A a Special Purpose Vehicle to be established to facilitate payments related to Iran’s exports and imports.
https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/261377/eu-china-and-russia-to-keep-trade-relations-with-iran/
Russia
Poland to build Baltic Sea canal to bypass Russia
Poland wants to build a canal through a narrow strip of land that blocks the Vistula Lagoon on the north-east coast from the Baltic Sea. The president of Poland’s ruling party noted the canal will be built through a split of land near the Russian border.
Currently, Polish ships leaving from the port of Elblag have to pass through Russian waters to get to the open sea. The canal will show the Russians the days they dictated to Poland are over, Jaroslaw Kaczynski said.
Earlier this month Russia...
https://safety4sea.com/poland-to-build-baltic-sea-canal-to-bypass-russia/
Report to Congress on Armed Conflict in Syria
The following is the Sept. 21, 2018 Congressional Research Service report, Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response.
From the report
The Syria conflict, now in its eighth year, remains a significant policy challenge for the United States. U.S. policy toward Syria in the past several years has given highest priority to counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL/ISIS), but also has included nonlethal assistance to opposition-held communities, support...
Report to Congress on U.S.-Turkey Relations
The following is the Aug. 31, 2018 Congressional Research Service report Turkey: Background and U.S. Relations.
From the report
Turkey, a NATO ally since 1952, significantly affects a number of key U.S. national security issues in the Middle East and Europe. U.S.-Turkey relations have worsened throughout this decade over several matters, including Syria’s civil war, Turkey-Israel tensions, Turkey-Russia cooperation, and various Turkish domestic developments. The United States and NATO have...
https://news.usni.org/2018/09/20/report-congress-u-s-turkey-relations-2
China Sent Uninvited Spy Ship to Russian Vostok 2018 Exercise Alongside Troops, Tanks
An undated photo of Dongdiao-class auxiliary general intelligence (AGI) Tianwangxing (852).
Russia recently concluded the 2018 edition of the massive Vostok exercise series that included Chinese forces for the first time. At Moscow’s invitation, Beijing sent People’s Liberation Army soldiers, helicopters, tanks – and one uninvited Chinese surveillance ship.
A PLA Navy Dongdiao-class auxiliary general intelligence (AGI) shadowed Russian Navy assets for the length of the at-sea portion of the...
Panel: Trade Tensions May Complicate Delicate Security Environment in Indo-Pacific
Washington’s simmering trade war with and tariffs against China are creating some unintended consequences for the U.S. military and its relationships with partners in the Pacific, a panel said today.
Speaking Thursday at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., Yuki Tatsumi, co-director of the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center, said President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum and threats to impose them on automobiles have made Japan and China “kind of strange...
Maersk Container Ship Embarks on Historic Arctic Transit
Danish company Maersk, the world’s largest operator of container shipping, is about to send the first-ever container ship through the Arctic along Russia’s Northern Sea Route. While the route has seen rising traffic to transport oil and natural gas in recent years, the voyage of the Venta Maersk, a medium-sized container ship capable of carrying nearly 3,600 containers, will be an industry first.
A Maersk representative involved in the project who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed...
http://www.highnorthnews.com/maersk-container-ship-embarks-on-historic-arctic-transit/
IMO Approves New Shipping Corridors in Bering Sea to Improve Safety
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), part of the United Nations, approved a joint proposal by the United States and Russia to establish two-way shipping lanes across the Bering Sea and into the Arctic Ocean late last week. The newly adopted measure, bound to come into effect on Dec 1, specifies six two-way routes and six areas of precaution and aims to improve safety of navigation and reduce the risk of incidents and collisions.
While the use of these shipping lanes is voluntary, the...
http://www.highnorthnews.com/imo-approves-new-shipping-corridors-in-bering-sea-to-improve-safety/
Shipping Traffic in Canadian Arctic Nearly Triples
A new study on shipping in Canada’s Arctic has found that traffic in the region almost tripled between 1990-2015.
The researchers found that the annual distance traveled by all vessels grew from around 350,000 kilometers to over 900,000 kilometers with the majority of growth occurring over the past decade.
Cargo ships as well as government vessels, including icebreakers, account for the largest share of traffic while pleasure craft, primarily private yachts, represent the fastest growing type...
http://www.highnorthnews.com/shipping-traffic-in-canadian-arctic-nearly-triples/
US and Russia propose two-way shipping routes in Bering Sea
The United States and Russia jointly propose a routing system for vessels passing through the Bering Strait and Bering Sea. The scheme aims to organize and direct ships along fixed corridors passing through these Arctic waters and thus reduce the risk of collisions.
The proposal comes in the form of a document jointly submitted to the International Maritime Organization suggesting the establishment of six recommendatory two-way routes and six precautionary areas in the Bering Sea and Bering...
http://www.highnorthnews.com/us-and-russia-propose-two-way-shipping-routes-in-bering-sea/