As the European Commission (EC) mulls the options for the European Union’s (EU) 20th sanctions package against Russia, the Foreign Ministers of Sweden and Finland have written a joint letter to Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the EC for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling for a maritime services ban ‘on any ship transporting Russian carbon-based energy resources (oil, gas, or coal) from Russian ports.’ The letter, dated 12 January, outlines three proposals for the next sanctions packages and it encourages the EC to seek coordination on any such measures with G7 countries. Its authors – Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer […]

Class society RINA and Hamburg Port Consulting (HPC) have been awarded a five-year contract for the latest phase of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) project, Promoting Green Ports and Connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region. In a statement issued yesterday (12 January), RINA said that the Office of the Co‑ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) launched the green ports project to help a number of ports in the Caspian and Black Sea ‘manage rising transit demand while enhancing sustainability’.   The ports include Baku in Azerbaijan, Aktau and Kuryk in Kazakhstan, Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, […]

The 132 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia reported to ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia) ISC from January to December 2025 marked a 23% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase. Of the total, which features in ReCAAP’s annual report, published on Friday (9 January), 127 were actual incidents and five were attempted incidents. Last year’s total also represents the highest number of incidents recorded in the Straits of Malacca (SOMS) and Singapore since 2007. Nevertheless, ReCAAP highlighted that approximately 87% of the incidents in the SOMS in 2025 occurred in […]