Maritimes Crimes

Western Mediterranean: what we actually know about the Ursa Major sinking The sinking of the Russian heavy-lift cargo ship Ursa Major in the western Mediterranean on 23–24 December 2024 became …

The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Persian Gulf represents a significant reinforcement of U.S. maritime security capabilities in one of the world’s most strategic maritime corridors. Operating …

Portuguese authorities have carried out a record narco-submarine cocaine seizure in the Atlantic Ocean, intercepting a semi-submersible vessel approximately 230 nautical miles (426 km) from the Azores. Nearly nine tonnes …

On 22 January 2026, a flag state control operation was conducted by the French Navy in the western Mediterranean Sea. French naval units intervened in the Alboran Sea to inspect …

Mediterranean Sea: flag state control on tanker GRINCH On 22 January 2026, a flag state control operation was conducted by the French Navy in the western Mediterranean Sea. French naval …

On 17 January 2026, the United Nations High Seas Treaty—formally the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (often called the …

French naval forces have seized 4.87 tonnes of cocaine aboard a fishing vessel intercepted in the maritime zone of French Polynesia. The operation, conducted on 16 January, is one of …

A China-led drill at a strategic maritime crossroads South Africa came under diplomatic pressure following the BRICS+ naval exercise “Will for Peace 2026”, which was held off its southern coastline …

Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), working with Spain’s Tax Agency and other partners, say they have dismantled a drug-smuggling network that used teams of strong swimmers to place cocaine into …

The sea is a violent place for soft-bodied life. A jellyfish may be sliced by a fish bite, torn by turbulence, or shredded by contact with hard structures yet still …

The U.S. boarding and seizure of the tanker Marinera previously known as Bella 1 on 7 January 2026 in the North Atlantic was not a routine sanctions enforcement action. It …

Hardly any war has ever been fought exclusively with regular soldiers. Over the past decade, Russia’s state-sponsored irregular armed groups and private military/security companies (PMSCs) have expanded the repertoire of …

The European Commission has opened a call for evidence and public consultation to update the EU Arctic policy, inviting input from governments and stakeholders across the Arctic ecosystem. According to …

Taiwan Strait: Chinese military drills simulate port blockade China launched Mission Justice 2025, a large-scale military exercise, on 29 December, conducting live-fire drills simulating a blockade of Taiwan’s main ports. …

North Korea is accelerating its nuclear submarine program as regional tensions rise in East Asia. On December 24, Kim Jong-un visited an undisclosed shipyard where a nuclear-powered submarine is under …

France has denied reports that it might renounce sovereignty over the uninhabited volcanic islets of Matthew and Hunter in the southern Pacific, a long‑running dispute with Vanuatu that resurfaced in …

Europe: France launches next-generation aircraft carrier program The launch of the French next-generation aircraft carrier program marks a major step for naval power projection in France. Announced on 21 December …

US tanker interception off Venezuela The Caribbean Sea is once again at the centre of rising tensions as the United States intercepted a tanker off Venezuela, citing counter-narcotics operations. According …

France steward of the world’s second largest maritime space is consolidating how seabed mineral resources are mapped, regulated and taxed across its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. The …

Introduction Hardly any war has ever been fought exclusively with regular soldiers. Over the past decade, Russia’s state‑sponsored irregular armed groups and private military/security companies (PMSCs) have expanded the repertoire …

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 …