Government Update News

Britain said on Saturday it was deploying its warship HMS Dragon to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.HMS Dragon, an air defence destroyer, was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in March, shortly after the start of the Iran war, to help defend Cyprus.Its relocation to the Middle East follows a move by France to deploy its carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea, as the two…

Two more tankers laden with crude exited the Strait of Hormuz last week with trackers switched off to avoid Iranian attacks, Kpler shipping data showed, underscoring a rising trend to sustain Middle East oil exports.The very large crude carrier (VLCC) Basrah Energy loaded 2 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude from Abu Dhabi National Oil Co's (ADNOC's) Zirku terminal on May 1 and exited the Strait of Hormuz on May 6, the data showed on Monday.The Panama-flagged vessel offloaded its cargo at the Fujairah Oil Tanker Terminals on May 8…

This week, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) was recognized by the International Propeller Club and received the Frank Courtenay “Salute to Congress” Award for championing legislation to support the American maritime industry. The Salute to Congress Award recognizes members of the U.S. Congress for their leadership and support of the American maritime industry.“I am honored to receive this recognition from the International Propeller Club, an organization that understands the importance of investing in our maritime industry,” said Rep. Carbajal.

The U.S. military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday, targeting sites it said were responsible for attacking U.S. forces in what it called unprovoked hostilities by Tehran.Earlier, Iran's top joint military command said the U.S. had violated a ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker and another ship entering the Strait of Hormuz, and by striking civilian areas."U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that Iran appears to have cut back oil production by 400,000 barrels per day and is likely to reduce it more as its storage units fill."It looks like they've likely already cut back their production, maybe by 400,000 barrels a day. They'll likely continue to ramp down their production as their storage fills and their inability to export oil," Wright said in an interview with Fox News.A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has shrunk Tehran's oil exports…

Spanish police have seized 30 tons of cocaine from a ship off the Canary Islands and detained its 23-member crew without bail in Europe's largest-ever bust of the drug, the High Court said on Thursday, more than doubling Spain's previous record.The Comoro Island-flagged Arconian was intercepted by the Guardia Civil police force on May 1, with a cargo the court valued at more than 812 million euros ($956 million).The seizure dwarfs the 25 tons recovered by German police at the port of Hamburg in June 2024…

The Philippine Coast Guard has accused China of conducting illegal marine scientific research near the oil and gas-rich Reed bank within Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, according to a statement on Thursday."We will continue to challenge any illegal activities that undermine our sovereignty and sovereign rights," PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said.PCG aircraft spotted Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 33 near Iroquois Reef during a maritime patrol on May 6.The PCG said the Chinese vessel was seen deploying a service boat toward the reef, confirming the o

U.S. forces operating in the Gulf of Oman enforced blockade measures by disabling an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port at 9 a.m. ET, May 6.U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces observed M/T Hasna as it transited international waters enroute to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, U.S.

Cuba's top officials blasted a growing litany of U.S. statements and threats of military action against the Caribbean island, calling them dangerous and an international crime alongside an ongoing U.S. oil blockade that has vastly restricted fuel shipments amid a devastating energy crisis.Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez characterized the U.S. as "hinting at a military action" to "liberate" Cuba, saying it was hypocritical and cynical in a post on social media late on Tuesday, in which he cited decades of U.S.

The Coast Guard is standing up the Special Missions Command to oversee its deployable specialized forces. The command will enhance the operational effectiveness of the Coast Guard in responding to a wide range of national emergencies and events as the demand for deployable specialized forces capabilities increase. The Coast Guard selected the existing Coast Guard C5I Service Center facility in Kearneysville, West Virginia, as the future site of the Coast Guard’s Special Missions Command (SMC).

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would briefly pause an operation to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress toward a comprehensive agreement with Iran."We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom ... will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump wrote on social media.There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, where it was very early on Wednesday morning.Only hours earlier, U.S.

The United States is set to remove sanctions against Eritrea, according to an internal U.S. government document seen by Reuters, a decision analysts linked to the African state's strategic location on the Red Sea shipping route.The U.S. move is aimed at improving ties with Eritrea, which has a long Red Sea coastline opposite Saudi Arabia, while also sending a message to neighbouring Ethiopia not to go to war with its longtime Horn of Africa foe, analysts said.The war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz…

The United Arab Emirates said it was under attack from Iranian missiles and drones on Tuesday, even as Washington said a shaky ceasefire was intact despite an exchange of fire the previous day as U.S. forces attempted to force open the Strait of Hormuz.The U.S. military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called "Project Freedom".U.S.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has launched a new module on its Regulatory Request System (RRS) that will allow users to self-verify that a pre-construction notification is not required for a proposed activity covered under a nationwide permit.Certain activities are authorized by nationwide permits if the project proponent’s proposed activities comply with all the terms and conditions of those nationwide permits and the activity can commence without notification to USACE district offices.

The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as Tehran sought to thwart a new U.S. naval effort to open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.U.S. President Donald Trump launched the operation, called Project Freedom, on Monday as he sought to wrest control of the critical waterway from Iran, which effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Israel started the conflict on February 28.U.S.

The U.S. military said two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers had entered the Gulf to break an Iranian blockade and that two U.S. merchant ships had transited the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran said it had prevented a U.S. warship entering the Gulf.U.S. Central Command said its forces were supporting President Donald Trump's "Project Freedom", which aims to "guide out" commercial ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, and were enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.The intervention appeared to raise the risk of a direct confrontation between the U.S.

President Donald Trump's administration has brought U.S.

Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks on targets across Russia on Sunday, hitting the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk and setting it on fire, and striking a number of vessels, as it steps up attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets.Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strikes had caused significant damage to the oil terminal port. They also hit an oil tanker, a small Russian Karakurt-class missile ship and a patrol boat in the Baltic Sea, he said on Telegram."Each such result further limits Russia’s war potential…

The Marine Environment Protection Committee of the IMO concluded its 84th session with a commitment to rebuild consensus on global shipping emissions.Nearly 100 delegations took the floor this week to voice their views on the adoption of “mid-term measures” to address GHG emissions from ships - known as the IMO Net-Zero Framework - with multiple proposals tabled on how to take forward negotiations.The Committee agreed to establish an intersessional Working Group to resolve various concerns and drive broader convergence on a global measure ahead of MEPC 85 in six months.

The IMO has formally adopted the world’s largest emission control area (ECA) in the North-East Atlantic Ocean, establishing stricter emissions limits for ships operating in one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.The new ECA is expected to be fully implemented in September 2028 and covers the exclusive economic zones of France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands—a region home to more than 190 million people. It will also link existing ECAs in the Baltic…

The Swedish Coast Guard said on Sunday it had seized a tanker in the Baltic Sea believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, the latest in a string of similar actions carried out in recent months by the country's authorities.The Swedish Coast Guard said in a statement that it and police had boarded the Syrian-flagged Jin Hui in Swedish territorial waters south of Trelleborg and begun a preliminary investigation into a lack of seaworthiness."The coast guard suspects that the ship is sailing under a false flag…

An Israeli court has extended by two days the detention of two activists arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece, their lawyer said on Sunday.Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities late on Wednesday and brought to Israel, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists aboard the boats were taken to the Greek island of Crete.A court spokesperson…

Three people have died and one case of hantavirus has been confirmed among passengers on a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization said on Sunday.Six individuals were affected in the incident, of whom three have died and one is in intensive care in South Africa, it said in a post on X.The WHO did not name the vessel or its operator, although a source familiar with the situation said it was the MV Hondius, travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde."WHO…