26 JAN 2026 Europe is set to receive some of its first shipments of Venezuelan oil in nearly a year after traders rolled out offers worldwide to sell cargoes at the behest of the Trump administration. The ship Poliegos is on its way to pick up Venezuelan oil and deliver …
Read More »NEW FEDERAL DEFINITION OF MARITIME HARASSMENT LEAVES PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE IN LEGAL GRAY ZONE, CRITICS WARN
26 JAN 2026 The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act has introduced the first statutory definition of “harassment” under the Safer Seas Act, but maritime advocates argue the narrow focus on discrimination-based conduct excludes widespread forms of psychological abuse that research shows are endemic to shipboard environments. The amendment to 46 …
Read More »MENTAL HEALTH CARE IS SAFETY-CRITICAL, NOT AN ADDED BENEFIT
26 JAN 2026 If mental health is not treated as safety-critical, we risk losing a whole generation of seafarers who are not willing to sacrifice their health for a career, regardless of how well-paid it is. Life at sea can be unforgiving, seafarers face long stretches away from home, shift …
Read More »TRIAL TO BEGIN FOR CHINESE CAPTAIN CHARGED WITH DAMAGING BALTIC PIPELINE
25 JAN 2026 A court in Hong Kong is preparing to hear testimony in the trial of a Chinese captain charged with damaging a pipeline and cables in the Baltic in 2023. The court convened on January 20, but the hearing was postponed until February 11 to give the defense …
Read More »U.S. TARGETS SHIP CAPTAINS IN LATEST CRACKDOWN ON HOUTHI OIL SMUGGLING NETWORK
24 JAN 2026 The U.S. Department of the Treasury has taken a major step in its campaign against Houthi financing by directly sanctioning ship captains who delivered petroleum products to Houthi-controlled ports, marking a significant escalation in enforcement efforts against individuals operating in the global maritime supply chain. On January …
Read More »U.S. FORCES SEIZE SANCTIONED TANKER ‘SAGITTA’ IN CARIBBEAN, MARKING SEVENTH VESSEL CAPTURED
23 JAN 2026 U.S. military forces apprehended the sanctioned motor vessel Sagitta without incident this morning in the Caribbean, marking the seventh tanker seizure in recent weeks as Washington intensifies its crackdown on sanctioned vessels linked to illicit oil trades involving Venezuela and Russia. The operation was conducted by U.S. …
Read More »LR LAUNCHES CROSS-SECTOR NUCLEAR PROPULSION CONSORTIUM
22 JAN 2026 As the world looks for alternatives to bunker fuel, nuclear propulsion, by contrast, offers some attractive features. Regular bunkering is not required, so there is no need to build up a global fuel network. The basic concept of a shipboard reactor is established, and there is a …
Read More »SHIP TAKES REFUGE IN SPAIN AFTER CONTAINER STACKS COLLAPSE IN STORM
21 JAN 2026 A smaller cargo ship transporting containers along the coast between Portugal and Spain was forced to take refuge after it experienced a stack collapse last week. The ship Maria Francisca arrived at the Port of Vigo with two rows of boxes toppled over and several crushed boxes …
Read More »SPAIN BUSTS DRUG SMUGGLERS WHO USED “MONKEY” METHOD AND HIJACKED CONTAINERS
19 JAN 2025 Spanish authorities are reporting that they successfully broke up a large drug smuggling operation that had been responsible for bringing large amounts of cocaine from Colombia. They described a number of methods, including so-called “monkeys” to get the drugs aboard the container ships, dropping off near Spain, …
Read More »ICJ TOLD MYANMAR MILITARY HATE CAMPAIGNS TARGETED ROHINGYA FOR DESTRUCTION
19 JAN 2025 Refugees who escaped Myanmar nearly a decade ago await developments more than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) away at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, where a genocide case against Myanmar opened on Jan 12. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has …
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