The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star returned to her home port of Seattle last week, wrapping up her annual deployment to Antarctica. This year was special, for in addition to supporting the resupply mission and scientific research, the vessel marked 50 years in service. Through extensive overhauls and regular maintenance, she continues to play a critical role as the U.S.’s only heavy icebreaker and must remain active until at least 2030, when the first of the new vessels is now scheduled for delivery.

Polar Star departed Seattle on November 20 and returned to Seattle on April 13. It was a 146-day Antarctic deployment that saw her travel more than 20,000 nautical miles. She makes stops in New Zealand en route, and this year she spent a total of 62 days in Antarctic waters. Polar Star conducted multiple mission sets before departing the Antarctic region on March 8.

One of her key roles is supporting Operation Deep Freeze, the annual resupply missions to the U.S.’s McMurdo Station. This year, she was called on to establish a seven-mile-long channel through fast ice up to eight feet thick and escorted a fuel tanker and container vessel through the ice in McMurdo Sound as part of the resupply mission. Polar Star also escorted a tug with the 330-foot-long NSF…

Read more…

The post Coast Guard’s Heavy Icebreaker Returns from Antarctica, Marking 50 Years appeared first on Cidny Gate.

President Donald Trump has given the Iranian government until Monday evening to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which he has said that the U.S. does not need. If Iran does not do so, Trump said, the U.S. will destroy Iran’s electrical power plants. The threat is unlikely to affect the choices of Iran’s new hardline leadership, multiple analysts assess.

For its part, Iran claims that the Strait is already open – for the right ships. A trickle of tonnage is getting past, according to tracking services, most of it using an Iranian-controlled lane past Qeshm and Larak. Iranian state media claims that negotiations are under way with multiple nations on the terms of passage, including India and China. Iran’s own tankers continue to load and transit, facilitated by the U.S. decision to allow free passage for Iranian vessels and (as of Friday) to lift sanctions on Iranian oil.

Iran’s Kharg Island as seen **today** by the @CopernicusEU Sentinel-2 satellite.

Iran is loading multiple tankers, exporting oil and making $$$ — now, with the help of the White House.

The idea that Trump admin is using Iranian oil barrels against Iran is simply ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/nHsH21QD6w

— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) March 22, 2026

Iran has refused to comply with Trump’s 48-hour…

Read more…

The post Little Change at Strait of Hormuz After Trump’s 48-Hour Threat appeared first on Cidny Gate.

Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia highlighted the announcement by the government’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, and Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, as the finalization of a large contract to build the country’s new Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels. It was expecting to sign the contract, valued at approximately A$4 billion (US$2.8 billion), later on Friday while highlighting it was the second major contract for the company under its Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement (SSA) with Australia. 

The Australian Government confirmed the selection of Damen’s Landing Ship Transport 100 (LST100) as its preferred design for the Australian Defence Force’s Landing Craft Heavy project in November 2024, with the vessels to be built by Austal. The design calls for an approximately 100-meter (330-foot) long vessel with approximately 3,900 to 4,000 tonnes displacement. It will have a capacity for over 200 soldiers, plus six Abrams tanks or nine Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

Construction of the Landing Craft Heavy vessels will be undertaken using Austal facilities and the Common User Facility at Henderson in Western Australia. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2026, with the eighth and final vessel scheduled for…

Read more…

The post Austal Finalizes Large Contract to Build Australia’s Landing Craft Heavy appeared first on Cidny Gate.

After agreeing to limit and then relocate cruise ships out of the center of the Dutch city, members of Amsterdam’s coalition government, including the mayor and some aldermen, are now saying it would be more cost-effective to simply eliminate cruise ships. On Wednesday, January 21, they floated a plan to phase out all port calls by ocean-going cruise ships by 2035, while maintaining a smaller number of river cruise ship calls.

