False Flags and Fraudulent Registries: The Hidden Threat to Global Shipping
At a Glance The Surge in False Flags False flagging has shifted from a niche compliance issue to a systemic risk in global shipping. As sanctions enforcement expands, an increasing number of vessels are operating without legitimate nationality while continuing to trade internationally. Rather than sailing under recognized flag states, many tankers now claim registration…
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Maritime Compliance in 2026: Why Behavioral Risk Is the New Red Flag
At a Glance Strikes, Seizures, and Sanctions: Maritime Risk Heats Up in 2026 In early 2026, maritime enforcement crossed a threshold. Under Operation Southern Spear, the U.S. has launched a sustained campaign of global interdictions, extending far beyond Venezuela’s proximate waters and targeting tankers for deceptive shipping practices and sanctions evasion. U.S. forces recently seized…
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Maritime Defense Weekly: Tanker Seizures and Drone Attacks Escalate Maritime Risk
The Week in Focus Black Sea: Commercial Tankers Under Fire On January 13, multiple Greek-managed commercial tankers – Delta Harmony, Matilda, Freud, and Delta Supreme – were struck by drone attacks while positioned in the Black Sea near the CPC export terminal at Novorossiysk, where Kazakh crude is loaded for export. These strikes occurred as…
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What U.S. Maritime Enforcement Is Up Against in 2026: An Exclusive Interview with Blas Nuñez-Neto
Key Takeaways An Expert Perspective on Maritime Enforcement in 2026 By any traditional measure, maritime enforcement should be getting easier. There is more data than ever before – we have more sensors, more satellites, and more visibility across the world’s oceans. Yet for agencies tasked with protecting borders, enforcing sanctions, and interdicting illicit trade, the…
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