Pacific Islands

Baltic Sea cable breaches: suspects plead not guilt to sabotage

On Monday, the trial in Helsinki began. The captain and two other officers of an oil-tanker accused of cutting five underwater power and communications cables as they left Russia to sail through the Gulf of Finland pleaded no contest. NATO allies stationed in the Baltic Sea region went on alert following the incident of December 25, one of many suspicious outages of gas and cable pipelines in the area since Russia invaded Ukraine, in February 2022. The Eagle S tanker, according to the prosecution, deliberately dragged the anchor along the seabed in order to cut the Estlink 2 cable connecting
Transportation

Finland to try suspects of Baltic Sea cable breaches for sabotage
YLE in Finland reports that a tanker captain who is accused of cutting a cable along the Baltic Sea says he's 'innocent.'

In an interview on Thursday with Finland's national broadcaster, the Georgian captain who was in charge of a tanker that caused damage to undersea cables at the Baltic Sea late in 2024 denied all wrongdoing and called the incident "a maritime accident". Next Monday, the captain Davit Vadatchkoria along with the first and second officers of Eagle S Oil Tanker will be charged in Helsinki over the cutting of power cables and telecommunications lines last December when they dragged the vessel's moorings some 90 km (56miles) down the Gulf of Finland while it was heading west from a Russian port.
Logistics

US Air Force suspends SpaceX project on Pacific atoll report says
China shows Pacific nations its coast guard capabilities, and moves towards patrolling the high seas

Pacific Islands officials have said that China has taken further steps to board fishing boats on the high seas for the first times in the Pacific. This could cause tensions with Taiwanese and U.S. Coast Guard ships who ply this region. Last week, the Chinese Coast Guard showed Pacific Island Ministers the capabilities of its largest ship, which is used to enforce maritime laws in the Taiwan Strait. According to documents and interviews conducted with Pacific fisheries officials, the Chinese Coast Guard is also actively engaged in discussions on high seas boarding rules. Fisheries officials predicted that China would soon
Transport Infrastructure

Panama removes more than 650 vessels from its registry amid sanctions and stricter rules

Panama's Maritime Authority said that it has removed more than 650 ships from its registry since 2019, as part of a campaign to comply with U.S. sanction and enforce stricter regulations for the vessels it flags. The authority said that since last year, 214 ships have been removed from Panama's register, which is among the largest in the world with over 8,500 vessels. Once removed from the registry, ships cannot sail under Panamanian flag. Panama has responded to criticism from non-governmental group United Against Nuclear Iran. UANI, which said last week that Panama had taken insufficient action against sanction violations
Chinese workers in BYD Brazil factory signed contracts with violent clauses, private investigators say

Transport Infrastructure

China's Xi backs Fijian PM's Pacific strategy ahead of regional meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping told going to Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka he backed his Ocean of Peace plan during a conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese state media reported, days ahead of a summit for Pacific Island leaders in Tonga. China likewise vowed to step up its trade ties with the archipelagic state, which wishes to upgrade its ports and ship structure, roads, and sewage facilities, but can only do so through protecting much better terms for its farming and fisheries exporters owing to deep debts. China values Prime Minister Rabuka's vision for an Ocean of Peace and is...