Us News

The White House is weighing an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and let mining companies bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the deliberations.If signed, the order would mark U.S. President Donald Trump's latest attempt to tap international deposits of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy after recent efforts in Greenland and Ukraine.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday seized two foreign tankers in the Persian Gulf carrying over 3 million litres (792,516 U.S.

The owner of a cargo ship that struck a U.S. military-contracted tanker off England's northeast coast last month said on Monday it is setting up a fund for potential lawsuits over the collision.MS Solong Schiffahrtsgesellschaft M & Co KG, a subsidiary of Ernst Russ which owns the Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong, was sued at London's High Court on Monday by the operators of the Stena Immaculate, which the Solong hit on March 10, according to court records.The Ernst Russ subsidiary brought a separate case at the specialist Admiralty Court last week…

The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone offloaded approximately 45,600 pounds of illicit narcotics worth more than $517.5 million at Port Everglades, Thursday.The seized contraband was the result of 14 interdictions in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and 35 suspected smugglers were transferred ashore to face federal prosecution in U.S. courts.The following assets and crews were involved in the interdiction operations:U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone (WMSL 758)U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC 913)U.S.

Zelim, an Edinburgh-based maritime safety innovator, has signed an agreement with Ambassador Cruise Lines for the installation of its ZOE man overboard (MOB) detection system on Ambition cruise ship, marking its entry into the global cruise ship sector.Zelim is fitting out the 1,200-passenger capacity cruise ship with a full ZOE installation to deliver instantaneous detection and tracking of persons in the water following MOB incidents.The installation – comprising multiple infrared and daylight cameras…

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has officially deregistered 107 Panamanian-flagged vessels listed under international sanctions, with an additional 18 currently undergoing the deregistration process.The deregistered vessels had been identified for compliance concerns or were listed on sanctions list issued by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the EU and the UK.To prevent high-risk vessels from entering the Panamanian Registry, the pre-registration analysis process…

In a stark address to the U.S. Senate, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered a firm warning to American policymakers and defense stakeholders: Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted to negotiate a legitimate or lasting peace in Ukraine.Speaking amid ongoing peace talks in Riyadh and growing speculation about sanctions relief, Wicker sought to dispel any optimism about the Kremlin’s intentions. “President Putin values peace as little as any piece of shredded paper he would deceitfully sign,” Wicker said.

Hong Kong's CK Hutchison will not sign a deal next week to sell its two port operations near the Panama Canal to a BlackRock-led group, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said, amid growing pressure from Beijing.China's market regulator said it will carry out an antitrust review on the Panama port deal in accordance with law to protect fair competition and safeguard public interests, its official WeChat account showed late on Friday.The telecoms-to-retail conglomerate owned by tycoon Li Ka-shing this month agreed to sell most of the global $22.8 billion ports business…

A tour operator in Nuuk said on Friday (March 28) he welcomed the increased business after U.S. President Donald Trump put the island in the global spotlight but is worried about the U.S. rhetoric towards Greenland.Speaking ahead of U.S. Vice President Vance's visit to the Arctic island later in the day, “Raw Arctic” CEO, Casper Frank Moeller, said that in the beginning, when Trump started to talk about Greenland it was “nice attention.”“I think we didn't really take it that seriously in the beginning…

The charred remains of the ship that ploughed into a tanker in the North Sea were towed into a Scottish port on Friday (March 28).The ship, Portuguese-flagged Solong, hit the anchored Stena Immaculate, a U.S. military-contracted tanker, on March 10, causing a fire, and forcing both crews to abandon their vessels.Initial concerns of an environmental disaster subsided as assessments showed the jet fuel had mostly burned off and there was no sign of other leaks from either ship.All 23 crew members of the Stena Immaculate and 13 of the 14 crew on the Solong were rescued. A Filipino national and Solong crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, died in the incident.(Reuters)

China deployed two long-range H-6 bombers around the Scarborough Shoal this week, in Beijing's latest move to assert sovereignty over the hotly disputed atoll in the South China Sea, satellite images obtained by Reuters showed.The deployment, which was not publicised by China, came ahead of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to the Philippines, which also claims the shoal that lies within its exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles.China's defence ministry did not…

