10 FEB 2026 A pregnant woman’s blood sample taken in 1972 was mysteriously missing a surface molecule found on all other known red blood cells at the time. More than 50 years later, that strange absence finally led researchers from the UK and Israel to describe a new blood group …
Read More »SEAFARER RECRUITMENT SHOULD NEVER BE A GAMBLE
09 FEB 2026 Recent reports concerning Chinese seafarers who traveled overseas for what they believed were legitimate job opportunities, only to lose contact with their families for weeks or months, have brought renewed attention to a deeply troubling recruitment pattern. In one widely shared case, a seafarer eventually returned home, …
Read More »DOCKWORKERS DISRUPT PORTS IN ITALY PROTESTING ALLEGED ARMS SHIPMENTS
08 FEB 2026 Port across Italy were reporting strikes and disruptions in their operations as unionized dockworkers staged a 24-hour strike to protest the alleged “militarization” of the ports. Reports indicate ships of Zim and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company were being targeted and forced to hold offshore or divert. Unione …
Read More »KOREAN RORO TURNS AROUND AFTER REPORTING TRUCK FIRE
07 FEB 2026 A Korean-flagged RoRo operating as a ferry was forced to turn around on Friday evening, February 6, after the crew discovered a truck fire onboard. The crew, aided by the local fire department and the Coast Guard, was able to bring the fire under control after about …
Read More »CAPTAIN OF SOLONG GETS SIX YEARS AS COURT CITES “COMPLACENCY AND ARROGANCE”
06 FEB 2026 A judge at the UK’s “Old Bailey” court in London sentenced the former master of the Solong containership to six years in jail for causing the death of a seafarer in the fiery 2025 allision with the tanker Stena Immaculate. A jury on Monday had found Vladimir …
Read More »WITH U.S. EMBARGO LIFTED, VENEZUELAN OIL EXPORTS BOUNCE BACK
05 FEB 2026 Oil exports from Venezuela have surged upwards since the end of the U.S. embargo and the capture of former dictator Nicolas Maduro. Under American management, oil cargoes rose to 800,000 bpd in January, up from about 500,000 bpd under U.S. Navy blockade in December. Vitol and Trafigura …
Read More »BEIJING AGREES TO HELP POLICE THE SALE OF CHINESE OUTBOARDS TO SMUGGLERS
05 FEB 2026 Unprecedented criticism over the growing numbers of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel using small boats has forced the UK Labor government to rethink strategy on how to deal with the menace, and one novel new solution centers on stopping the flow of engines and components. UK Prime …
Read More »TRUMP SAYS INDIA WILL BUY OIL FROM VENEZUELA, NOT IRAN
04 FEB 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said India will buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing oil from Iran. “We’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to his vacation home in Florida from Washington. Reuters reported on …
Read More »SOME BLACK SEA TANKERS ARE HUGGING THE TURKISH COAST FOR PROTECTION
03 FEB 2026 For Ukrainian maritime intelligence officers looking to do the Russians damage, the passage of shadow fleet tankers through the Black Sea to the crude loading terminals near Novorossiysk presents a target selection challenge, and a process where mistakes can be made. A review of AIS tracking data covering the …
Read More »FULLY-COMPLIANT FIRE SYSTEMS MAY FALL SHORT AGAINST MODERN RISKS
02 FEB 2026 Inspection reports across much of the commercial fleet paint a reassuring picture. Fire detection systems are operational, fixed firefighting systems are in good working order, equipment is serviced on time and instructions are correctly posted. On paper, vessels are doing what is required of them. The problem …
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