Government Update News

Ukraine and Russia accused one another on Wednesday of flouting a truce on energy strikes brokered by the United States, and conditions set by Russia cast doubt over a planned ceasefire in the Black Sea.The United States announced separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday to pause their strikes in the Black Sea and against each other's energy targets, but the rhetoric from Moscow and Kyiv suggested they remained far apart.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the U.S. side told Kyiv the deals were effective as soon as they were announced.

At the Undersea Defence Technology conference, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Ulstein Verft signed a Letter of Intent for joint efforts to deliver the next advanced frigates to the Royal Norwegian Navy.The 2024 Fleet Plan outlines that Norway will acquire five or six frigates to replace the Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. Potential candidates include the British Type 26, the German F127, the American Constellation-class, and the French FDI.In the event of a contract award for thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Ulstein Verft…

Fossil fuel and agriculture industry representatives are expected to criticize the Trump administration's plan to impose big fees on China-linked ships entering U.S. ports during a hearing in Washington on Wednesday, arguing the move would hobble their ability to export everything from coal to soybeans.At issue are proposed fees on China-built vessels that could top $3 million per U.S. port call.The Trump administration says the fees would curb China's commercial and military dominance on the high seas and promote a revival in U.S. shipbuilding, but numerous other U.S.

With your first steps as a cadet onto the Maritime Academy campus, your first union dues payment or first line thrown ashore from the tug, you are lectured on the importance of the “Jones Act”. A constant reminder throughout a US Seafarer’s career of commitment, loyalty and support for the legislation. All in the name of National Security, US Job protection and the advancement of the US Flag Merchant Marine. It is a massive and expensive lobbying effort witnessed throughout generations at sea. The effort has been historically successful.

We are at the one-year since the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River’s Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore, Maryland. Nearly 100 percent of the wreckage and debris removal was conducted by the Jones Act private sector U.S. maritime industry. The FSK collapsed at about 1:28 a.m. local time on March 26, 2025 after the container ship MV DALI lost power and collided with one of bridge’s support piers. Six construction workers died in the collapse, while two other workers survived the fall into the freezing water.

South Korea has deployed a large stationary floating platform in a disputed section of the Yellow Sea, escalating tensions with China over a contested maritime zone where both countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. The move, described by Seoul as a "reciprocal measure," comes in response to a growing Chinese presence in the area, which includes numerous offshore structures that China claims are for fish farming.The deployment was confirmed Wednesday by South Korean Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung during a parliamentary session.

The UK Maritime Minister Mike Kane has revealed the government’s new goals for all vessels that operate in UK waters and dock at UK ports to be carbon free.Part of the government’s Plan for Change, the new Maritime decarbonization strategy sets out goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, 80% by 2040 and to zero by 2050.This will see the UK match the highest level of the ambitious goals agreed at the IMO in its 2023 strategy on reduction of greenhouse gas emission from ships.

Increasing incidents of interference with aviation, maritime and other satellite telecommunications services mean States need to urgently enhance their protection of a critical radio-frequency band, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and IMO said in a joint statement.These cases of harmful interference are in the form of jamming and spoofing that disrupt Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) operating in the frequency bands allocated to the Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS).

According to the Congreassional Record, Brent Sadler, of Virginia, was nominated to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration.The following is his biography as presented on The Heritage Foundation site:Sadler is a Senior Research Fellow, Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology, Allison Center for National Security. Sadler joined Heritage Foundation after a 26 year Navy career with numerous operational tours on nuclear powered submarines, personal staffs of senior Defense Department leaders, and as a military diplomat in Asia.

Singapore and India have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to cooperate on maritime digitalization and decarbonization.The LOI was inked by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, and R. Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MOPSW) of India.The parties will collaborate on maritime digitalization and decarbonization projects, including identifying relevant stakeholders who could contribute to the effort…

U.S. and Russian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday aimed at sealing a Black Sea maritime ceasefire deal before a wider ceasefire agreement in Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv used drones to pound each other.The talks, which followed U.S. negotiations with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, came after Russia launched its third consecutive overnight air attack on Kyiv, wounding one person and damaging houses in the region around the Ukrainian capital.Russia, for its part…

