Government Update News

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has issued a Marine Safety Alert warning vessel owners, operators and crews to verify their ships' maximum air draft before transiting beneath bridges and other overhead obstructions, following an incident in which an unaccounted-for antenna struck a bridge.In Safety Alert 17-26, issued November 10, 2026, the Coast Guard detailed its investigation of a deep-draft vessel that contacted a bridge despite voyage-planning calculations indicating sufficient…

When artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization are discussed in maritime, attention still gravitates toward autonomous ships. Yet the market is not about de-crewing but, rather, applying vessel and shore data to make operations safer, more fuel-efficient, and easier to maintain.As of 2024, the maritime AI market stood at $4.13 billion, with a projected five-year CAGR of 23%. Market-size estimates should be treated cautiously, but the direction is hard to miss – AI solutions have advanced from trials into voyage planning…

Britain said on Tuesday it would spend £90 million ($121 million) on drones, sensors and artificial intelligence systems to help the Royal Navy counter Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic and protect critical infrastructure.New network of autonomous systems equipped with advanced sensors will create a unified surveillance capability to improve the detection and monitoring of submarine activityWestern officials have warned Russia has increased activity around subsea infrastructureIn April, Britain said it had deployed military vessels to deter Russian submarines who it said had spent

The U.S. Coast Guard is concluding its scheduled 2026 seasonal evaluation of six Saildrone Voyager Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) on the Great Lakes this week ahead of forecasted winter icing conditions. Following the completion of this seasonal evaluation, the Coast Guard intends to conduct an additional test and evaluation period in the spring of 2027 as part of a service-wide effort to evaluate how autonomous technologies enhance Coast Guard missions and assist operators.Deployed between April and November 2026 across the Great Lakes…

We are approaching the end of America’s 250th birthday year, a year of reflecting on the vital contributions of American maritime to building and strengthening our nation. Against this backdrop, it’s ironic and unfortunate that this year has also brought a misguided assault on the Jones Act, the foundation of America’s maritime strength and independence throughout the modern era. The tradeoff? America’s maritime future for a political talking point and less than a penny a gallon in savings at the gas pump.In March…

With only a few weeks remaining in the calendar countdown, the largest collection of U.S. Maritime owners. operators, seafarers, shipyards and supply chain manufacturers will assemble again in New Orleans, La., during the first week of December. Much like a Hollywood production, the week can be a prequel, sequel, saga or franchise blockbuster. Standing with the US Maritime industry we should hope for a long running franchise.The attendees visiting the city this year will be faced with more than several important dates and activities forcing decisions prior to their arrival.

On October 27, 2026, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Awarded $41,414,928 in Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Grants to Corn Belt Ports. MARAD continues to invest in the four modern, sustainable, rural, regional, multimodal, inland, partnership ports in the Heart of the Corn Belt. Since 2003, a total of $143 million has been invested by MARAD in eleven rural port infrastructure projects (See attached slides for more background information).“The regionalization of the ports in the Heart of the Corn Belt is paying off…

French shipbuilder Piriou has secured a contract from France's Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) for 16 new-generation RP30NG tugboats designed to support French Navy port operations, including maneuvers involving nuclear submarines and major surface combatants.The vessels, derived from Piriou's civilian tugboat range and adapted for military requirements, will also undertake firefighting, pollution response, maritime surveillance, fisheries inspection and assistance missions.Designed to operate up to 200 nautical miles offshore for several days…

"Geopolitical disruptions continue to cloud the dry bulk market outlook. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz remains the largest source of uncertainty, while attacks on ships and port infrastructure in the Black Sea have added another layer of risk,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Typically, around 4% of dry bulk demand sails via the Strait of Hormuz. Alternative routes have softened the impact of the disruption but have been unable to replace pre-war volumes.

Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche on Wednesday said companies may return previously auctioned offshore wind farm sites, provided they pay a penalty to transmission system operators, as mounting economic pressures continue to batter the sector.The move comes as increasing financing costs, overcapacity in certain sea areas and declining revenue expectations have made it harder for developers to deliver on awarded projects.In a letter to Reiche, the heads of eight of Germany's 16 states called on her to amend a bill before the German lower house of parliamentThey advocated for a one-tim

Turkey may reach agreements to make acquisitions or further explore for hydrocarbons by the end of the year as part of its target to produce 1 million barrels of oil and natural gas a day, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Tuesday.Speaking at the Turkey Energy Summit in Istanbul, Bayraktar said Turkey had a production capacity of 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent, adding that the current planning had this reaching 550,000 to 600,000 by 2028Reaching the target would mean more than tripling Turkey's current output, and even the level planned for 2028 would leave it well short.

