Russia Conduct Drills in Sea of Japan
Russian warships and coastal missile systems struck simulated maritime targets with cruise missiles during exercises in the Sea of Japan, TASS state news agency reported on Monday, citing Russia's defense ministry.The ships and missiles systems, all part of Russia's Pacific Fleet forces, "carried out a joint missile strike against a complex target setup in the Sea of Japan, simulating enemy ships", TASS cited the ministry's statement as saying."All targets were successfully hit."The Fleet's flagship…
Germany Considers Foreign Trade Reform to Block Nord Stream Takeover
Germany is considering changing its foreign trade law to prevent the company running the Nord Stream 2 pipelines from being taken over, a document showed on Friday, as part of Berlin's efforts to prevent any resumption of Russian gas imports.For decades Germany relied on cheap Russian gas, but since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, it has sought alternatives.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he will ensure Nord Stream 2, which the country once backed, would not go into operation…
Proposed Transfer of Regulatory Authority over Deepwater Ports from Coast Guard to MARAD is Ill-advised
On March 5, 2025, the United States Senate passed an important bill to authorize funding for our United States Coast Guard, after failing to do so in the previous Congress. S. 524, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, would if enacted into law authorize appropriations to fund the Coast Guard totaling $30.45 billion for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The bill is sponsored by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and cosponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
Master Acts on Crew Drug Discovery
Scot Tankers of Istanbul has praised the action taken by a master after suspect packages were discovered onboard the MT Scot Bremen.The Maltese-flagged product tanker was enroute from the Port of Pecem, Brazil, and arrived off the coast of Ostend, Belgium, on June 20.While awaiting pilot boarding at the anchorage, on June 22, the master discovered that five ratings on board were concealing suspected packages. He immediately cancelled the scheduled pilotage and notified Belgian police and customs authorities.
Vessels Near Strait of Hormuz Broadcast Unusual Messages to Deter Attacks
Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz have been broadcasting unusual messages concerning nationality in a bid to avoid being attacked as doubts linger over the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, according to maritime risk analytics firm Windward and ship tracking data on Thursday.The signals have been used since conflict broke out between Israel and Iran early this month, which led the U.S. to strike Iranian nuclear sites.U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire after 12 days of war but the maritime threat remains elevated…
Pacific Islands Delay Security Plan That Could See Collaboration With China
Leaders of the four biggest Pacific Islands nations have delayed adopting a joint security strategy that could provide an opening for Beijing, against a backdrop of increasing rivalry between China, Australia and the United States in the Pacific Ocean.The Melanesian Spearhead Group, which includes Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji, had been negotiating its first joint security framework, focused on maritime security.A meeting of the group's leaders on Monday in Fiji delayed a decision…
Maersk Files Lawsuit Over Brazil Port Bid
Global shipping groups are looking to Brazil's courts to overturn competition rules that bar them from participating in the first round of bidding on a major new container terminal at Latin America's largest port, due to take place later this year.Danish shipping group Maersk filed a lawsuit on Monday in Sao Paulo against Brazil's marine transport authority (Antaq), and its general director, according to a document seen by Reuters. The lawsuit called for "procedural corrections to ensure a fair process" to assign the Tecon 10 terminal at the Port of Santos.The bidding rules…
Houthis Likely to be Persistent Problem for US
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement will likely be a persistent problem for the U.S. in the future, a senior U.S. military official said on Tuesday, even after Washington and the Houthis reached an agreement last month that ended a U.S. air campaign against the group."The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem... that we'll be dealing with in the future a few times again," Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations of the Joint Staff, told lawmakers. Grynkewich has been nominated to lead the U.S.