Concerns about pollution and overtourism have been growing in Amsterdam for nearly a decade. Cruise ships have typically berthed in the heart of the city, and as pointed out by industry officials, that makes them a more prominent target for critics. The environmental activists and now alderman in the coalition government are saying large cruise ships are highly polluting, emitting large amounts of CO2, particulate matter, and nitrogen. Of course, this ignores the EU’s low-sulfur fuel regulations and the cruise industry’s wide adoption of emission scrubbers even before the EU regulations mandating the use of shore power starting in 2030, at the EU’s main ports.

The move to ban cruise ships in Amsterdam gained momentum in 2023 and 2024, leading to a proposed solution. The agreement had called for limiting cruise ships starting in 2026…

Read more…

The post Amsterdam Government Calls for Banning Ocean Cruise Ships by 2035 appeared first on Cidny Gate.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Unit and Special Operations Forces revealed the latest round of drone strikes on Russia’s oil operations. The Defense Intelligence Unit also confirmed the obvious that Ukraine has intensified its assault on the oil sector to cut off badly needed revenues for Russia.

On the night of December 22, the Defense Intelligence Unit confirmed strikes on the strategic port of Taman, which lies off the Kerch Strait on the peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is a critical transshipment port for Russia used to maintain operations in oil, products, liquified gas, ammonia fertilizer, grains, and other cargoes.

The DIU said the attack was staged with drones targeting the Taman transshipment complex operated by Tamanneftegaz. While claiming to have destroyed 23 drones over the Black Sea, Russian officials also confirmed fires at the port complex.

Ukraine’s GenStaff confirmed the attack on the oil terminal:

“It is known that a pipeline, 2 piers, and 2 vessels were damaged, and that a fire broke out over an area of more than 1,000 m², with at least one vessel affected by the blaze.”https://t.co/Eelrhq7VXh

????Supernova+ pic.twitter.com/SFoNPPr08X

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 22, 2025

The…

Read more…

The post Ukraine Intensifies Strikes on Oil Operations in Black Sea and Caspian appeared first on Cidny Gate.

[By: Kongsberg Maritime]

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a significant contract with Turkish shipbuilder and leading tugboat operator Med Marine to supply US series azimuth thrusters and a combination of electric and hydraulic towing winches for nine new tug designs. The agreement includes Med Marine’s new ‘VoltRA’ all-electric tug, which will be built at the company’s Eregli Shipyard, renowned for its modern infrastructure and craftsmanship.

The new contract covers the supply of eight shipsets of Kongsberg Maritime’s high-performance US255 azimuth thrusters for Med Marine’s RAmparts 2500-W and RAstar 3200-W tug designs. The pioneering ‘VoltRA’ electric tug will be powered by Kongsberg Maritime’s US205 azimuth thruster. The project further strengthens Med Marine’s position as one of the most experienced builders of technologically advanced tugboats serving global operators.

The scope of supply also includes five shipsets of Kongsberg Maritime’s newly launched electric towing winches and four shipsets of hydraulic winches. Introduced earlier this year specifically for the tug market, the new electric winches have been engineered to meet the demanding operational requirements of next-generation electric tug operations. Powered by frequency…

Read more…

The post Kongsberg Maritime to Power Med Marine’s Next-Generation Tugs appeared first on Cidny Gate.

It began simply enough with the police in Western Australia rescuing three men from the ocean, but in the end, they were sentenced to a total of nearly 30 years as drug smugglers. The police had been suspicious, but the story unraveled when packets of cocaine began washing ashore, and the police found a luxury boat wrecked and washed ashore.

In early February 2023, Western Australia Police Force officers rescued three men (now ages 38, 47, and 51) from the ocean off Albany, which is located in Western Australia’s Great Southern region. They were found clinging to a cooler and told the police their vessel had capsized during a fishing trip.

