Government Update News

Yemen's Houthis targeted three vessels, including an oil tanker, in the Red and Mediterranean seas with ballistic missiles, drones and booby-trapped boats, they said on Monday.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the latest Houthi military operations were a response to the Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday, an attack that killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded 300 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.In dozens of attacks since November…

Canada, looking to shore up its defense of the Arctic, is moving ahead to acquire up to 12 submarines and has started a formal process to meet with manufacturers, the defense ministry said.Canada updated its defense policy this year with a focus on protecting the Arctic and dealing with challenges from Russia and China. The procurement of submarines is a critical step in implementing that strategy, the defense ministry said in a statement.Citing global warming, Canada says the Arctic Ocean could become the most efficient shipping route between Europe and East Asia By 2050…

A Chevron-chartered oil tanker seized by Iran more than a year ago has dropped anchor near the United Arab Emirates port of Khor Fakkan, ship tracking data showed on Monday.The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet was boarded by Iran's military in the Gulf of Oman in April 2023 after an alleged collision with an Iranian boat.After sailing away from Iran last week, its latest position was located close to the UAE, LSEG data showed on Monday.A Chevron spokesperson said on Saturday it was aware of reports that the tanker was released on July 10."We are pleased to see the safe release of the v

The U.S. Army has selected Maj. Gen William H. "Butch" Graham Jr. to be its next chief of engineers and commanding general of the Corps of Engineers, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced on July 10.Graham is currently serving as the deputy chief of engineers and deputy commanding general for civil works and emergency operations. His long Army career includes leadership positions supporting both civil works and military construction.If confirmed by the Senate, Graham would succeed Lt. Gen. Scott A.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched the seventh multipurpose combat ship, named Domenico Millelire, at its shipyard in Genova.This vessel is part of the renewal plan of the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels, approved by the Government and Parliament under the aegis of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement, the international organization for cooperation on arms).The 143-meter vessel is a highly flexible ship with the capacity to serve multiple functions…

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they had conducted two military operations, one in the Gulf of Aden and one in Eilat at the southern tip of Israel.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the Israeli ship MSC UNIFIC in the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles and drones in addition to attacking military targets in Eilat with drones.The spokesperson said that the latest Houthi military operations came in response to the Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis on Saturday…

A global operational alliance between two of the world’s largest container shipping companies will not go into effect next week as planned following a move by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to study the potential competitive impacts of the arrangement.The FMC said on Friday it is seeking more information to determine the potential competitive impacts of the proposed Gemini Cooperation Agreement, which would allow ocean carriers Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to share vessels in the trades between the United States and Asia…

“Our Ocean - Our Obligation - Our Opportunity” has been selected as the IMO's World Maritime Day theme for 2025, which will culminate in the celebration of World Maritime Day on September 25, 2025.The IMO Council, meeting for its 132nd session, endorsed the theme following a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.The theme reflects the ocean’s vital role in the world economy, with more than 80% of global trade transported by sea. The ocean is a source of jobs and food for millions of people…

The U.S., Canada and Finland will form a consortium to build icebreaker ships, a senior U.S. administration official said, a move intended to bolster the allies' shipbuilding and counter Russia and China in increasingly strategic polar regions.The initiative, called the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort or ICE pact, is being unveiled on Thursday on the sidelines of a three-day NATO summit in Washington, where the alliance has called on China to end its support for Moscow's war against…

Captain Ian Finley, Permanent Representative of the Cook Islands to IMO, has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2023. The decision was made by the IMO Council at its 132nd session (July 8 to 12, 2024).Captain Finley was nominated for the award by the Government of the Cook Islands. As a delegate to IMO, representing Panama and latterly the Cook Islands, he has been an active participant in the development of virtually all safety…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Wednesday announced $8.75 million in grant awards to 15 small shipyards in 12 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The funds will help shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local job opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.“Small shipyards are integral to the strength of America’s supply chains and the maritime industry” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The U.S. Navy announced it has accepted delivery of its latest Flight IIA Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer, the future USS John Basilone (DDG 122), on July 8.Built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, DDG 122 will serve as a multi-mission surface combatant capable of conducting Anti-Air Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare and Anti-Surface Warfare.Prior to delivery, the ship conducted a series of at-sea and pier-side trials to demonstrate readiness. A tentative commissioning date is scheduled in November.The ship is named after U.S.

