the Indian coast over the weekend.The navy was investigating the nature of the attack on the vessel, MV Chem Pluto, which docked in Mumbai on Monday, and initial reports pointed to a drone attack, a navy statement said."Further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used…

With the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard FY 2025 budget requests offering uninspiring news for traditional shipbuilders, industry observers might be forgiven for checking out and dismissing 2024 as just another dull year in the frustrating business of government shipbuilding.But with an election season underway and an increasingly disorderly sea, the year may end up being far more exciting for industry than most U.S. shipbuilders expect.In fact, it might even be time to prepare for a “Remember the Maine” moment.

With a fleet of nine U.S.-flag RoRo ships, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), is the U.S.’ premier commercial RoRo carrier of U.S. government and military cargo. As the world becomes an increasingly contentious place, Eric P. Ebeling, President & CEO, ARC, discusses the vast capabilities of the ARC fleet and logistics network, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for U.S.-flag ships in the international trade.By the numbers’ is a simplistic means to gauge the size and shape of any shipping company…