Zones News

Fincantieri has launched the first next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) for the Italian Navy at its Riva Trigoso shipyard, marking a milestone in a four-ship program led by Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a joint venture between Fincantieri and Leonardo.The vessel, named Ugolino Vivaldi, is the first of four units being built under a program assigned to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali — owned 51% by Fincantieri and 49% by Leonardo — by the Naval Armaments Directorate, part of Italy’s National Armaments Directorate.The launch ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the Italian Navy…

India has seized three U.S.-sanctioned tanker ships linked to Iran this month and stepped up surveillance in its maritime zone to curb illicit trade, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday.India aims to prevent its waters from being used for ship-to-ship transfers that obscure the origin of oil cargoes, the source added.The seizures and heightened surveillance follow an improvement in U.S.-India relations. Washington earlier this month announced it will cut import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%…

Often debated and long-awaited, The White House released its long-anticipated America’s Maritime Action Plan (MAP), a 40+ page blueprint aimed at what it calls a new “Maritime Golden Age” for the United States.The document, developed under Executive Order 14269, lays out a four-pillar strategy to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, expand the U.S.-flag fleet, reform maritime workforce development, and strengthen industrial resilience. For U.S. shipbuilders, vessel owners and maritime suppliers…

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…

R.M. Young Company and Western Weather Group will host a joint educational webinar titled "Powering Safer Grids with Wildfire Forecast Intelligence + Rugged Weather Hardware" on February 10, 2026, at 2:00 PM Eastern. The live webinar is free to attend with advance registration.As wildfire risk continues to grow across utility service territories, accurate forecasting and dependable environmental data have become critical to grid safety, operational planning, and Public Safety…

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…

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.

A set of amendments to key IMO treaties and Codes have entered into force on January 1, 2026. They include the following: Preventing and responding to bullying, harassment and sexual assaultAmendments to the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW Code) aim to prevent and respond to violence and harassment in the maritime sector, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.The amendments are included in table A-VI/1-4 (Specification of minimum standard of competence in personal safety and social responsibilities) of the STCW Code.

In his 2026 goal setting message, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez noted that all eyes will be on the finalization of the autonomous ships code.The MASS Code is a framework for the safe, secure, and environmentally friendly operation of remotely operated and autonomous ships.Maj. Joseph DeFlorio, U.S. Army 8th Theater Sustainment Command, National Security Law Team, highlighted in a December piece on the Indo Pacific Defense Forum that there is a lot to be gained from autonomous shipping.Autonomous systems can monitor hazards and respond with precision…

On Yonges Island, South Carolina, just up the Wadmalaw River from Charleston, the fourth-generation maritime company Stevens Towing Company continues to rewrite its own history. Long known for its towing and barge work, its ship repair business is growing at light speed, transforming what began decades ago as an internal maintenance yard into a dynamic commercial shipyard serving tugs, barges, OSVs, and dredge vessels from Florida to Virginia. At the center of this evolution is Kurt Olsen…

China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.The Eastern Theatre Command said it had deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises to encircle the democratically-governed island, conduct live fire and simulated strikes on land and sea targets…

German Naval Yards (GNY), Swisship Yacht Projects headed by Andreas Iseli and Kristian Pascoli of Pascoli International have announced their collaboration on a new 93-meter superyacht concept “KOA” aimed at the next generation of large-superyacht owners. With a beam of 14.60 meters, a draft of 4 meters and an internal volume of approximately 3,500 GT, the project balances modern aesthetics, advanced hybrid propulsion and onboard spaces.The partnership draws on GNY’s experience in building technically ambitious yachts…

Thailand's military said it was considering blocking fuel exports to Cambodia, as fighting between the two countries spread to coastal areas of a disputed border region two days after U.S. President Donald Trump said the sides had agreed to a new ceasefire.The Southeast Asian neighbours have resorted to arms several times this year since a Cambodian soldier was killed in a May skirmish, reigniting a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border.Thai military commanders have been discussing blocking fuel exports to Cambodia…

