The Economist

Keeping tabs on China’s murky maritime manoeuvres

America and its allies are using whizzy new tools to track China’s military activity and illegal fishing. IN JANUARY 2021 a fleet of Chinese fishing vessels approached the coast of Oman, apparently searching for squid. According to the ships’ automatic identification transponders, they stayed just outside Oman’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which grants it control of fishing rights up to 200..

Stay on Top of Global Maritime Issues

China does not have it all its way in the South China Sea

Disputes in the South China Sea go back decades. They involve Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, all with contesting claims.

Libya’s presidential election was meant to unite the country

For weekend relief in war-torn Libya, there is little better entertainment than cheering the Arabian steeds at the racetrack in Tripoli, the capital. The competitors can be a stubborn bunch. It often..

Why the Suez Canal and other choke-points face growing pressure

APOLOGIES DO NOT come much bigger. This week Shoei Kisen Kaisha, a Japanese firm, issued a grovelling press release after its ship, the Ever Given, became wedged in the Suez Canal. High winds..

Why some ships vanish before unloading in the Middle East

On a radar map, the northern mouth of the Suez canal resembles a Bermuda Triangle-sur-Mer: ships have a habit of disappearing. So it was with the Emerald, an oil tanker which went through the canal..