Government News
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Royal Australian Navy Divers Assist Vanuatu in Cyclone Recovery
A team of Royal Australian Navy clearance divers is coming to the aid of neighboring Vanuatu to help clear navigational hazards and in the process helped the island nation recover one of its own vessels. The team is in the area conducting underwater surveys and clearance of major wharves to…
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Philippines Enacts Law to Curb Seafarer Exploitation
The Philippines’ House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly voted for a new bill seeking to protect the rights and interests of Filipino seafarers. The law called Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers sets out labor protection terms for seafarers before, during, and after employment, especially in the event of maritime accidents,…
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US Designates More Companies and 20 Ships in Crackdown on Iranian Oil
The United States lashed out broadly at the shipping community with a new round of sanctions that the U.S. State Department said are designed to further reduce Iranian energy exports. Iran responded by saying it was accustomed to the sanctions and that was proceeding with its business. Using a Trump-era…
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U.S. Army’s Next Heavy Landing Ship May Outclass Marine Corps’ LSM
The U.S. Army’s little-known Watercraft Systems division plans to acquire a new fleet of landing ships that could outclass the U.S. Marine Corps’ future Landing Ship Medium (LSM) by size and capacity. To complement its existing acquisition program for a light landing vessel, the Army seeks to build a much larger…
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South Korea Expands Use of Drones to Stop Illegal Chinese Fishing
South Korea’s Coast Guard reports it will expand its use of drones for monitoring activities including targeting Chinese boats engaged in illegal fishing activities. The expansion of the program comes as there have been increasing reports of Chinese incursions into neighboring countries’ water and after North Korea deployed a squadron…
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Scottish Tug Capsizes with Two Missing in Greenock
The UK’s HM Coastguard reported that it called off a search this evening in Greenock harbor in Scotland after a tugboat assisting a small cruise ship was lost. Details of the incident are unclear at this time but it is believed that two crew working aboard the tug were lost.…
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Netanyahu accuses Iran of attack on Israeli-linked tanker
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused arch-foe Iran of attacking an Israeli-linked tanker earlier this month, a strike which the ship’s operator said caused “minor” damage. “On the Iranian front, our efforts are unceasing for the simple reason that Iran’s acts of aggression are unceasing,” Netanyahu said at…
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UK Awards $73M to Develop and Commercalize Green Maritime Technology
In an effort to spur the development of commercial green maritime technologies, the UK government announced the awarding of an additional $73 million in grants going to 10 projects as part of the government’s ongoing Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC). The projects selected range from a hydrofoil concept for workboats…
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UK Expands Efforts to Support Green Shipping with $100M in New Funding
The UK government is investing an additional $100 million in maritime decarbonization including a competition to fund the development and introduction of technologies that can be brought to market within the next three years for the UK’s maritime sector. According to the government, it is the largest government effort focused…
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New Zealand Recovers 3 Tons of Cocaine “Floating” in the Pacific Ocean
The New Zealand Defence Force working in conjunction with law enforcement and customs has retrieved more than three tons of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean at what they believe was a “transit point,” for international drug smugglers. New Zealand’s Police Commissioner estimated the value of the seizure at more…
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