A U.S. delegation will seek progress toward a Black Sea ceasefire and a broader cessation of violence in the war in Ukraine when it meets for talks with Russian officials on Monday, after discussions with diplomats from Ukraine on Sunday.The so-called technical talks come as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies his drive for a halt to Russia's three-year-old assault against Ukraine. Last week, he spoke with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.A source briefed on the planning for the talks said the U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Naushon (WPB 1311) during a ceremony in Homer on March 21.Rear Adm. Megan Dean, the commander of Coast Guard District 17, presided over the ceremony honoring the nearly 40 years of service Naushon and its crews provided to the nation.Commissioned on October 3, 1986, Naushon was the 11th Island-Class cutter to join the fleet.Naushon has been stationed in Homer since 2016 and has since responded to over 50 search-and-rescue cases and completed nearly 900 law enforcement sorties.Naushon is a 110-foot…

U.S. President Donald Trump's push to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding is finding rare bipartisan support from Americans, with 72% saying the U.S. cannot remain dependent on China and other foreign producers to build ships, a poll released Friday showed.The survey of 2,204 adults, conducted by Morning Consult for the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) on March 10-12, showed strong concern about China's grip on the $150 billion global ocean shipping industry, and the negative national security implications for the United States.Only 11% said the U.S.

Germany seized a decrepit tanker found adrift off its northern coast in January that is believed to be part of a shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions, Spiegel news magazine reported on Friday, citing security sources.The Panama-flagged ship, called Eventin, was secured by German maritime authorities after being found off the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, prompting Berlin to sharply rebuke Moscow. The tanker had been heading from Russia to Egypt.Spiegel reported that a confiscation order has been issued for the tanker…

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states conduct a vulnerability assessment to determine the risk of bridge collapse from a vessel collision.The recommendation comes as part of the ongoing investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.The NTSB found that the Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by the containership Dali on March 26, 2024, was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges…

The Philippines is exploring the possibility of converting two islands that were once part of a U.S. navy base into a military reservation, its defence department said on Thursday, a move to bolster its presence in waters facing the South China Sea.Grande and Chiquita islands are located in Subic Bay, which was once a sprawling U.S. base until the Philippines rejected a lease extension in 1991. The U.S. military pulled out a year later and the strategically located facility has…

The European Commission has adopted a report on the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for shipping that indicates there is no evidence of major changes in the market that might indicate it is being circumvented.The EU ETS was extended to include maritime transport from January 1, 2024. The report provides an initial analysis of the impacts of this recent policy development that covers around 12,000 large ships.The report’s analysis of shipping traffic data does not show evidence of a general trend in relocation of container transhipment activities…

Maritime UK Solent is set to put Maritime Defense at the heart of discussions at the inaugural Solent Coastal Powerhouse Summit on March 26 - 27, 2025, at ABP’s Ocean Cruise Terminal in Southampton.The UK Government has announced the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War, and the Solent Coastal Powerhouse Summit aims to provide a platform high-profile speakers and thought leaders from across the sector. They will provide critical insights into the vital…

The Trump Administration's emphasis on border security is starting to pay dividents, as the U.S. Coast Guard reports that since January 21, 2025, it has interdicted more than 80,000 pounds of illicit drugs.The Coast Guard’s achievement comes as U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) deployed two U.S. Navy warships to the southern border to support Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Coast Guard operations.These U.S. Navy warships will operate in direct support of the Coast Guard…

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report indicating that the Navy needs a new approach to its reliance on the private sector.The Navy relies on contracts with private companies—the "industrial base"—to build and, in many cases, repair ships. These companies are critical to the Navy's plans to increase its fleet size and improve the fleet's readiness for missions. But ships are often ready much later than expected and at a much higher cost.The shipbuilding industrial base has not met the Navy's goals in recent history, says the GAO.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright approved a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export authorization to the Venture Global CP2 LNG export project proposed for Cameron Parish, Louisiana.The issuance to CP2 marks the fifth LNG-related approval from DOE since President Trump took office, following an export approval to Commonwealth LNG on February 14, an order on rehearing removing barriers for the use of LNG as bunkering fuel announced on February 28, an approval providing the Golden Pass LNG terminal more time to commence exports issued March 5…

During its 49th session in London from March 10 to 14, IMO’s Facilitation Committee (FAL) outlined a work plan for developing the IMO Strategy on Maritime Digitalization, which is set to be adopted by the Organization’s highest governing body – the IMO Assembly – by the end of 2027. The strategy will span different areas of IMO’s work, fostering a fully interconnected, harmonized and automated global maritime sector.To guide this process, the Facilitation Committee established a Correspondence Group to define the strategy’s scope, key objectives and implementation framework.