The police were suspicious and alerted the Australian Border Force, and the whole story began to unravel almost a week later. The accounts supplied by the three men appeared inconsistent, but then a plastic-wrapped package containing multiple smaller packages of cocaine washed ashore near Denmark, about 34 miles west of Albany. The following day, a 23-foot sports cruiser named Aces and Eights was found overturned and wrecked off Peaceful Bay, about 30 miles west of Denmark.

The police gained a warrant and searched the cruiser. There, they discovered 273 packages containing about 274 kilograms of what was confirmed to be…

Read more…

The post Men Rescued From Ocean by Police End Up in Jail Charged as Drug Smugglers appeared first on Cidny Gate.

Skilled mariners are the backbone of the merchant fleet, and they work tirelessly to keep commerce moving smoothly. But their skills don't simply appear. Years of sea time and high-quality training are essential to building talent. The top-paying jobs in shipping require intensive study early on and throughout the mariner's career.

That means maritime training academies are a vital element in the success of the industry. Based on shipping's vastly-improved safety record, it's clear that rigorous STCW training and simulation are saving lives, cargo and money.

HIGH-TECH EDUCATION

Technology plays an important role in modern maritime education, making it both more accessible and more realistic. Online learning helps ratings and deck officers improve their skills and complete coursework at a distance, even while under way. Digital simulation gives cadets, mariners and pilots a way to push the limits of their skills under pressure without exposing them to real-world risk.

Solent University's Warsash Maritime School in Southampton recognized the benefits of high-tech training early on and has been at the forefront for years.

"We pioneered the use of bridge, engine room and liquid cargo operations simulators," says Susie Smith, Warsash's Marketing Manager. "Our…

Read more…

The post Leading the Way appeared first on Cidny Gate.

In the past decade, the scourge of IUU (illegal, unregulated and unreported) fishing in West Africa has grown into a billion-dollar trade, leaving local livelihoods in peril. Poor fisheries governance has seen industrial trawlers encroach in areas designated for artisanal fishermen, which has become a major threat for small pelagic fish. In Ghana for instance, IUU fishing has been estimated to cost the country between $14.4 million and $23.7 million annually. In 2021, the European Union issued a yellow card to Ghana, a warning that the country could lose access to the lucrative European seafood market unless IUU fishing is tackled.

It is in this context that Ghana last week adopted a new fisheries and aquaculture law. The legislation was passed by the parliament in July and was signed into law by President John Dramani Mahama on August 19.

Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture said that the landmark law is part of a wider government effort to avoid sanctions in key global seafood markets. “The law is crucial in maintaining Ghana’s access to global markets, where seafood has become one of the country’s fastest-growing non-traditional exports,” noted the Ministry. Recent data from the Ministry indicate that Ghana’s seafood exports have reached…

Read more…

The post Ghana Adopts a New Fisheries Law to Curb IUU Fishing appeared first on Cidny Gate.

Iran and Russia have concluded a short naval exercise in the Caspian Sea, which both nations may have regarded as an opportunity to shore up relationships in a region where both have recently lost friends. Iran, in particular, felt let down by the lack of Russian support during the 12-Day War with Israel – she received some support from China, but none from Russia. Iran is also at present highly nervous about porous border security, and wants to demonstrate heft in this area.

CASAREX 2025 commenced on July 21 and concluded two days later, under the direction of Commodore Mohsen Razzaghi. He announced via IRNA that the Nedaja, the IRGC Navy (Nedsa), and Iranian law enforcement forces would take part, alongside vessels from the Russian Navy. Observers would also participate from the three other Caspian Sea littoral nations – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. 

In a video released by IRNA, the only evidence seen of Russian involvement has been the presence of the civilian rescue tug SB 738 (MMSI: 273544130). Nedaja vessels participating (at least in the end of the exercise parade) were Sina Class fast attack craft Paykan (P224), Joshan (P225), Derfash, and Separ (P234). Also present was…

Read more…

The post Weakened Iran Clings to Russia in the Caspian Sea appeared first on Cidny Gate.