The crude oil tanker "Koala" (Suezmax, 164,000 DWT), loaded with around 130,000 tonnes of heavy oil, has partially sunk after an explosion on board in the important Russian Baltic Sea oil port of Ust-Luga. This was reported by Russian media in February. The 24 crew members were evacuated unharmed. The tanker partially sank to the bottom due to a water ingress in the engine room. A...
Stirring debate on the threat on NATO's eastern flank The GIDS (German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies) hosted a livestream on YouTube, as we announced yesterday on marineforum.online/ (GIDS live: Threat on NATO's eastern flank). The topic "NATO's eastern flank: How great is the threat of war?" not only attracted around 250 guests...
Live stream on 4 March 2025 from 6.30 pm on YouTube The GIDS (German Institute for Strategic Studies) invites you to the #GIDSdebate. The topic of the evening is "NATO's eastern flank: How great is the threat of war?". On Tuesday, 4 March 2025, 6.30 pm via livestream. The #GIDSdebate is fully booked, there are only...
Cause for concern, but please no hysteria - another explanatory piece The inspector of the navy, Vice Admiral Jan C. Kaack, told the capital's press at the "Navy Talks" that there were suspected cases of sabotage on navy ships. He indicated that there had been damage to a boat during a shipyard visit,...
Russian oil tankers are coming under increasing pressure due to the latest sanctions imposed by the USA, EU and the UK. Panama and Barbados have already cancelled several ships from their flag registers. The current sanctions against Russian oil tankers mean that many ships have to look for a new flag state. The sanctions are putting increasing pressure on Moscow's shipping network. After...
At the beginning of the war against Ukraine, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation had six conventional submarines of the Varshavyanka class (Project 636.3, Improved Kilo). Two boats ("Novorossiysk", "Krasnodar") were transferred to the Mediterranean before the start of the war and have not yet been able to return to the Black Sea, while "Rostov-on-Don" was lost in Sevastopol in September 2023 by...
The damage is critical! Not only an allegedly lost anchor, but also espionage intent likely On 25 December 2024 at around 13:00 local time, Estlink 2, a power link between Finland and Estonia, was destroyed. Estlink has a capacity of 650 MW and was built to protect the Baltic states from Russian...
The 15th sanctions package against Russia was adopted by the Council of Foreign Ministers on 16 December 2024. Key elements of the package include further action against the Russian shadow fleet, the inclusion of numerous individuals and entities with links to the Russian military-industrial complex and the improvement of the legal protection of EU central depositories. It includes...
On 18 October 2024, the Russian training ship "Smolny" returned to Kronstadt from a training voyage lasting almost four months. The voyage, which began on 27 June, took the "Smolny" to Havana, Cuba (27 July), La Guaira/Caracas, Venezuela (7 August), Cape Town, South Africa (29 August), Walvis Bay, Namibia (7 September), Luanda, Angola (10 September), Douala,...
China and Russia are at the forefront of maritime aggression worldwide. Germany's interests are also affected. Shipping and geopolitics have always been intertwined. Based on this insight, leading representatives from politics and the maritime industry used unusually clear words to focus the attention of the latest SMM on social defence, resilience and...
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