Legal News

Hong Kong's CK Hutchison said on Wednesday its Panama Ports Company unit has started international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country's top court annulled its licences to operate two Panama Canal ports, in a case that could take years to resolve.Panama's Supreme Court last week ruled the contracts violated Panama's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions.It is unclear how long the arbitration proceedings could take, although given the political sensitivities involving the U.S.

Panama's Supreme Court has annulled key port contracts held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, leaving the future ownership of some Panama Canal operations unclear and possibly upsetting its plans to sell some terminals.Panama Ports Company (PPC), a CK Hutchison subsidiary, has held contracts since the 1990s to operate container terminals at the canal's Pacific and Atlantic entrances, separate from the waterway's operations.The decision could disrupt CK Hutchison's proposed $23 billion sale of dozens of ports worldwide…

Captain Steve Jones is President of the Passenger Vessel Association for 2025. As his term comes to a close in February at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2026 in Covington, KY, Captain Jones has achieved several long-sought-after successes during his term and set in motion other important association undertakings intended to deliver noteworthy benefits to PVA members in the coming year and beyond. Captain Jones has been with the Gateway Clipper Fleet since 1987. The Gateway Clipper Fleet…

Family members of two men killed in a U.S. missile strike against a suspected drug boat near Venezuela filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday, alleging the pair were murdered in a "manifestly unlawful" military campaign targeting civilian vessels.Civil rights lawyers filed the lawsuit in Boston's federal court, marking the first court challenge to one of the 36 U.S. missile strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean authorized by President Donald Trump's administration…

Over eight in every 10 (82%) citizens across the EU are concerned about the welfare of animals during live transport, a new survey concludes, as EU regulation remains at risk of being weakened and leaving millions of animals unprotected.A newly-launched survey conducted across nine EU member states has highlighted public concern for the plight of millions of animals transported over long distances, with an overwhelming majority supporting the need for stricter rules.Most participants (80%) agree that long-distance journeys cause unnecessary suffering to animals…

The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off Britain's east coast last year did "absolutely nothing" to prevent an avoidable and fatal collision, British prosecutors said on Tuesday as his trial over a crew member's death began.Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong which was heading to Rotterdam in the Netherlands when it hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, which was anchored, on March 10 2025.The Solong was mainly carrying alcohol and some dangerous goods…

Three Greek-managed oil tankers were hit by unidentified drones in the Black Sea on Tuesday as they were on their way to load crude at a terminal on Russia's coast, sources told Reuters.The attacks come as Kazakhstan's oil production, most of which is exported via the terminal, cratered in early January.It was not immediately clear who was behind Tuesday's strikes. Ukraine did not immediately comment. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates the terminal where the tankers were due to take on board cargoes…

Panama's maritime authority on Thursday said it had canceled in January of last year the flag of the M Sophia, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by the U.S. military this week.The U.S. military's Southern Command on Wednesday said it had intercepted the M Sophia before dawn, and described it as a "stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker." Panamanian authorities canceled the supertanker's flag on January 23, 2025, the AMP authority said in a statement.The maritime authority also said the Bella-1, a Russian-flagged tanker the U.S.

The United States is attempting to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker with links to Venezuela after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic and as a Russian submarine and warship were close by, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.The seizure, which could stoke tensions with Russia, came after the tanker, originally known as the Bella-1, slipped through a U.S. maritime "blockade" of sanctioned tankers and rebuffed U.S. Coast Guard efforts to board it.The officials…

The Jones Act at 46 U.S.C. § 55102 forms the basis of U.S. domestic waterborne commerce by limiting the transportation of merchandise between U.S. points to vessels that are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, U.S.-crewed, and U.S.-flagged. The Jones Act contains a limited exception known as the “Third Proviso” that permits certain domestic shipments to move through Canada using multimodal transportation without breaching the statute.Purpose and Limits of the Third Proviso.The Third Proviso to 46 U.S.C. § 55102 exempts from Jones Act restrictions the transportation of cargo between U.S.

