Maritime Law & Regulations News

South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's biggest shipbuilder, said on Wednesday that it plans to merge with its affiliate HD Hyundai Mipo as it targets a bigger slice of the U.S. shipbuilding market.With the merger, the company said it aims to lead U.S.-Korea shipbuilding cooperation projects touted during a recent summit between the leaders of the countries that Seoul has dubbed "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.""Ahead of the full-scale launch of the MASGA project following the Korea-U.S.

Straatman has acquired Kraaijeveld Winches, a Dutch company specializing in the design and production of winches and related equipment for dredging, offshore, and maritime applications.The acquisition marks a strategic step in Straatman’s long-term vision to strengthen its position in the maritime manufacturing industry by collaborating with other high-quality Dutch companies that have deep roots in Dutch maritime engineering and production.With Kraaijeveld joining the group,…

The captain of an oil tanker and two officers accused of severing five undersea power and telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea last December, blamed technical faults for the damage as their trial began in Helsinki on Monday.NATO allies with forces stationed around the Baltic Sea went on high alert after the December 25 incident, one of a string of suspicious cable and gas pipeline outages in the region since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.Prosecutors say the Eagle S tanker deliberately dragged its 11…

The US Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) has arrested the captain of the 8,814-TEU container ship MSC Jubilee IX for suspicion of operating the vessel while intoxicated following a boarding at Terminal 5 in Seattle, August 20.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound were notified by a Puget Sound Pilot aboard the MSC Jubilee IX, who reported the vessel’s captain was exhibiting signs of intoxication. The pilot and first mate operated the vessel during the transit from an anchorage near Everett…

The Philippines and Australia are working towards a new defence agreement to be signed next year, their defence ministers said on Friday, as both nations seek to step up military cooperation to deal with shared security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the enhanced defence cooperation pact will pave the way for more frequent joint military drills aimed at boosting combined operational capability and strengthening regional deterrence.Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles…

An LNG tanker targeted by U.S. sanctions berthed at Russia's Arctic LNG 2 on Thursday, shiptracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed, the fifth such tanker to stop at the project this year.Loadings resumed late in June at the Arctic LNG 2 project, which has been sanctioned over Moscow's war in Ukraine, with four cargoes heading east toward Asia via the Northern Sea Route on sanctioned tankers as well.The fifth, Buran, which berthed at the Arctic LNG 2 plant on Thursday, was previously called North Air, with its name being changed in April after it was targeted by U.S.

Taiwan's defence spending next year will exceed 3% of gross domestic product to demonstrate to the world the government's determination to fulfil its shared responsibility for security, Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Thursday.The move comes as China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past five years to assert its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects.But Taiwan also faces calls from Washington to spend more on its own defence, mirroring pressure from the United States on Europe.

Indian refiner Nayara Energy, backed by Russia and under European Union sanctions, is relying on a dark fleet to import oil and transport refined fuels, according to shipping reports and LSEG flows.Nayara, which controls about 8% of India's 5.2 million barrel-per-day refining capacity, has been struggling to transport fuel since being placed under EU sanctions in July, a move that prompted shippers to back out, forcing the refiner to cut its crude runs.India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer…

CMB.TECH has successfully completed the stock-for-stock merger between Golden Ocean Group Limited and CMB.TECH Bermuda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMB.TECH, with CMB.TECH Bermuda Ltd. as the surviving company, and with CMB.TECH as the issuer of the merger consideration shares. CMB.TECH has issued 95,952,934 new ordinary shares by means of a capital increase by contribution in kind. These shares will be delivered to former holders of Golden Ocean shares as merger consideration at the exchange ratio of 0.95 ordinary shares of CMB.TECH for each common share of Golden Ocean.

