New GPS Jamming Hotspot Seen at Third Russian Oil Export Port
Windward has detected extensive GPS jamming in a new location at the eastern Russian port of Nakhodka, leading to a 30% rise in deliberate interference to ships’ navigation signals across the region over August. Between August 5-18 the Automatic Identification Signals (AIS) of 112 ships were transmitted on land at Nadhodkta port, the first time...
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Navigating the New Sanctions Reality: OFAC’s 2025 Maritime Advisory & EU’s 18th Sanctions Package
April and July 2025 brought two of the most consequential regulatory shifts in recent maritime history. First, OFAC’s latest maritime advisory redefines compliance expectations for U.S.-linked stakeholders. Then, the EU’s 18th sanctions package recalibrated oil trade flows and expanded enforcement well beyond Europe’s borders, including new restrictions on Russian-origin oil products refined in third countries....
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Sanctioned, Stateless and Falsely Flagged Tankers Test Europe’s Resolve
The dangers arising from falsely flagged, stateless and lawless ships sailing through European and UK territorial waters is something the region’s governments grapple with daily. Sanctioned tankers using fraudulent registries such as Malawi, Eswatini and Benin are navigating the Danish Strait and English Channel every day, violating international laws and posing clear risks to maritime...
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Panama Blocks Older Tankers and Bulk Carriers in Dark Fleet Crackdown
The Panama Maritime Authority’s announcement that it will no longer flag bulk carriers and tankers over 15 years old is set to reshape global flag registration. The world’s second-largest flag registry said the policy aims to prevent vessels from the so-called “ghost fleet” registering under the Panamanian flag. This is the second market-moving policy in...
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The Epicenter of Maritime Lawlessness on Asia’s Doorstep
For the past five years the waters off eastern Malaysia near the Riau archipelago have been used by ‘dark fleet’ tankers as a hub for floating storage and ship-to-ship transfers of Western-sanctioned oil. The area is strategically convenient, serving as a mid-way point between Iran, Russia or Venezuela and China, the biggest buyer of crude,...
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