01 MAR 2026 Nestled within the aptly named Post Office Bay on Galapagos’ Floreana Island sits a relic of analog communication. A barrel beckons visitors to pitch in their unstamped postcards in the hopes that a passer-by bound for the addressed location retrieves the epistle and ferries it to its …
Read More »FIRST INDIAN DIESEL CARGO ARRIVES IN EUROPE AFTER NEW RUSSIAN SANCTIONS TAKE EFFECT
28 FEB 2026 A tanker carrying diesel from India has moored in Europe’s largest port, a notable arrival after some traders had expressed caution about falling foul of new sanctions on buying fuel made from Russian crude. The Proteus Bohemia, carrying about 100,000 tons of diesel, entered the port of …
Read More »CHINESE SHIP COMPLETES FIRST AUTONOMOUS DOCKING AND CARGO HANDLING
27 FEB 2026 Four years after having put what it said was the world’s first autonomous, electric container feeder ship into commercial service, Chinese officials report the ship successfully completed an autonomous docking procedure. It was the first time the vessel named Zhi Fei completed the autonomous docking procedure, with …
Read More »‘MUSLIM NATO’: TURKEY IN ADVANCED TALKS TO JOIN SAUDI-PAKISTAN MUTUAL DEFENSE PACT
26 FEB 2026 What distinguishes current talks from the historical cooperation among the three countries is the effort to formalize these relationships under a mutual defense framework. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan talks with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud as Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign …
Read More »TWENTY YEARS OF SEAFARER PROTECTIONS: MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION MARKS HISTORIC MILESTONE
25 FEB 2026 The International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) marked the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) this week with a renewed push to strengthen seafarer protections — and a fresh call for governments to formally recognize seafarers as essential workers. Adopted …
Read More »IMO GUIDELINES ARE QUIETLY WEAKENING THE BASEL CONVENTION
24 FEB 2026 Basel parties should decide, openly and formally, how ship recycling should be treated under Basel. International law depends on a basic understanding that obligations accepted by states cannot be set aside by administrative preference. Treaties are binding because states have consented to be bound, and that consent …
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