The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea on Tuesday, an area of flaring tensions following a collision between two Chinese vessels last week.The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were participating in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country."Our activity is based on the premise that the exercise is anchored on the free and open Indo-Pacific with peace and prosperity in the region…

It was at an 18th century Georgian manor house outside London that Japanese lawmaker Rui Matsukawa began to have serious doubts about America’s commitment to defending her country.Matsukawa, a former deputy defense minister, traveled in March to historic Fordham Abbey for a top-level bilateral conference. At the estate, now home to a Japanese-owned sake brewery, she said she learned from British lawmakers, diplomats and business leaders that a tectonic shift in their thinking was underway.U.S. President Donald Trump was openly berating America’s European allies and tilting toward Russia.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country needed to rapidly expand its nuclear armament and called U.S.-South Korea military exercises an "obvious expression of their will to provoke war," state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.South Korea and its ally the United States kicked off joint military drills this week, including testing an upgraded response to heightened North Korean nuclear threats.Pyongyang regularly criticises such drills as rehearsals for invasion and sometimes responds with weapons tests…

Germany's foreign minister on Sunday criticised what he called the "aggressive behaviour" of China in the Taiwan Strait ahead of a trip to Japan and Indonesia, and stressed the need to strengthen internationally binding rules.Speaking to reporters, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul praised Japan's solidarity with Europe over Ukraine as he prepared to board a plane, and highlighted the importance and economic potential of the two populous Asian countries.His ministry also published…

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised a consortium of lenders on an ECA-backed JOLCO financing for Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) to finance four newbuild container vessels. The consortium comprised BNP PARIBAS (acting through its Tokyo Branch and as ECA Coordinator), The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Tokyo Branch and Citibank, N.A., Tokyo Branch (as mandated lead arrangers) as well as Japanese export credit agencies Japan Bank for International Cooperation…

The United States has everything it needs to lead in offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS), except the rules to make it happen.Nearly four years ago, Congress gave the Department of the Interior authority to oversee offshore carbon sequestration. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 amended the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to authorize competitive leasing and regulation of carbon dioxide injection into subsea formations on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Star Information Systems (STAR) has acquired Sharecat, a provider of solutions for managing and improving technical data quality for complex industrial operations.STAR delivers advanced systems for maintenance, operations planning, procurement, logistics, and master data management, mainly for the maritime sector. The company has grown significantly over over the past four years and is on track to become a leading international player in a competitive market.Data quality is crucial…

The Pasha Group, together with The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), announced Pasha Logistics LLC’s acquisition of certain assets of MacMillan-Piper LLC and Tacoma Transload LLC. The expansion follows the successful completion of an asset purchase agreement with the court-appointed Receiver for GSC Enterprises, Inc., which included certain assets of MacMillan-Piper LLC—a Pacific Northwest specialty transloader—and Tacoma Transload LLC. This milestone marks an expansion of the company’s West Coast footprint with a robust network of proprietary rail transload facilities…

Two Norwegian nationals have been jailed in Australia for attempting to possess 80kg of cocaine smuggled in as a parasitic attachment on the hull of a bulk carrier.A man, 53, was sentenced by the Newcastle District Court to nine years’ and 11 months’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years and 11 months.His accomplice, 35, was sentenced by the same court to 10 years’ and two months’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of five years and nine months.The men were charged as part of the AFP’s Operation Oakey which began in January 23…

UK maritime intelligence company Pole Star Global has acquired Clearwater Dynamics, a UK-based real-time maritime risk intelligence provider and creator of Coral — a platform for managing marine insurance risk.The acquisition strengthens Pole Star’s position in maritime domain awareness, combining Clearwater’s capabilities in real-time vessel risk monitoring and marine insurance with Pole Star’s expertise in regulatory compliance, voyage optimization, dark vessel detection, and maritime data analytics.The deal also marks Pole Star’s expansion into the marine insurance sector…

UK maritime intelligence company Pole Star Global has acquired Clearwater Dynamics, a UK-based real-time maritime risk intelligence provider and creator of Coral — a platform for managing marine insurance risk.The acquisition strengthens Pole Star’s position in maritime domain awareness, combining Clearwater’s capabilities in real-time vessel risk monitoring and marine insurance with Pole Star’s expertise in regulatory compliance, voyage optimization, dark vessel detection, and maritime data analytics.The deal also marks Pole Star’s expansion into the marine insurance sector, bringing integration between operational, regulatory, and underwriting intelligence.Clearwater’s Coral platform equips underwriters and brokers with tools to assess…

