Bering News

Saildrone Founder and CEO Richard Jenkins shares news on Lockheed Martin's recent investment in Saildrone:Today, I am delighted to announce a $50 million investment from Lockheed Martin in Saildrone, Inc. This commercial relationship marries the world’s most sophisticated and trusted defense technology with the world’s most capable and operationally proven USV technology. Together, we will rapidly equip Saildrone USVs with all-domain defense technology for lethal military applications.

Volvo Penta North America has named Brock Gavin as Vice President of Marine Sales and Service and Jens Bering as Head of Product and Solutions Management for its marine division. In their new roles, Gavin and Bering will be instrumental in advancing Volvo Penta’s marine strategy and driving continued growth across commercial and leisure markets in North America.As Vice President, Marine Sales and Service, Gavin will lead Volvo Penta’s overall marine strategy in North America.

The Arctic is no longer a remote expanse beyond the edges of global commerce — it is now a contested arena where strategic competition, energy development, and maritime innovation converge. As climate change accelerates sea ice retreat, previously impassable waters are opening to navigation for longer periods each year. This change unlocks shorter trade routes, exposes massive untapped hydrocarbon and minerals reserves, and creates demand for ships able to operate in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.In this evolving environment…

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to two Chinese research ships operating offshore Alaska between Sunday and Tuesday. In both instances, the Coast Guard Arctic District deployed USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) to monitor and query the vessels.An HC-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak was also deployed Sunday to provide aerial support.On Tuesday, the Chinese-flagged research vessel JIDI was operating approximately 265 miles northwest of Utqiagvik, Alaska.On Sunday, August 31…

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its newest cutter, Coast Guard Cutter Earl Cunningham (WPC 1159), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in Kodiak, Monday.The Earl Cunningham is the 59th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) in the service and the second of three FRCs scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.The crew of the Cunningham primarily serves in and around the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and North Pacific Ocean. The cutter is designed for missions such as search and rescue…

The U.S. Coast Guard has detected two Chinese research vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic and is currently monitoring five similar vessels in or near the U.S Arctic.On August 5, a C-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak responded to the Chinese research vessels Ji Di and the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di. Both vessels were transiting northeast in the Bering Sea.On August 6, the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) again responded to the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di as it was transiting north in the Chukchi Sea above the Arctic Circle…

The federal district court in Anchorage, Alaska, has entered final judgment against three Kodiak-based commercial fishing companies and their manager for multiple violations of the Clean Water Act.The court entered default judgments against company manager Corey Potter and F/V Knot EZ LLC, Aleutian Tendering LLC, and Alaska Tendering Company LLC, and imposed a civil penalty of $1,182,265 for the violations. The case was filed on October 24, 2024, by the Department of Justice on behalf of the Coast Guard against Corey Potter and three of his related companies.

Researchers from Dalhousie University and the US Naval Postgraduate School presented a concept for an affordable mother ship with a flotilla of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) capable of providing coast guard services at the ISCRAM2025 Conference (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) in Halifax, Canada, last month.The concept could provide a persistent, on-water presence which could assist with search and rescue response, response to shore-based emergencies…

Geopolitical rivalries are intensifying in the Arctic but Russia is willing to cooperate with foreign partners, including from the West, in economic ventures there that will benefit all sides, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.In a major speech, Putin said U.S. President Donald Trump's stated intention to acquire Greenland was "serious", and it was clear that the U.S. would continue to promote its interests in the Arctic. The Greenland question had nothing to do with Russia…

Russia sees scope for international investors, including from the Global South, to help develop its Arctic region, a senior official said on Wednesday.President Vladimir Putin is keen to ramp up commerce via the Northern Sea Route through Arctic waters as Russia shifts trade towards Asia and away from Europe because of Western sanctions.Focus on the strategic importance of the Arctic for mining, shipping and international security has increased sharply because of repeated statements by U.S.

As global reliance on subsea infrastructure grows, so do the risks. Discover how safeguarding undersea assets opens new frontiers for innovation and investment.Importance of Subsea InfrastructureSubsea infrastructure plays a critical role in maintaining the operational continuity of the modern society and the global economy. This vast network includes subsea data and communication cables, pipelines for energy transportation, electricity cables, and resource extraction systems.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon (WPC 1158) arrived at the cutter’s new homeport in Kodiak, Tuesday.The cutter is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony in April.The Witherspoon is the first of three Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak and is now the fourth FRC currently based in Alaska. While these ships will be homeported in Kodiak, they will operate throughout the 17th Coast Guard District to include the U.S. Arctic, Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.