The captain of U.S. Navy ship USS Hershel “Woody” Williams has been relieved of his duties after the ship went aground under his command earlier this year.The Navy is still investigating the incident, which saw the 784-foot Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base vessel go soft aground near Gabon's port of Libreville on May 9. But it said "sufficient findings of fact emerged during the investigation to warrant the relief" of commanding officer Capt. Lenard Mitchell."The U.S.

Wireless carrier T-Mobile said in June it has been selected by the U.S.

Germany and eight other countries on the Baltic Sea aim to jointly procure naval mines, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday, as Russia is taking an increasingly assertive stance in the Baltic Sea region.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, Pistorius said Russia had been challenging the borders in the Baltic Sea time and again."Just recently we have seen how Russia tries to extend Russian territorial waters outside Kaliningrad.

The Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet has been forced to rebase nearly all its combat-ready warships from occupied Crimea to other locations, and its main naval hub is becoming ineffectual because of attacks by Kyiv, Ukraine's navy chief said.Vice-Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa said Ukrainian missile and naval drone strikes had caused heavy damage to the Sevastopol base, a logistics hub for repairs, maintenance, training and ammunition storage among other important functions for Russia."They were established over many decades, possibly centuries.

A strike planned for Monday by ship and dock foremen at west Canadian ports has been called off after the country's industrial relations board found the union's strike notice was in violation of the labor code, the board said in an order."The Board directs the union to rescind its strike notice," Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) said in the order, adding that the strike violated the Canada Labour Code.It said that the union - International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514 - failed to bargain in good faith.The union did not immediately respond to a request f

The United States added six companies to its trade restriction list on Tuesday, including four for their links to the training of China's military forces, according to a government posting.Two of the companies are in China, one in South Africa, two in the United Arab Emirates and one in Britain.Global Training Solutions Limited and Smartech Future Limited, both in China, as well as Grace Air (Pty) Ltd and Livingston Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, were added over their…

SeaRenergy Group was awarded a Marine Coordination Services contract by Baltic Power for the construction phase of the Baltic Power offshore wind farm.The services will be kicked off with the preparatory phase in summer, with operations starting in the last quarter of 2024.SeaRenergy’s comprehensive Marine Coordination Service involves ship registration, personnel registration and check-in, inspection, and construction site monitoring based on an innovative Vessel Traffic Management and Maritime Surveillance Systems provided by experienced long-term partner Vissim AS.

Two corvettes of the Russian navy's Pacific Fleet left the port of Vladivostok in Russia's Far East to carry out training missions in the Asia-Pacific region, the Interfax news agency cited the fleet's press service as saying on Monday."When leaving the main base of the fleet, the crews of the ships practiced emergency preparations for battle and sailing, and when passing through a narrow area, they conducted training in repelling a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) raid of a mock enemy," the agency reported, citing the press service.The corvettes, the Rezky and the Gromky, will conduct a number o

The Technical Cooperation Committee held its 74th session at IMO Headquarters in London from Junw 24 to 28 and made progress on the IMO Capacity-Development Strategy for providing technical support for Member States. The Committee approved a new title (IMO Capacity-Development Strategy) and structure for the document. The draft revised comprehensive strategy combines the existing Capacity-Building Decade 2021-2030 Strategy, with both the strategy for the long-term financing of…

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday that China's largest coastguard vessel has anchored in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and is meant to intimidate its smaller Asian neighbour.The China coastguard's 165-meter 'monster ship' entered Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ on July 2, spokesperson for the PCG Jay Tarriela told a news forum.The PCG warned the Chinese vessel it was in the Philippine's EEZ and asked about their intentions, he said."It's an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard," Tarriela said.

The EU naval mission protecting ships crossing the Red Sea said its frigate Psara had destroyed two unmanned aerial vehicles in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.The Aspides mission began in February in response to drone and missile attacks on vessels by Iranian-aligned Houthi militants. The Houthis describe the attacks as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's war in Gaza.Other countries, including the United States, also have naval forces operating in the area.(Reuters - Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Angus MacSwan)