Panama Warns of Middle East Security and Sanctions Risks
The General Directorate of Merchant Marine (DGMM) of the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has issued a series of warnings to Panamanian-flagged vessels due to rising tensions in the Middle East, through Maritime Notice MMN-04/2025.The DGMM highlighted the security risks faced by vessels operating near Iran, Israel, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the ongoing regional conflict, which could directly impact ships and their crews.The PMA…
Panama Warns of Middle East Security and Sanctions Risks
The General Directorate of Merchant Marine (DGMM) of the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has issued a series of warnings to Panamanian-flagged vessels due to rising tensions in the Middle East, through Maritime Notice MMN-04/2025.The DGMM highlighted the security risks faced by vessels operating near Iran, Israel, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the ongoing regional conflict, which could directly impact ships and their crews.The PMA has recommended the following measures for Panamanian vessels:• Raise security levels and conduct a new threat assessment before entering the aforementioned areas.•…
War Risk Insurance Costs Double As Middle East Tensions Worsen
U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran's reprisals have doubled the price of insuring shipments to the Middle East and the Gulf in the last week, insurance sources said on Monday.War risk insurance premiums for shipments to the Middle East Gulf have jumped to 0.5% from around 0.2-0.3% a week ago, as risks grow to the critical Strait of Hormuz, the sources said.The cost of a seven-day voyage is based on the value of the ship and the increase will add tens of thousands of dollars each day in additional costs.While underwriters typically price risk and rates individually…
Missile Strikes Close to Livestock Carrier
Ethical Farming Ireland has joined 21 other NGOs calling on EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi to suspend all shipments of livestock to Israel following the escalation in conflict with Iran.The call comes after a missile struck Haifa close to a livestock carrier from Portugal carrying 8,000 sheep and hundreds of young bulls.The organization recounts first-hand experience from Israel Against Live Shipments volunteers where port workers and truck drivers…
Hong Kong Convention Requires Shipowners to Take Action on Hazardous Materials Inventory
The Hong Kong Convention enters into force on June 26, 2025, and DNV reminds shipowners that all internationally trading vessels of 500 GT and above will need to have on board an International Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materials (ICIHM) at the latest by June 26, 2030.The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) requires the ICIHM earlier if the vessel is going to recycling.Not only vessels flying the flag of a state that has ratified the HKC…
Houthi's Response to US Attack “Only a Matter of Time”
A Yemeni Houthi official said on Sunday that the Iran-aligned group's response to the U.S. attack on Iran was "only a matter of time."Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement's political bureau, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV that its ceasefire deal with Washington was before the "war" on Iran.The group has been launching attacks on shipping lanes and Israel in what it says is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israeli war. It agreed on a ceasefire deal with the United States in May to stop attacking U.S.
Frigates Deployed by Dutch Navy For NATO Summit Security
The Dutch city of The Hague will host the NATO summit next week, with tight security in place as it welcomes around 6,000 delegates and world leaders from 32 countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.K.
War & Shipping: Israel, Iran Trade Blame at IMO
Iran and Israel accused each other of endangering commercial activity in sea lanes around the Gulf and the Red Sea at the UN's shipping agency on Wednesday, as their military conflict escalated.Iran's delegation told a session of the International Maritime Organization's security committee that Israel had in recent days extended its "unlawful attacks" to include petrochemical and gas infrastructure in Asalouyeh along Iran's Gulf coast."These actions directly endanger international maritime security and the global energy supply chain…
Army Corps of Engineers Seeks Public Comments On Proposal to Renew and Revise Nationwide Permits
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it is seeking comments on its proposal to renew and revise 56 existing nationwide permits and issue one new nationwide permit authorizing activities associated with improving fish passage. Nationwide permits authorize activities in wetlands and other waters that are regulated by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and/or Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.“The streamlined set of nationwide permits proposed today offers a clear…
Commercial Ships Advised to Keep Distance From Iran Around Strait of Hormuz
Commercial ships are sailing close to Oman and are being advised by maritime agencies to avoid Iran's waters around the Strait of Hormuz, with the risk of the conflict between Israel and Iran escalating, shipping sources said on Wednesday.Iran has in the past threatened to close the critical Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure. Any closure of the strait could restrict trade and affect global oil prices.In the latest measure, ships sailing towards Hormuz…
War Insurance Costs to Israel Soar
War risk insurance premiums for shipments to Israel are as much as three times higher than a week ago as the war between Israel and Iran entered its fifth day, industry sources said on Tuesday.The cost of a seven-day voyage to Israeli ports was quoted between 0.7% and 1.0% of the value of a ship, versus around 0.2% a week ago, they said.War risk premiums to Israel are still below a peak of over 2% in November 2023 that were quoted after a Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza.Individual underwriters will price risk and rates differently…
Okeanis Eco Tankers Takes $65M Loan to Refinance VLCC
Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE: ECO / OSE: OET) has secured a new $65 million term loan facility to finance the repurchase of its VLCC Nissos Kea under a previously announced sale-and-leaseback option. The new financing, led by E.SUN Commercial Bank, extends OET’s strategy of strengthening its capital structure and diversifying its financing sources.The seven-year secured loan carries an interest rate of Term SOFR plus 135 basis points and will be repaid through quarterly installments of $0.9 million, with a $39.8 million balloon payment due at maturity.
Launch of NAVTOR Türkiye Encourages Regional Service and Support
NAVTOR has reaffirmed its commitment to providing world-class service and support to customers in Türkiye and the surrounding region with the launch of NAVTOR Türkiye in Istanbul.NAVTOR, with products and services on over 18,000 vessels in the world fleet, has acquired 100% ownership in Voyager Worldwide Yasden (Yasden). The new office will be led by Managing Director Sena Deral Sezgi, supporting regional shipping companies with e-Navigation and performance solutions to simplify compliance…
PETRONAS, MISC, MOL ink JV to Pioneer CO2 Transport
PETRONAS CCS Ventures Sdn. Bhd. (PCCSV) MISC Berhad (MISC), and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., (MOL) announced the incorporation of a strategic joint venture (JV), Jules Nautica Sdn. Bhd. This JV will lead the development and act as the ultimate owner of Liquefied Carbon Dioxide (LCO₂) carriers, which are critical for transporting LCO₂ to designated storage sites as part of advancing carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions.The trio completed the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for a 62…
Are Workboats Really Going Green?
