Maritimes Crimes

Electric pulse fishing used by demersal trawlers to lift flatfish from the seabed has raised worldwide concern for fish welfare and stock resilience. Short electrical discharges can trigger vertebral fractures, …

France’s ability to act as a resident maritime power in the Southwest Indian Ocean rests on a scattered constellation of tiny territories known in French as the Îles Éparses (Scattered …

The Kwassa Kwassa Crisis represents one of the most acute maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean, specifically within the narrow and volatile Mozambique Channel. The kwassa kwassa is a …

East China Sea coast guard standoff near disputed islands escalates Tensions in the East China Sea coast guard standoff rose sharply after a new confrontation near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. …

Collision and operational mishaps documented The US Navy released four reports on incidents involving the USS Harry S. Truman and its Carrier Strike Group during their Red Sea deployment from …

Introduction On 29 November 2025, Ukraine linked unmanned surface vessels (USVs) reportedly struck two sanctioned tankers Kairos and Virat associated with Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea, and …

Viral clips show tense boarding operation A recent wave of social media videos appears to show the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) boarding a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel in the Yellow Sea, …

Floating wave‑power in the North Sea follows the same conversion principles seen worldwide, but devices are tuned for shorter‑period, wind‑driven seas and for co‑location with offshore wind hubs. In broad …

Coral reefs sit at the junction of climate physics and coastal livelihoods. Their colours and architectural complexity are built by a fragile symbiosis between corals and microscopic algae. When seas …

The Atlantic Ocean acts as the global economic lifeline, but the Gulf of Guinea remains one of its most critical and challenging segments. This region, vital for global trade and …

Borocho freighter sunk to form new marine habitat The Borocho freighter, once linked to cocaine smuggling, was deliberately sunk off Stuart, Florida, to expand the region’s artificial reef network. The …

US Coast Guard increases surveillance A Russian military intelligence vessel has raised concern after being detected close to US territorial waters near Hawaii. The Kareliya, a Vishnya-class spy ship, was …

Oil exports halted at Novorossiysk amid terminal damage and depot fire Russia’s main Black Sea oil hub at Novorossiysk temporarily halted crude exports after an overnight Ukrainian strike damaged port …

The rarity of atypical pigmentation in coastal waters The global maritime community’s attention was captured by an extraordinary event on April 4, 2023, in South Africa when a rare Albino …

Ariane 6 places Europe’s new radar sentinel in orbit Sentinel-1D maritime surveillance takes a step forward after Ariane 6 completed its fourth flight from Kourou. Thirty-four minutes after liftoff, the …

From 10 to 21 November 2025, Belém in northern Brazil hosts COP30, the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Ten years …

Armed pirates hijack gasoline tanker off Eyl A Somali piracy attack targeted the Hellas Aphrodite, a Malta-flagged tanker operated by Latsco Marine Management, while it was sailing from Sikka, India, …

A strategic revival after two decades of silence After more than twenty years of abandonment, the Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico is coming back to life. Once a …

The Arctic enigma: Bowhead whales and the secret to mammalian longevity 1. Record-breaking lifespan in the Arctic The Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus), also known as the Greenland whale, is a …

Grounding of the Komander temporarily blocks Canal A sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the Komander, temporarily blocked the Suez Canal on October 28, 2025, after suffering an engine failure while sailing …

International Operation “El Dorado” In a major maritime security operation named “El Dorado”, Portuguese authorities intercepted a narco-submarine in the Atlantic Ocean transporting over 1.7 tons of cocaine bound for …

As Jamaica reels from Hurricane Melissa, France swiftly sent the Dumont d’Urville to deliver vital humanitarian aid. France responds after hurricane Melissa’s destruction In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, one …

A Wagner Group flag incident has stirred diplomatic humor and concern along the Estonia-Russia border after a Russian border guard vessel was spotted flying the symbol of the notorious paramilitary …

On 29 October 2025, Moscow revealed it had successfully tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered undersea drone, a weapon President Vladimir Putin described as “impossible to intercept.” The trial reportedly included the …