Fincantieri hosted Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao and senior federal officials at its Marinette and Sturgeon Bay shipyards in Wisconsin, highlighting investments in advanced manufacturing, automation and expanded shipbuilding capacity as the company prepares for construction of the U.S. Navy's Landing Ship Medium (LSM) vessels.The delegation included Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Maritime Administration Administrator Stephen Carmel, OMB Associate Director for Shipbuilding Jerry Hendrix and Eugenio Santagata…

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) has launched Ocean Minerals Forward, a new industry education and communications initiative examining the potential of deep-sea mineral resources to strengthen U.S. critical mineral supply chains, support domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.The initiative includes a dedicated website, a comprehensive report and educational resources covering seabed mineral development, offshore technologies, environmental considerations and the regulatory challenges facing the emerging industry.Critical minerals including nickel…

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on Thursday that four vessels involved in illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf were simultaneously hit and caught fire after being tracked by its forces on Wednesday.The IRGC added that three more vessels collided with mines west of the Strait of Hormuz, and warned the US military that continued provocations could lead to a wider response against its regional bases.(Reuters - Reporting by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has conducted a targeted enforcement operation code named Operation Sea Guardian in order to enforce compliance with maritime regulations in Nigeria waters.The operation, which focused on vessels of interest identified through intelligence and surveillance profiling, led to the arrest and detention of several vessels for nonconformity including MT HOLMES, MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, JS GRATITUDE, MT BORA within the Lagos maritime domain.

Sometime back in the fall of 2025, I was contacted by a prominent national television, radio, and print news reporter with a surprising (but understandable under the circumstances) request for background information to inform her reporting. She was working on a story covering the numerous lethal military strikes on alleged drug trafficking speedboats (lanchas) in international waters and the waters of Central and South American countries that we all were seeing and hearing about in the news. The reporter’s core question for me?

U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) has called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to explain its oversight of Jones Act waivers following reports that foreign-flagged vessels transported more than $40 million in petroleum products between U.S. ports without required disclosures.In an October 16 letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Carbajal, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, questioned whether foreign vessel operators benefiting from the waivers are complying with U.S.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Saturday that two oil tankers had caught fire after hitting naval mines while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.State media said both tankers were carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil.There was no independent confirmation of the reports.IRNA reported that the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and attempted to use an unauthorised route through the strategic waterway.

The U.S. Maritime Industry is sifting through a nearly two-year decision process after Executive Order 14269 announcements of “Maritime Dominance” of April 9th 2025. Initially reported as the strongest federal support in decades, longer periods of delays have also occurred as congress debates the Ships for America Act which has been passed from committee to committee in Congress. Legislation proposed to support American shipbuilding and the US flag commercial fleet and to date…

Iran and its proxies have carried out dozens of pinpoint strikes on infrastructure in the Gulf since the start of the war, systematically disabling critical equipment and causing cascading failures and economic damage region-wide in a deft campaign that helps explain how the Islamic Republic has held its own against the more powerful US military.Iran and the allies it arms went after vital oil-routing systems at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the main port outside the Strait of Hormuz, disabling operations for weeks.

After investigating reports of restrictive port practices by the Government of Spain, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has determined that Spain has created unfavorable shipping conditions against U.S.-flagged vessels. As a result, the FMC is proposing remedies to counteract those unfavorable conditions, including charging fees for all Spanish-flagged vessels and restricting the import of certain Spanish goods.The FMC initiated an investigation in December 2024 to determine whether Spain is creating general or special conditions unfavorable to shipping in U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently investigated a marine casualty involving a recreational vessel that was swamped and capsized by the wake of a commercial towing vessel. The investigation found that both the credentialed Master of the towing vessel and the towing vessel’s operating company believed that USCG-inspected vessels were governed solely by federal Inland Navigation Rules, and that these rules automatically preempted state and local navigation safety laws, including…

Eleven sailors were missing at sea on Tuesday from a ship sunk by a drone attack off the coast of Bulgaria, possibly the second deadly sinking of a cargo vessel in the area in a week, prompting Bulgaria to summon Russia's ambassador.Two cargo ships were hit by drones overnight and one was sunk, Bulgarian officials said. Bulgaria stopped short of explicitly accusing Russia of carrying out the attacks but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said their outcome "benefits the Russian Federation".There…