A Liberian-flagged oil tanker that had been detained by Iraq's navy has been released and is en route to the United Arab Emirates, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.The vessel, which had been identified by authorities and shipping sources as the Liliana tanker, was carrying 93,000 metric tons of fuel oil when it was intercepted last week, 26 nautical miles from Iraq's coast near Basra's oil terminal.The ship was released after a court order, according to one of the sources and a court order, seen by Reuters, which stated it had committed no breaches.Smuggling is common in Gu

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has called for vigilance and deeper cooperation among Member States and international partners to address growing threats to global maritime security. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council high-level open debate on August 11, chaired by the President of the Republic of Panama H.E. José Raúl Mulino, Mr. Dominguez outlined the risks facing ships and seafarers as they transport billions of tonnes of goods worldwide. “Our collective response must be rooted in prevention…

A new technique developed by Australian researchers could stop unauthorised artificial intelligence (AI) systems learning from photos, artwork and other image-based content.Developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, in partnership with the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC) and the University of Chicago, the method subtly alters content to make it unreadable to AI models while remaining unchanged to the human eye.Defence organizations could shield…

Coastal Veterans Repair Group LLC, a veteran-owned ship repair and marine services firm headquartered in North Carolina, has announced the acquisition of Voyager Maritime Alliance Group, a provider of marine electronics, systems integration, and vessel support services based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.This strategic acquisition represents a milestone in Coastal Veterans Repair Group’s ongoing expansion into high-end yacht systems, navigation, and marine technology sectors. By…

Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ: GOGL; Euronext Oslo Børs: GOGL) has issued an update on its planned stock-for-stock merger with CMB.TECH NV (NYSE: CMBT; Euronext Brussels: CMBT), confirming the transaction could close as early as August 20, 2025.Under the agreement, Golden Ocean will merge with CMB.TECH Bermuda Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMB.TECH, with the latter as the surviving entity. Golden Ocean shareholders will receive 0.95 newly issued ordinary shares of CMB.TECH for each Golden Ocean common share, subject to customary adjustments.

Triton, a European mid-market investment company, has completed the acquisition of MacGregor from previous owner Hiab, formerly Cargotec.The transaction between Triton and Hiab, first announced in November 2024, was closed on July 31, 2025.MacGregor will continue to serve its maritime and offshore customers with its wide portfolio of cargo and load handling equipment under the ownership of Triton.“We at Triton are very pleased and excited about being the new owner of MacGregor.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced fresh sanctions on Wednesday on over 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels, in a sign the Trump administration is doubling down on its "maximum pressure" campaign after bombing Tehran's key nuclear sites in June.The sanctions broadly target the shipping interests of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, who is himself an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The U.S. Treasury said it was the most significant Iran-related sanctions action since 2018…

Fincantieri reported a sharp rise in first-half 2025 results, with growth across all segments and a record order backlog that solidifies its position as one of the world’s leading shipbuilders.Revenues reached €4.58 billion, up 24% from the same period in 2024, while EBITDA surged 45% to €311 million, lifting the margin to 6.8%. The company swung to a net profit of €35 million, compared to a loss of €27 million in the first half of 2024.New orders totaled €14.7 billion, nearly doubling last year’s intake…

Interferry called on the European Commission to immediately harmonize its unilateral EU ETS / FuelEU Maritime regulations with the recently agreed IMO Net-Zero Framework, warning that failure to align Greenhouse Gas regulations will lead to double payment for emissions."We cannot have a situation where operators are paying twice for the same emissions. The European Commission pledged to align its rules once a strong global framework was established at the IMO," said Johan Roos, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Interferry. "That framework is now in place.

Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has identified several tankers suspected of loading petroleum products illegally from the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair, according to an official letter dated Sunday and seen by Reuters.The tankers allegedly used advanced techniques such as Automatic Identification System spoofing to conceal their locations or alter their routes. SOMO said the vessels were not listed in its official loading schedules, raising concerns about unauthorized shipments.“These…

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they would target any ships belonging to companies that do business with Israeli ports, regardless of their nationalities, as part of what they called the fourth phase of their military operations against Israel.In a televised statement, the Houthis' military spokesperson warned that ships would be attacked if companies ignored their warnings, regardless of their destination."The Yemeni Armed Forces call on all countries, if they want to avoid this escalation…