The United States carried out a U.S. strike on drug-trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific on 29 October, killing four men described by Washington as “narcoterrorists.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth …

Landlocked since Eritrea’s independence in 1993, Ethiopia conducts the overwhelming bulk of its external trade through Djibouti, a dependence that Addis Ababa increasingly frames as a strategic vulnerability. The issue …

On 21 October 2025, the Kenyan Navy intercepted a flagless dhow 340 nautical miles east of Mombasa in the Indian Ocean, a major corridor for maritime drug trafficking. Intelligence from …

By Argenis RODRIGUEZ (maritime lawyer) The Chinese fishing fleet has been consistently accused of engaging in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU Fishing), posing a significant risk to the marine …

The USS Gerald R. Ford deployment to the Caribbean marks a sharp expansion of US naval presence across Latin America and adjacent waters, as tensions with Venezuela intensify and Washington …

Introduction Since November 2023, Houthi attacks on merchant vessels have turned the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden into a contested seaway. In response, the European Union launched …

After a brief return to visibility, Iranian tankers go dark as most National Iranian Tanker Company units re-silenced their Automatic Identification System. Windward reported 52 of 88 tankers transmitting between …

Introduction Whale shark conservation has entered a more perilous phase. The world’s largest fish, Rhincodon typus, is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with long-term declines documented across …

Casualties and timeline An oil tanker fire and blast struck the MT Federal II at Batam’s Tanjunguncang seaport before dawn on 15 October, while the crude palm oil tanker was …

The French Navy cocaine seizure tally has surged after a 7.1-ton haul announced on 14 October. Intercepted on 6 October in the Antilles–Guyane area, an unflagged fishing vessel was stopped …

Introduction The Red Sea sanctioned ships story is a paradox of resilience and opacity. While mainstream carriers rerouted around Africa amid Houthi attacks, portions of the Russia-linked “shadow fleet” continued …

Italian coast guard launches investigation An armed attack on a migrant boat traveling from Libya toward Italy in the Mediterranean Sea has triggered a formal investigation by the Italian coast …

The Second Sinking in a Month The waters off the Iberian Peninsula are again under the spotlight for reasons that challenge the long-held safety of mariners. Last Friday, maritime authorities …

Competing claims and sequence of events A new South China Sea collision on October 12, 2025 reignited tensions between China and the Philippines. Manila says a Chinese Coast Guard vessel …

The world’s largest long-distance fishing fleet China has the largest long-distance fishing fleet in the world. According to data provided by the Chinese government, its distant water fishing fleet consists …

Coordinated naval response across Calabar–Oron waterway The Nigerian Navy rescue mission has successfully freed 17 passengers kidnapped by sea pirates along the Calabar–Oron waterway in Cross River State. The victims …

Strike marks fourth anti-narcotics operation in weeks The United States carried out a maritime strike against a suspected drug trafficking boat in international waters off Venezuela, killing four people, U.S. …

A small Island at the heart of a global network Under President Azali Assoumani, the Comoros maritime flag has become a discreet but vital tool in Russia’s effort to bypass …

On September 22, the container ship Istanbul Bridge left the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan carrying nearly 4,900 containers bound for the United Kingdom. Its goal: to reach the port of …

Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is facing an unprecedented challenge. With nearly 11 million inhabitants and located on the island of Java, the city is sinking due to a combination …

France monitors Russian ghost fleet tanker Pushpa off Saint-Nazaire The Russian-linked oil tanker Pushpa, also known as Boracay, has been under close French surveillance since September 28, when it was …

A Russian submarine, the Novorossiisk, is reportedly in grave difficulty after suffering a major technical failure while crossing the Strait of Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel faces a …

A record-breaking drug bust took place on September 22, 2025, when the French Navy intercepted nearly 10 tons of cocaine aboard a stateless vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, off …

The Mediterranean has just lived through its hottest June ever recorded. On June 29, 2025, sea surface temperatures reached 26.01°C, a record for the month according to the European Copernicus …

Danish authorities are investigating whether three Russian-linked vessels served as launch platforms for the drone overflights that forced Copenhagen Airport to shut down on the night of September 22. The …