18 JAN 2026 The numbers are in, and they paint a picture that defies the conventional wisdom of Washington’s trade hawks. In 2025, China’s trade surplus surged to a record high of US$1.2 trillion (£900 billion). In December alone, the surplus reached US$114 billion, driven by a higher-than-expected 6.6% growth …
Read More »THE BEST MEDICINE FOR JOINT PAIN ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK, SAYS EXPERT
18 JAN 2026 Stiff knees, aching hips, and the slow grind of chronic joint pain are often accepted as an unavoidable part of getting older. But while osteoarthritis is the world’s most common joint disease, experts say the way we treat and prevent it is badly out of step with …
Read More »CLOSING THE GAP: EU HARMONIZATION AND THE FUTURE OF SHIP RECYCLING
17 JAN 2025 Global ship recycling no longer suffers from a lack of rules. It suffers from a failure to connect them. What is often described as a compliance gap is, in reality, a governance failure created by fragmented legal regimes that refuse to engage with where and how ship …
Read More »CHINA’S COAL IMPORTS PLUNGE 10% AS RENEWABLE ENERGY EXPANSION RESHAPES DRY BULK SHIPPING
17 JAN 2026 Seaborne coal shipments to China fell 10% in 2025 as increased domestic supply and weakening demand from steel manufacturing and electricity generation combined to reduce the world’s largest coal importer’s appetite for the fuel, according to a new analysis from BIMCO. The decline, which particularly affected shipments …
Read More »US–CHINA TRADE SLUMPS IN 2025 AS TARIFFS REDRAW GLOBAL SHIPPING MAP
16 JAN 2026 The 2025 tariff landscape delivered one of the sharpest bilateral trade contractions in recent memory, with U.S. imports from China falling 28% year-over-year and exports to China dropping 38%, according to a new report from project44 released Monday. The dramatic decline marks a fundamental restructuring of global …
Read More »SOUTH AFRICA RESCUES 21 FISHERMEN FROM A BURNING FISHING TRAWLER
15 JAN 2026 South Africa is reporting one of its most dramatic rescue operations in recent years, saving the lives of 21 fishermen who were forced to abandon ship after their trawler went up in flames Monday evening. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) reports that multiple rescue teams were …
Read More »IRAN RELEASES GREEK TANKER SEIZED TWO YEARS AGO
15 JAN 2026 A Greek-owned tanker that was caught in a series of back-and-forth maneuvers between the United States and Iran in 2023 and 2024 has quietly been released two years after the Iranians seized the ship and said they were taking its oil cargo. The move comes as Iran …
Read More »DRONES HIT GREEK TANKERS WAITING TO LOAD OIL IN KAZAKHSTAN
14 JAN 2026 Reports indicate that multiple Greek-owned tankers waiting to load Russian oil at the terminals in Kazakhstan were struck by drones. Each of the incidents appears to have only caused minor damage, but it comes as another blow to the key terminal operation for the export of Russian …
Read More »UN WORLD COURT BEGINS LANDMARK HEARINGS ON ROHINGYA GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST MYANMAR
13 JAN 2026 Public hearings opened on Monday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a landmark case brought by the Gambia against Myanmar, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention over the military’s treatment of the Rohingya minority. The proceedings, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague, mark …
Read More »SPANISH OPERATION “WHITE TIDE” MAKES LARGEST COCAINE SEIZURE AT SEA
12 JAN 2026 Spain’s National Police are reporting its largest ever cocaine seizure at sea, completed last week near the Canary Islands. While calling it a historic blow to maritime cocaine trafficking, they are reporting that the seizure faced complications as the target vessel ran out of fuel. An international …
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