Government Update News

Argentina's lower house of Congress was set to vote on Thursday on a contentious labor reform backed by libertarian President Javier Milei, as unions staged a nationwide strike that has brought parts of the country to a halt.Argentina's largest umbrella union CGT says the proposed overhaul threatens long‑standing worker protections, including the right to strike. In response, it has launched a 24‑hour stoppage involving transport workers, public sector staff and bank employees."With unity…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced a Proposed Notice of Sale for the third offshore oil and gas lease sale under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The proposed lease sale, known as Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 3, or BBG3, is scheduled to take place on Aug. 12, 2026.This sale is the third of 30 Gulf of America oil and gas lease sales required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law No: 119-21). By committing to a predictable sale schedule, the Department is delivering on President Trump’s promise to expand American energy production and strengthen U.S. energy dominance.

The IMO's Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response held its 13th session at IMO Headquarters in London from 9 to 13 February 2026.Outcomes include:Groundwork laid for future legally binding framework on biofoulingFollowing the decision of MEPC 83 to develop a legally binding framework on biofouling management to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species, the Sub-Committee agreed some fundamental elements that will guide this work. These include the recommendation for the framework to take the form of a standalone instrument…

Iran issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) that it plans rocket launches in areas across its south on Thursday from 330 GMT to 1330 GMT, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration website showed on Wednesday.Iran conducted navy drills this week in the Hormuz Strait and plans to conduct a joint naval exercise with Russia on Thursday."Creating convergence and coordination in joint measures to counter activities threatening maritime security and safety (...) as well as combating maritime terrorism…

Trinidad and Tobago's government is optimistic two flagship offshore gas projects with neighboring Venezuela to be operated by Shell, BP and Trinidad's National Gas Company will move forward amid political changes in the OPEC country, the energy minister of the twin-island nation said on Wednesday.The U.S. has been relaxing sanctions on Venezuela's energy industry as part of an ambitious $100 billion reconstruction plan since U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro last month.

Salvors have removed the fuel from the barge grounded on the rocks off the San Felipe del Morro Castle shoreline in Puerto Rico. Approximately, 1,000 gallons of residual fuel and oily water have been removed from the Defiant barge which grounded at approximately noon, Feb. 9, just off the Port of San Juan harbor entrance.Salvage crews also brought in additional equipment to assess the extent of the barge damage and to test all tanks and voids for pressurization. The proposed plan…

Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz for a few hours on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported, without making clear whether the waterway, one of the world's most vital oil export routes, had fully reopened.Earlier, Iranian state media had reported that the Strait of Hormuz would be partially shut for a few hours on Tuesday due to "security precautions" for shipping safety while Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards conducted military drills there.(Reuters - Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Turkey and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation during a visit by President Tayyip Erdogan to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the Turkish Energy Ministry said, adding the accord would lead to joint production and projects.Erdogan held a one-day visit to Addis Ababa on Tuesday upon Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's invitation, his first to Ethiopia in 11 years.The accord was signed at a ceremony after talks between the two leaders. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan…

A UK maritime agency said that an incident involving a vessel and small boats around 70 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's port of Aden on Tuesday had been downgraded to "suspicious activity" as only warning shots were fired.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had earlier said it received a report of an exchange of small-arms fire after a vessel was approached and hailed by a white skiff with five people on board.In an update, it said it had been made aware that only…

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has seen early results under Operation BROADSTAFF, intercepting two foreign fishing vessels in northern Queensland and the Torres Strait over the weekend before illegal fishing activity could occur.Launched last week, Operation BROADSTAFF is designed to deter, detect and disrupt illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters.On 14 and 15 February 2026, during intelligence led patrols, ABF officers from Maritime Border Command (MBC), working with partner agencies…

President Donald Trump denounced a clean energy agreement between the United Kingdom and California Governor Gavin Newsom hours after it was signed on Monday, Politico reported.In an interview with the outlet, Trump said it was "inappropriate" for Britain to be dealing with the Democratic governor. Trump, a Republican, also branded Newsom "a loser," saying "his state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster.”Newsom is an outspoken Trump critic and has publicly…

India has seized three U.S.-sanctioned tanker ships linked to Iran this month and stepped up surveillance in its maritime zone to curb illicit trade, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday.India aims to prevent its waters from being used for ship-to-ship transfers that obscure the origin of oil cargoes, the source added.The seizures and heightened surveillance follow an improvement in U.S.-India relations. Washington earlier this month announced it will cut import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%…

The Trump administration is promoting artificial intelligence exports and maritime surveillance technology at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in southern China this week, as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s technological and maritime influence.Casey Mace, the U.S. senior official to APEC, said the Trump administration had launched a $20 million fund to support adoption of American AI technologies by partner economies in the region, part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S.

