Government Update News

The ERMA TECH GROUP has highlighted that its President, Eleni Polychronopoulou, has been recognized by the IMO for her contribution to advancing gender equality in the global maritime sector, receiving a Letter of Commendation as part of the prestigious IMO Gender Equality Award framework.Polychronopoulou serves as President of HEMEXPO - Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers & Exporters and Vice Chair of SEA Europe - the Shipyards’ and Maritime Equipment Association of Europe…

Since the Iranian Revolution and overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979, the Strait of Hormuz has been a geographic constant as a choke point for which closure has been threatened from time to time but never truly closed. The longstanding assumption of the continued openness of the strait collapsed on February 28, 2026. In the weeks since Iran effectively shut the strait to commercial shipping in response to U.S. and Israeli military strikes and the U.S. established its own blockade…

The U.S. military carried out new strikes overnight in Iran targeting a military site that officials believed posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. military has also intercepted and shot down multiple Iranian drones that posed a similar threat.The U.S. military strikes, which have not been previously reported, came during negotiations…

A cargo of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve headed to California this month for the first time ever, ship tracking service Kpler said.The unusual movement highlights the redrawing of trade flows and shipping routes as the Iran war has cut off supplies of Middle Eastern crude. California, once a top oil-producing state in the U.S., has in recent years become more dependent on crude imports, including about 230,000 barrels per day last year from the Middle East. Availability of alternative crude oil is also limited due to competing demand from Asia.About 460…

Dubai-based GMS has won U.S. government approval to scrap four container ships that were under Iran-related sanctions, potentially paving the way for Washington to reduce the shadow fleet of such vessels, the leading ship recycler's CEO said.Hundreds of ships with no known insurance or compliance with environmental safety standards have not only helped Iran and Russia circumvent sanctions, but also posed a threat of oil spills and fuel leaks in busy sea lanes.An approved mechanism for scrapping such vessels offers an incentive to take them out of circulation…

Tehran would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month in a framework deal with the U.S. to also include withdrawing U.S. forces from Iran's vicinity, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.The report said the U.S. would end a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, citing a memorandum of understanding being negotiated between the two sides to end the war which has choked global energy supplies through the strategic waterway.Iranian state TV said it had obtained an unofficial draft of the MOU though it was not final and may not be agreed.The U.S.

President Donald Trump’s waivers allowing foreign-flagged ships to move oil and fuel between U.S. ports have had little impact on high domestic gasoline prices due to elevated shipping rates and the relatively small fuel volumes transported so far, a Reuters analysis found.In March, Trump issued a waiver to the Jones Act, a century-old law that requires shippers to use vessels built, owned and crewed by Americans to transport commodities between U.S. ports.The policy, aimed at supporting the domestic maritime industry and national security…

The IMO has released a statement on the resurgence of piracy in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden region.Somali piracy remains suppressed, but not eradicated, highlights the Chair of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (currently South Africa) - a regional initiative implemented by IMO to combat piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activities in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.The Chair of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA)…

South Korea will seek to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine by the mid-2030s, under a new program aimed at countering North Korea's submarine-launched nuclear and missile threats, officials said on Tuesday.Seoul has long sought to join an elite group of nations operating nuclear-powered submarines in a move that could reshape Asia's security landscape and escalate an underwater arms race."The nuclear-powered submarine, which will be built on the basis of a strong South Korea-U.S.

The U.S. intends to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refuelling aircraft, German news outlet Spiegel reported on Tuesday.The NATO alliance is under unprecedented strain, with some European countries concerned that Washington may withdraw outright.U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and pledged to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.

MASS and Littoral OpTech conferences converge in Atlantic CanadaThe 13th annual Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS), hosted by the Atlantic Canada Aerospace & Defence Association (ACADA), and presented by Saab Canada, Inc., will be held June 14-16 at the Convention Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.ACADA represents Atlantic Canada’s aerospace and defence industry and promotes the region as a globally recognized hub of aerospace and defence excellence.“MASS brings together industry innovators…

U.S. forces on Monday conducted strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions.The strikes came as Iran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the U.S. to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier that the U.S.

Oil prices fell nearly 7% on Monday as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even though Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down $7.24, or almost 7%, at $96.30 a barrel at 2:29 p.m. ET (1843 GMT) and U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 futures were down $6.30, or 6.5%, at $90.88.Trading volumes were light due to the U.S. Memorial Day…

Several magnetic mines had been detected on a tanker in Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, Russia's Investigative Committee said on Monday.The committee said the mines, manufactured in a NATO country, were found by divers during an inspection of the hull of the tanker Arrhenius, which arrived from Belgium's port of Antwerp to load liquefied petroleum gas.Russia has beefed up safety measures in its ports following suspected acts of sabotage aimed at undermining its energy infrastructure.NATO has not mined any tanker…

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its newest Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in New York City on Friday.The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, presided over the ceremony. Members of the Danz family were also in attendance, including the cutter's sponsor, Angela Donohue, widow of the late Vincent Danz.“Vincent Danz’s legacy will live on not only through his family and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD…

The IMO's Maritime Safety Committee met for its 111th session from May 13 to 22 and adopted a global code for autonomous ships and advanced guidelines for ships operating on alternative fuels.First global code for autonomous shipsIMO adopted a new International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS Code) to support the safe integration of AI-enabled and remotely operated commercial ships into global shipping.The MASS Code sets out a comprehensive, goal-based framework to ensure that remotely controlled or autonomous ships are designed and operated to a level of safety…

A Chinese coast guard ship left waters near Taiwan's strategically located Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea on Sunday following a tense standoff and verbal sparring between the coast guards, Taiwan's Coast Guard said.China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects.China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island, and Taipei is on high alert for further Chinese actions after President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran, as his administration played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war that had been raised a day earlier.The U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Both sides must take their time and get it right," he added.There was no immediate response from Iran's government.

France has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution on setting up an international mission to restore movement in the Strait of Hormuz and could submit it if conditions are right, the foreign ministry said on Friday, as Washington struggles to bring to a vote a text Russia and China may say is biased against Tehran.Control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy trade whose virtual closure has led to spiralling oil prices, is a major obstacle in talks to end…

The IMO has adopted a new International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS Code) at the 111th session of the Maritime Safety Committee in London.The MASS Code aims to support the safe integration of autonomous and remotely operated commercial ships into global shipping. It sets out a comprehensive, goal-based framework to ensure that autonomous vessels are built, operated and certified at equivalent safety and environmental standards to conventional ships.The Code applies to large internationally-trading cargo ships and will take effect from July 1, 2026.

U.S. government scientists said on Thursday they expect a below-normal Atlantic tropical storm season in 2026, likely producing one to three major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour (179 kph).Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unveiled the agency’s outlook for the season, which begins on June 1 and runs through November 30.They predicted eight to 14 named tropical storms with winds of at least 39 mph, from which three…

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a Danish firm eager to invest in Italian offshore wind farms, is getting impatient.Two years after the country's 2024 law offered incentives to would-be developers to provide offshore wind capacity, the government has yet to announce a calendar for auctions it said it would hold by 2028.The inertia reflects a reluctance to embrace the transition from fossil fuels as a complex and polarised international debate pits clean energy campaigners against some governments and companies. U.S.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the IMO, and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have released a revised Rescue Guide, a tool to help all partners uphold the humanitarian and legal duties to rescue refugees and migrants in distress at sea and bring them to safety.The revised edition of Rescue at Sea: A guide to principles and practice in the context of refugee and migrant movements comes as tragic shipwrecks continue to highlight the urgent need for stronger collective action to prevent further loss of life among people fleeing danger or seeking better prospects.