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Russia Struggles to Salvage its Mediterranean Investment   Russia is facing increasing difficulties in recovering its position in the Mediterranean and the Levant, following the overthrow by President Bashar Al Assad in Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). As was predictable, Russian claims to be negotiating a continuance of its basing in Syria with its…

Ex-USMC Pilot Faces Criminal Charges for Training Chinese Naval Aviators   A former Marine Corps jump-jet pilot who gave up his U.S. citizenship faces extradition to the United States, where he will answer charges that he trained Chinese military pilots how to take off and land from an aircraft carrier. He leaves behind a wife…

One Killed in Violent Boat Explosion in Fort Lauderdale   On Monday evening, a small passenger vessel exploded and burned alongside the pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, killing one and injuring five.  Just before 1800 hours, a blast rocked the quay at Lauderdale Marina, a dealership and fuel dock just north of Port Everglades. A…

Greek Companies and Tanker Engineers Pay U.S. Over $4.5M in MARPOL Fines   The owner and operator of a Greek product tanker along with two engineers working on the vessel have each pleaded guilty in the latest U.S. Coast Guard MARPOL violation case. The fines totaled more than $4.5 million for offenses including discharging oily…

Another Later-Stage Development U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Shelved Vineyard Wind, an affiliate of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, confirmed in a brief statement that it is shelving the proposed Vineyard Wind 2 project in response to Connecticut’s decision not to proceed in awarding wind projects after the recent New England tri-state solicitation. The project had been selected…

EU Approves “Exceptional” $4B Subsidy for German LNG Import Terminals   The EU Commission has approved a request from the German government to spend $4.2 billion on state subsidies for four floating terminals that import LNG, supporting Northern Europe’s urgent transition away from Russian pipeline gas supplies. State subsidies are restricted under EU competition rules, but…

Jackup Rig Collapses off Trinidad, Leaving One Worker Missing   On Sunday, a jackup rig partially collapsed off the coast of Trinidad, injuring one worker and leaving one missing.  At about 0300 hours on Sunday morning, the Rig 110 was conducting drilling at a site at the Heritage Offshore East Field when part of the…

Container Feeder Hits Product Tanker and Sinks Off Kupang   On Sunday morning, a small container feeder hit a product tanker at an anchorage off Kupang, Timor, then sank due to the resulting hull damage. At about 0230 hours on Sunday, the KSOP guard station at Kupang received notice that the feeder Kuala Mas had…

Norway’s Belships Agrees to Buyout by US-Based Investment Manager EnTrust   Norway’s Belships, a large operator of dry bulk and majority holder of Norwegian Bulk Carriers, agreed last week to the terms for a buyout offer from U.S.-based investment manager EnTrust Global. The board of Belships highlights its goal as an investment company was to…

Edison Chouest Completes Sale of Icebreaker Aiviq to the U.S. Coast Guard   Edison Chouest has finalized the long-discussed sale of the icebreaker Aiviq to the U.S. Coast Guard, completing a transaction that began eight years ago.  Despite its early opposition to buying a commercial icebreaker for government missions, the USCG budgeted for Aiviq’s purchase…

Shanghai Exceeds 50 Million TEU for the First Time   Chinese officials reported that the Shanghai Port complex reached 50 million TEU for the first time on December 22. They said the port would exceed the 50 million TEU mark as it continues its position as the world’s busiest seaport for the 15th consecutive year.…