The U.S. Department of Defense conducted a maritime interdiction and boarding of the vessel Veronica III, which tried to defy President Donald Trump’s quarantine, the department said on Sunday."Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility," it said in a post on X."We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down," it added.(Reuters - Reporting by Preetika Parashuraman in Bengaluru; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Russia's Black Sea port of Taman, which handles oil products, grain, coal and commodities, has been damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region said on Sunday.Two people were injured as an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals took damage in Volna village, the site of Taman port, Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.Kondratyev said that more than 100 people were working to put out several fires at the port.Separate strikes on the resort city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka…

Often debated and long-awaited, The White House released its long-anticipated America’s Maritime Action Plan (MAP), a 40+ page blueprint aimed at what it calls a new “Maritime Golden Age” for the United States.The document, developed under Executive Order 14269, lays out a four-pillar strategy to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, expand the U.S.-flag fleet, reform maritime workforce development, and strengthen industrial resilience. For U.S. shipbuilders, vessel owners and maritime suppliers…

The Pentagon is sending an aircraft carrier from the Caribbean to the Middle East, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, a move that would put two carriers in the region as tensions soar between the United States and Iran.The Gerald R. Ford carrier, the United States' newest and the world's largest carrier, has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and took part in operations in Venezuela earlier this year.One of the officials, who was speaking on condition of anonymity…

Two Mexican-flagged ships loaded with humanitarian aid entered Havana Harbor early on Thursday, a Reuters witness said, as Cuba's long-time ally made good on a promise to assist after Washington threatened tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba.One of the ships, the Papaloapan, carried large quantities of white-wrapped pallets on its deck as it passed beside the El Morro castle before entering the quiet waters of the harbor.The shipment from Mexico arrives just days after the island's communist-run government announced increasingly strict rationing measures to confront U.S.

France set out a new energy law after years of wrangling on Thursday which slashes its wind and solar power targets and drops a mandate for state-run firm EDF to shutter nuclear plants."We need to stop our internal family squabbling. We need both nuclear and renewables," finance minister Roland Lescure told reporters.The law, to be pushed through by decree on Friday after almost three years of bitter disagreement among lawmakers, also reverses a previous legal mandate to shut 14 reactors.That was a 2017 campaign promise of President Emmanuel Macron…

A U.S. warship and a Navy supply vessel collided during refueling Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Southern Command told Reuters in an emailed statement on Thursday.The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply collided during a replenishment at sea, said the statement from the Southern Command, whose areas of responsibility include Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The IMO has launched a two-year global initiative to promote the World Maritime Day theme for 2026-2027: ‘From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence’. In a video message marking the launch, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stressed that the global regulatory framework developed by IMO must not merely be adopted in principle, but translated into concrete actions and real-world results that deliver tangible benefits for all.“When we talk about ‘practice’, we are talking about people.

Italy's cabinet approved a bill on Wednesday authorising naval blockades to halt migrant boats during periods of "exceptional pressure" at the country's borders, a government source said, further tightening measures against irregular arrivals.Since taking office in late 2022, right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has moved to speed up repatriations of unsuccessful asylum seekers and introduced stiffer jail terms for human smugglers, in a bid to stem sea crossings.The move comes after the European Parliament this week approved changes to EU asylum rules, responding to pressure from member st

Saronic was selected to support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Pulling Guard program, an effort to develop and demonstrate semi-autonomous escort systems designed to enhance the survivability of unarmed logistics vessels. Saronic will participate in the program under Focus Area 2 (FA2), where it will focus on designing an autonomy-enabled, modular vessel to address maritime security challenges.DARPA’s Pulling Guard program aims to develop semi-autonomous overwatch and escort capabilities, collectively referred to as the Pulling Guard system.