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International Maritime Organisation needs better governance, NGO says.

Welfare organisation, SRI says that reduced budgets for search and rescue missions could have massive implications for ship masters

MSC is grateful to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for presenting it with the highest award of any shipping line participating in a vessel speed-reduction programme organised by to protect whales.

Calls for urgent action to reduce ship greenhouse gas emissions have been met with heavy push-back by many states and big industry groups meeting at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). A group of Pacific Island and mainly European states clashed repeatedly with those saying that decisions on immediate measures should await the final iteration of the IMO's comprehensive GHG strategy in 2023, rather than be part of the "initial" strategy in 2018. Green groups Seas At Risk and Transport & Environment, which are members of the Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC), said the most obvious immediate measure is to regulate ship speed, with the feasibility and effectiveness of slow steaming having been proven during the recession.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has urged liners navigating through the Somali coast to continue with counter piracy measures despite a reduction of incidents.

At a webinar held on the 24 February 2021, the IMRF launched its Pandemic Response Guidance Manual. The manual has been produced with support from Lloyd's Register Foundation.

Team of researchers from Germany and China unveils how the organisation of global maritime transport networks impacts economy by using methods from brain network analysis.

Seamounts are prominent features of the seafloor that are often located in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJs). Whilst comprehensive biological information is lacking on most of these features, they have been recognised for hosting high biodiversity across multiple trophic levels. Technological advancements have enabled greater exploitation of biological resources further offshore with increasing concern over the long-term impacts of anthropogenic activities on vulnerable distant and deep-sea habitats. Analysis of ex situ vessel tracking technologies such as Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) have enabled spatial patterns of fishing activity to be monitored over large geographical areas. In this study, analysis of fishing activity within 30 km of seamount summits at the global scale found that these features within the waters of the Pacific Island Group and the Mediterranean Sea were subject to the highest levels of longlining and trawling activities respectively. Fishing in proximity to seamounts is dominated by the flag states of Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea and Spain. Furthermore, our results reveal that the majority of sea areas managed by many Regional Fishery Management Organisations (RFMOs) have experienced increased fishing activity at seamounts compared to areas in the same ocean basin without management. This study demonstrates how free web-accessible data can be used to gain insights into remote areas where in situ research is prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging.

Biofouling in the marine environment refers to an unwanted build-up of marine organisms on subsea surfaces including harbor docks, hulls of ships and offshore installations. The first stage of marine fouling occurs as a microbial biofilm which forms via the aggregation of bacterial, algal, and fungal cells. This biofilm provides a favorable substrate for the larval settlement of larger organisms such as mussels, barnacles and hard corals which accumulate to uncontrollable extents, causing issues for the maritime industries. Since the ban of tributyltin (TBT) in 2008 by the International Maritime Organisation, alternative antifouling agents have been used such as algaecides and copper-based coatings. Recent studies are showing that these can accumulate in the marine environment and have toxic effects against non-target species. Marine microbes and invertebrates are known to be prolific producers of bioactive molecules, including antifouling active compounds. These compounds are often produced by marine organisms as a means of chemical defense to deter predators and prevent fouling of their own surfaces, making them a promising source of new antifouling agents. This article discusses the effects of biofouling on the maritime industries, the environmental dangers of currently used antifouling compounds and why natural products from marine organisms could be a source of environmentally friendly antifouling agents.

The National Crime Agency has renewed an appeal to the UK maritime industry to beware of organised crime groups targeting them to obtain small boats for people smugglers.

Criminal networks misappropriating containers reference codes to smuggle hundreds of tonnes of drugs and illegal goods into the EU.

Marine firms call for new fuel efficiency standards;

IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), meeting at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 91st session from 26 to 30 November 2012, agreed that rules to require passenger safety drills to take place prior to, or immediately upon, departure should be made mandatory, in the wake of the Costa Concordia incident.

Asia's sea pirates target treasure of marine fuel.

BREAKING: IMO agrees 0.5% sulphur cap to come into force from 2020.

Italy Rescues 4,500 Migrants in Mediterranean in one day.

Italy Rescues 4,500 Migrants in Mediterranean in one day.

Shipping cash may help fund climate: draft.