China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.The Eastern Theatre Command said it had deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises to encircle the democratically-governed island, conduct live fire and simulated strikes on land and sea targets…

The White House has ordered U.S. military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, indicating Washington is currently more interested in using economic rather than military means to pressure Caracas."While military options still exist, the focus is to first use economic pressure by enforcing sanctions to reach the outcome the White House is looking (for)," the official said on Wednesday…

Singapore-based Seatrium has resolved its dispute with an affiliate of Maersk Offshore Wind, over the delivery of a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), originally intended for Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project in the United States.Under the agreement Seatrium Energy reached with Maerk’s affiliate Phoenix II A/S, the parties will discontinue all legal proceedings related to the contract, agreeing to deliver the vessel by February 28, 2026.The settlement follows months of dispute after Phoenix II issued a termination notice in October 2025…

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.It is unclear how Trump will impose the move against the sanctioned vessels, and whether he will turn to the Coast Guard to interdict vessels like he did last week. The administration has moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships - including an aircraft carrier - to the region."For the theft of our Assets…

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has praised the swift actions of the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers and Northern Territory Police following the detection and apprehension of foreign fishers on Groote Eylandt on December 9.It comes amid two other apprehensions in separate operations this month in which authorities seized more than 400kg of sea cucumber, 2,200kg of other catch and assorted fishing equipment.All three vessels have been destroyed, and the ABF has transported…

Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million litres of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday.Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.(Reuters - Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jan Harvey)

A global network of 36 animal welfare and protection organizations around the world has issued an urgent call to the IMO to introduce binding international regulations for livestock carriers, warning that the ageing fleet poses serious and escalating risks to human life, animal welfare, public health, and the marine environment.In an open letter sent to the IMO Secretary-General, the organizations outlined systemic safety failures across the global live export shipping fleet, which is now the oldest of any ocean shipping sector…

The Documentary Committee of BIMCO has adopted a FuelEU Maritime Clause and an ETS Clause for incorporation into Memoranda of Agreements (MoAs) for the sale and purchase of ships.The FuelEU Maritime Regulation and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) impact the sale and purchase of ships, and the clauses have been developed to help provide certainty for both parties during the process.“Regulations such as the FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS are complex and reshape our industry. Therefore, contractual clarity is essential.

In March 2020, Tekarara Kabangaki would receive news that would change the course of her life forever: her husband, Eritara Aati Kaierua, was found dead aboard the fishing vessel he was working on.Now, more than five years on, questions remain concerning his death and the subsequent investigation.Death at Sea is a short documentary film directed by Sara Pipernos (Human Rights at Sea) that chronicles the life and death of Eritara Aati Kaierua through the eyes of the family he left behind.

Discussions on the need to tighten sanctions on Russia, including the possibility of a blanket ban on providing maritime services, should not be at the expense of legitimate businesses in the industry, key EU shipping nations Cyprus and Malta said.The Group of Seven countries and the European Union are in talks to replace a price cap on Russian oil exports with a full maritime services ban in an attempt to reduce the oil revenue that helps finance Russia's war in Ukraine, Reuters exclusively reported on Dec.

Brazil's Federal Audit Court (TCU) on Monday voted six to three to recommend that operators of existing container terminals at the Santos port be barred from participating in the first phase of bidding for a planned mega terminal, citing concerns over market concentration.The decision deals a blow to companies such as Danish shipping group Maersk, MSC and others already operating container terminals in Latin America's largest port, as these companies will only be able to enter a second phase of the auction if the first does not attract valid bids.The two-phase model, proposed by port regulator

Havila Shipping has not had its case upheld in Oslo District Court and will appeal the judgment.In January and March, the company filed a lawsuit against DnB Bank ASA, Danske Bank AS NUF, and Swedbank AB (publ).The banks have maintained that Havila Shipping breached refinancing terms by converting of debt to equity and conducting a bond issue.In a statement, Havila said: “Havila Shipping does not agree with the judgment, and the district court's ruling is not a final decision in the matter.

BIMCO and Hunit have launched a joint pilot project with the aim to reduce risks, cut manual workloads, and modernize the way the maritime industry works with standard contracts.The pilot project will address challenges such as rising operational demands driven by sanctions regimes, increasing safety and emissions requirements, insurer expectations for transparency, and more frequent inspections, to name a few.Today, much of this work to is still managed through PDFs, inboxes…