Russia's leading tanker group Sovcomflot's saw transportation volumes drop around 16% to 63 million metric tons last year compared to 2023, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Friday, citing the group's CEO Igor Tonkovidov as saying.The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on state-controlled Sovcomflot and its fleet in 2024 in an effort to reduce Russia's revenue from oil sales that it can use to finance its war in Ukraine. The company's net profit dropped by 55% to $424 million last year.Sovcomflot hopes that the transportation volume of oil…

Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the world’s largest RoRo vessel operator, has renewed a shipping contract with a European based automotive manufacturer, lasting five years.The contract has an estimated value of $380 million over the contract period.The new five-year contract lasts starts on April 1, 2025, with the rates are in line with current market levels, according to the company."We are pleased to announce this multi-year agreement with a long-term customer strengthening our existing…

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to its decades-old defense treaty with the Philippines during a visit to Manila on Friday, pledging to bolster the alliance with advanced military capabilities in the face of increasing tensions with China. Meeting with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Hegseth underscored Washington’s support for its Indo-Pacific ally, particularly as Manila continues to accuse Beijing of aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

India is considering a proposal to scrap import tax on U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to boost purchases and help cut the trade surplus with Washington, a key irritant for President Donald Trump, four government and industry sources said.The United States is India's second biggest supplier but the two sides are looking to ramp up volumes for India's energy-hungry economy, one of the fastest growing in the world.During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's U.S. visit last month, India pledged to increase U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State warned Venezuela on Thursday that it would be "a very bad day" for the South American country if it were to attack its neighbor Guyana or U.S.-based energy giant ExxonMobil, in comments that threatened unspecified action in such a case.Caracas condemned Rubio's remarks, made during a visit to Guyana's capital.Guyana and Venezuela are locked in a long-running dispute about which country has rights over the 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Esequibo area…

Companies planning a flagship offshore gas project between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago "have not slowed down" work, Trinidad Prime Minister Stuart Young said on Thursday, despite the United States increasing pressure on sanctioned Venezuela and uncertainty over the extension of a license for the project.Following talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting South American and Caribbean countries this week, Young said the "landscape is changing," referring…

Knutsen NYK Carbon Carriers (KNCC), a subsidiary of NYK and Knutsen Group, has obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for the design of liquified CO2 carriers that stores and transports liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) at ambient temperature but elevated pressure.The new carrier uses cargo tank technology developed by KNCC to transport LCO2 in a stable state. Since there is no need to cool the LCO2 to cryogenic temperatures, it is easy to handle and potentially reduces energy and costs during liquefaction.NYK…

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…

Some drugmakers are taking the unusual step of sending more medicines by air to the U.S., two executives and two logistics firms said amid fears President Donald Trump's April 2 tariffs announcement could include products made in Europe.Two European-headquartered drugmakers told Reuters this week they are sending as much of their medicines across the Atlantic as possible over the past several weeks and heard other pharmaceuticals companies were doing the same.One of the executives…

Car-carrying ships have sent more cargo from Europe and China, Japan and Korea to the United States in the first months of the year than last year, shipping data showed, in a sign of companies front-loading shipments ahead of looming tariffs.A total of 33 so-called roll on, roll off ships - designed for wheeled cargo and mostly carrying new cars - left Europe for the U.S. in February this year, up from 28 in February 2024, according to data analytics firm Esgian, which monitors shipping routes and ports worldwide.Those ships will have been able to carry around 30…

Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Guy Platten, testified before the U.S. Trade Representative Section 301 Committee in Washington, D.C., regarding concerns around potential unintended consequences that could result from the proposed remedies following the Committee’s investigation into China’s maritime logistics and shipbuilding. The public hearing took place over two days, Monday, March 24, and Wednesday, March 26, 2025, with over 60 witnesses delivering testimonies in person.The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) supports the goal of strengthening U.S.

As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) prepares to meet in London from March 31 to April 11 to finalize measures for its greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy, a new report by marine NGO Seas At Risk shows the economic and climate benefits of using wind-assisted propulsion to power global shipping.The ‘Wind First!’ study shows that retrofitting sails on large, existing vessels can save close to half a million U.S. dollars on fuel costs and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 12%…