Remember “no blood for oil”? Decades ago, the slogan emblematized opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Its logic subsequently shifted as the United States experienced a gas and oil revolution thanks to fracking.
It has cycled back into relevance following the Trump administration’s invasion of Venezuela and the seizure of its oil, which, despite its carnivalesque tone, left at least 80 people dead. The Iran war has now ...
Category: Maritime
Chinese Ship Among First to Transit Strait of Hormuz as Iran ‘Regulates’ Traffic
A Chinese-linked cargo vessel was among the first commercial ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday after days of disruption linked to the Iran conflict, highlighting how tightly traffic through the critical oil chokepoint is now being controlled. Passage ...
China’s COSCO Shipping Suspends Operations at Panama’s Balboa Port, La Prensa Says
China's COSCO Shipping has suspended operations at Balboa port, which is located at the entrance to the Panama Canal, according to local newspaper La Prensa, which published a notice to clients from the shipping and logistics conglomerate. Balboa is one of the ...
Ships Claim China Links to Avoid Attacks in Strait of Hormuz
Commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz are increasingly altering their ship-tracking signals to claim links to China, hoping to avoid being targeted amid escalating attacks tied to the Iran conflict. The tactic reflects the perception among shipping crews that vessels ...
Ships Brandish China-Links to Weave Through Strait of Hormuz
Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analyzed by AFP. Iran has ...
Philippine Resupply Mission Data Leaked to Chinese Intelligence, Security Official Says
By Karen Lema A spokesman for the National Security Council (NSC) of the Philippines on Thursday said some information on the country's resupply missions in the South China Sea was compromised and passed on to Chinese intelligence agents. His ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Myth and Misperception: Can Vietnam’s Naval Bases Check Chinese Maritime Assertiveness?
In this edition of M&M, I want to analyze the role of Vietnam’s naval bases in checking China’s maritime assertiveness. This is an important factor to consider because Vietnam enjoys some of the world’s best natural deep-water harbors. Two of them, Da Nang and Cam Ranh, directly ...
China’s COSCO Orders Gulf-Bound Ships to ‘Safe Waters’
Chinese shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) ordered ships in or bound for the Gulf to seek "safe waters," as traffic in the vital waterway is impeded in the aftermath of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The state-owned, Shanghai-based firm is ...
‘Welcome to CHINA’ Greets Philippine Officials on Trip to Disputed South China Sea
By Karen Lema As the Philippine Coast Guard plane descended toward the country's most strategically important outpost in the disputed South China Sea, passengers' phones lit up with a roaming alert: "Welcome to CHINA." Among those on board were ...
Philippine Senator Calls out China in Visit to Disputed Island
By Jam Sta Rosa A Philippine senator called for deepening defense relationships and "continuous" pushback against China's claims in the South China Sea while visiting one of Manila's tiny possessions in the disputed waterway on Saturday.
Australian Warship Transits Taiwan Strait, Tracked by China’s Navy
An Australian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a government source said on Sunday, in the latest transit of the sensitive waterway by a U.S. ally that Chinese state-backed media said was tracked and monitored by the nation's military. In addition ...
Japan Seizes Chinese Fishing Vessel, Arrests Captain
By Hiroshi Hiyama Japanese authorities seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its skipper, authorities said Friday, in a move likely to further heighten tensions with Beijing. In November, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enraged China ...
China Conducts Naval, Air Patrols Around Disputed South China Sea
China conducted naval and air patrols in the South China Sea from Monday to Friday, the China Southern Theater Command said in a statement on Saturday. "In an attempt to stir up troubles in the South China Sea, the Philippine side roped in countries outside the region and ...