Germany's maritime dependence. The deputy inspector and commander of the fleet did not hand over a printed report to the German Maritime Institute at the end of the Maritime Convention, but a 5 x 5 centimetre QR code. That is modern, but not yet progress. The Department of Naval Shipping Management under the leadership of Frigate Captain Steffen...
On 20 November, the British Ministry of Defence announced a contract worth GBP 316 million (around EUR 359 million) with MBDA UK. The contract is for the delivery of the DragonFire laser weapon system, which is to be installed on Royal Navy ships in the future. The first actual installation in the fleet is planned from 2027 - initially on a...
In mid-June, the time had finally come: the first National Veterans Day in Germany was celebrated. This was preceded by years of hard work to make "the politicians" realise why we need such a day. Since 2010, there has been a struggle, especially over who is a veteran. The term was defined in 2018 by the then Federal Minister of Defence,...
On 21 December 2025, the US government announced the introduction of a new class of large surface combatants in a press release on navy.mil: the "Trump Class". One day later, in a speech at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump presented the battleship "USS Defiant" (BBG-1) as the type ship of a series of 10-25 units and the centrepiece of a new...
Small museums offer an authentic look at the maritime history of a region. It is not only in Germany that those interested in maritime history will quickly find what they are looking for off the beaten track. Institutions such as the International Maritime Museum Hamburg or the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven attract attention far beyond the circle of people interested in the subject. But there are also...
With the framework agreement signed on 19 December 2025 between TKMS and the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) for the delivery of DM2A5 heavyweight torpedoes, the German Navy is determining the future main armament of its new generation of submarines at an early stage. The decision relates to a key capability of the 212CD class and is also part of...
Venezuela's crude oil exports are coming under pressure after the USA seized the crude oil tanker SKIPPER on 10 December. The seizure netted the United States 1.85 million barrels of oil and a 20-year-old supertanker that has been under arrest since 2022 for alleged involvement in a shadow oil trafficking fleet involving the Islamic State.