China said on Friday it had driven away a Philippine aircraft and multiple vessels near disputed atolls in South China Sea, in the latest in a series of confrontations in the strategic waterway in recent years.The Chinese military said it issued strong warnings and "expelled" a Philippine aircraft that "invaded" airspace above the Scarborough Shoal, without giving a date for the incident.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Marine engineering firm Birdon operates across Australia and the United States, delivering complex programs on a global scale. With distributed teams, tight production schedules, and increasing demands for accuracy and efficiency, the company needed more than generic software: they needed shipbuilding technology built for real-world workflows.By partnering with SSI and standardizing on ShipConstructor, Birdon has been able to:• Tailor software to its unique build processes and…

Morocco will open a new deepwater Mediterranean port next year and another on the Atlantic in 2028, Equipment and Water minister Nizar Baraka said, as the North African country aims to replicate the success of Africa's largest port, Tanger Med.Nador West Med, under construction on the Mediterranean, is scheduled to be operational in the second half of 2026, Baraka told Reuters in an interview.It will offer 800 hectares for industrial activity, with plans to expand to 5000 hectares…

BIMCO and Hunit have launched a joint pilot project with the aim to reduce risks, cut manual workloads, and modernize the way the maritime industry works with standard contracts.The pilot project will address challenges such as rising operational demands driven by sanctions regimes, increasing safety and emissions requirements, insurer expectations for transparency, and more frequent inspections, to name a few.Today, much of this work to is still managed through PDFs, inboxes…

Lebanon and Cyprus signed a long-awaited maritime demarcation deal on Wednesday, paving the way for potential exploration of offshore gas fields and energy cooperation in the Mediterranean.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signed the agreement at Lebanon's presidential palace and told reporters it would signal deeper cooperation between Lebanon, European Union-member Cyprus and the broader EU."This is a historical agreement, concluding an issue pending for many years and now look forward to what our countries can jointly create…

Italian yacht builder Sanlorenzo has unveiled the first 74Steel, the company’s largest yacht built to date, ahead of its launch in La Spezia.At 74 meters and around 1,900 GT, the 74Steel is Sanlorenzo’s largest yacht ever crafted, with steel and aluminum construction and propelled by diesel-electric system.According to the company, three hulls for the model have so far been sold and a fourth under negotiation before launch.Aside from other amenities, the yacht features a 300 m2 owner’s deck…

Over the past month, Australian Border Force (ABF) has destroyed seven foreign vessels and detained the crews after they were allegedly caught fishing illegally in waters off northern Australia.Authorities seized a combined total of 1,930kg of sea cucumber, 2,844kg of other catch as well as assorted fishing equipment.All vessels have been destroyed in accordance with Australian law and the crews brought to Darwin for investigation by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority…

Maritime technology company Orca AI has launched Co-Captain, a new function in its operational platform that allows vessels can share data with each other, in real time, to be better prepared for real-time events and emerging risks.By connecting a growing network of 1,000 Orca AI-installed vessels, with hundreds more set to join, Co-Captain turns every ship into both a sensor and source of awareness, says the company.Building on Orca AI’s advanced computer-vision technology, Co-Captain fuses these fragmented inputs into a single layer of collective intelligence.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released the third edition of the WSC Whale Chart, a global voyage planning aid that maps where slower ship speeds and route changes can help protect whales from ship strikes and reduce underwater noise.The WSC Whale Chart brings together all known mandatory and voluntary ship-strike and underwater noise reduction measures worldwide, including speed restrictions, routing measures and seasonal protection zones. It is the first tool of its kind to make this global information available in a single source…

Stantec, a leader in sustainable design and engineering, and Seaspan, a leader in Canada’s shipbuilding industry, are celebrating the completion of a new outfitting pier at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. The new outfitting pier measures 272 meters by 19 meters (892 feet by 63 feet) and is designed for large navy and coast guard vessels. The pier is currently facilitating outfitting of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Joint Support Ship, HMCS Protecteur, the largest vessel in the fleet.