The United States is watching growing cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic closely and some of their recent military collaboration in the region sends "concerning signals", the U.S. Arctic ambassador said.Russia and China have stepped up military cooperation in the Arctic while deepening overall ties in recent years that include China supplying Moscow with dual-use goods despite Western sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine.Russia and the United States are among eight countries with territory in the resource-rich Arctic.

Russia plans to arrange ship-to-ship transfers of liquefied natural gas and gas condensate in the Barents and Bering Seas to free up more ice-class tankers for its biggest LNG producer, Novatek, a draft project document showed on Tuesday.Novatek has been pressing ahead with its new Arctic LNG 2 project despite Western sanctions restricting access to the tankers it needs to carry LNG along the Northern Sea Route to Asian markets.

Russia has begun designing nuclear-powered submarines to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Arctic to Asia to try to nearly halve the journey time along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a senior state official has said.Russia already uses nuclear-powered ice breakers to pave the way for such transport via the NSR, which runs along Russia's Arctic shores from Murmansk in the west to the Bering Strait in the east, a route Moscow sees as a faster alternative to the Suez Canal and has plans to develop.But Russia is suffering from a shortage of vessels able to battle thick Arctic ice…

Russia has begun designing nuclear-powered submarines to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Arctic to Asia to try to nearly halve the journey time along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a senior state official has said.Russia already uses nuclear-powered ice breakers to pave the way for such transport via the NSR, which runs along Russia's Arctic shores from Murmansk in the west to the Bering Strait in the east, a route Moscow sees as a faster alternative to the Suez Canal and has plans to develop.But Russia is suffering from a shortage of vessels able to battle thick Arctic ice…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed the names of two new charting and mapping vessels it ordered from Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in 2023.The names Surveyor and Navigator were chosen from a list of suggestions by NOAA staff, adhering to the agency’s naming policy that emphasizes vessels named for their missions.The name Surveyor holds significant historical weight. It not only pays homage to NOAA's mission but also honors two previous vessels that bore the same name.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday located four Russian Federation Navy (RFN) vessels 57 miles northwest of Point Hope, Alaska. While on a routine patrol in the Chukchi Sea, the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) observed the RFN vessels transiting southeast along the Russian side of the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL). The Russian Surface Action Group consisted of a Severodvinsk-class submarine, Dolgorukiy-class submarine, Steregushchiy– class Frigate, and Seliva-class tug. The crew of the Stratton witnessed the RFN vessels cross the MBL into the U.S.

An oil tanker managed by an Azerbaijan-based firm is travelling the Northern Sea Route to China for the first time, taking a route so far dominated by vessels managed by Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot, according to LSEG data and two traders.The vessel Prisma is managed by a private company Vista Vvave Shipmanagement based in Azerbaijan, one of the traders said, citing the vessel's documents.Moscow wants to increase traffic via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which runs from Murmansk near Russia's border with Norway eastwards to the Bering Strait near Alaska…

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) has returned to Seattle following an onboard fire that occurred during a scientific research expedition in the Arctic Ocean. The incident took place on July 25, 2024, while the vessel was navigating near Banks Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada.The fire, which broke out in an electrical transformer affecting one of the ship’s two main propulsion motors, was quickly extinguished by the crew. No injuries were reported. Following the incident, the crew and contractors worked to restore power to the affected motor.

Russian shipping company Sovcomflot has started this year's transportation of Urals crude oil to Asia via the Northern Sea Route, according to market sources and LSEG data on Tuesday, as melting ice opens the Arctic route for transit shipments.Russia wants alternative routes to Asia from its western ports as Western sanctions have made it increasingly difficult for its fleet to operate in waters close to European Union countries.But the Northern Sea Route (NSR), though significantly shorter than the Suez Canal alternative…

A Chinese radio station on Monday started broadcasts on Arctic sea ice conditions off Russia's coast for vessels sailing the Northeast Passage, as China seeks to further utilise the world's northernmost routes as alternatives to the Suez Canal.Arctic sea routes are increasingly being used as an alternative global trade route connecting the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean to major economies as global warming shrinks ice packs and also allows for longer ice-free periods for vessels.China…

A new safety alert issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urges vessel owners and operators to provide each crewmember with a personal locator device. These devices improve a mariner’s chance of rescue during an emergency.During an emergency at sea, a mariner’s chance of survival decreases if search and rescue cannot quickly and accurately identify their location. Personal locator devices, such as personal locator beacons (PLB) or satellite emergency notification devices (SEND), can accurately pinpoint a person’s location.