Tugboat and towboat owners across the nation eye fuel efficiency and emission reduction technologies and techniques in advance of increasingly stringent regulations.he first half of 2025 has seen a great deal of attention on emissions from vessels, with an eye towards their continued reductions in the coming years. Mid-April saw the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s much anticipated Maritime Environment Protection Committee’s MEPC 83 meeting participants lay out plans for reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years…
Finnish Authorities Suspect Tanker Crew in Subsea Cable Damage
Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers of an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in December, police and the prosecutor said on Friday.Finnish authorities suspect the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S of having broken the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia as well as four internet lines last December by dragging its anchor across the seabed.Finland's…
Taiwan Sentences Chinese Ship Captain to Jail For Subsea Cable Damage
A Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of a ship to three years in jail on Thursday after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in a case that alarmed Taiwan officials.Prosecutors said the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it.The court in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, wa
Australia to Boost Surveillance of Pacific Islands Waters For Illegal Fishing Fleets
Australia plans to significantly boost surveillance of Pacific Islands territorial waters, spending A$477 million ($310.72 million) on aerial patrols for illegal fishing fleets, tender documents viewed by Reuters show, as China takes steps towards sending its coast guard to the region.Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit Fiji on Friday, the Fiji Times newspaper reported, after the government of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka last week approved a maritime security…
Ten Years of SEACOP in the Caribbean
Starting with a few training sessions back in 2015, the EU Seaport Cooperation Project (SEACOP) has led to enhanced maritime security by combating illicit trafficking at sea in the region.Deployed across three strategic regions affected by maritime trafficking, Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa, SEACOP, it is now a cornerstone of the region’s maritime security efforts, helping national authorities from 13 countries tackle transnational illicit trafficking through intelligence sharing…
Paris MoU Concludes 58th Committee Meeting in Sweden
The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) successfully concluded its 58th Committee meeting in Malmö, Sweden, May 26-30, 2025. The meeting, formally opened by Ms. Pernilla Wallin, Deputy Director, Department of Civil Aviation and Maritime Affairs, Swedish Transport Agency, and chaired by Mr. Brian Hogan, marked progress in enhancing maritime safety, environmental protection, and seafarer welfare.A key outcome of the meeting was the review of the Concentrated…
Shadow and Dark Fleets: Increasing Size and Concerns
Global insurer Allianz Commercial recently issued its 2025 Safety & Shipping Review, examining maritime risk trends and losses. The report revealed that the shipping industry has made significant improvements when it comes to maritime safety in recent years. During the 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year. This total had halved 10 years ago and is now down to a record low of 27 as of the end of 2024 (from 35 in 2023).Despite the ongoing trend for fewer large losses, challenges remain.
Watson Farley & Williams Advises MPCC on Container Ship Sale
Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised shipping company MPC Container Ships ASA (MPCC) on its sale of seven container ships for a transaction value of US$94 million. The disposal is part of MPCC's strategic development and the targeted restructuring of its fleet.MPCC has agreed to sell five ships en bloc to Contships Group, comprising three 1,300 TEU ships and two 2,000 TEU ships. In addition, two further ships have been sold to Seacon Group.Oslo-based MPCC is a leading container ship owner with a focus on small to medium-sized vessels.
Israeli Forces Board Aid Boat Bound for Gaza
Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday.The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.However…
BIMCO to Develop Clause Addressing US-China Uncertainties
BIMCO has initiated the development of a standard industry clause with the aim to address contractual uncertainties arising from the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Notice of Actions to impose fees on Chinese-related ships calling US ports.The USTR has announced actions to impose fees on ships calling at US ports which are Chinese-built or have Chinese owners or operators. The actions are part of the USTR’s “Section 301 Investigation of China’s Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance”.
Inside the Global Crisis of Seafarer Exploitation
When coast guard officers boarded junior seafarer Omkar Pawar’s ship off Trinidad and Tobago in 2020, one of them pointed a gun at his face.“They searched the ship. After two days, they found 450 kilograms of cocaine in the tank,” said Pawar.Pawar and the rest of the crew were jailed and interrogated in a Trinidadian detention center for 15 days. The ship’s captain and second officer were later prosecuted.Pawar, who was 20 at the time, had no knowledge of the smuggling operation and was never charged.
