Topic
Regulation
Every Vessel Hunter story on Regulation: 28 stories, from 1 July 2026 to 9 October 2026. Newest: "Estonia drops €10m-a-year ferry aid as Tallink warns ships may leave the flag". Each story links to the ships and ports it names, so a name in the text opens the record behind it.
Estonia drops €10m-a-year ferry aid as Tallink warns ships may leave the flag
Estonia has removed nearly €10m a year in passenger shipping aid from its 2027-2030 budget plans. Tallink says reflagging has become more likely.
Eighteen Maritime States Warn the Global Shipping Rulebook Is Breaking Down
The Consultative Shipping Group, whose members carry more than a fifth of global trade by tonnage, warns that fragmenting rules and a growing shadow fleet are creating a two-tier maritime system.
Maritime Briefing of 27 September 2026
Hapag-Lloyd and FIMI revise the Zim Israel plan, the capesize Cape Falcon is refloated off Gladstone, the Netherlands dates its scrubber ban and MSC's Medlog enters Kazakhstan.
Netherlands to enforce scrubber washwater ban in ports from 1 July 2030
Open-loop scrubber washwater may no longer be discharged in Dutch ports and inland waters from 1 July 2030, the Dutch infrastructure minister has told parliament.
Emirates Shipping Line stops carrying plastic waste from October
Emirates Shipping Line will stop accepting bookings for plastic waste under HS code 3915 from 1 October, becoming the second ocean carrier to apply a blanket ban.
Industry and unions split over Indian yards on EU recycling list
Steel producers, unions and NGOs have asked the European Commission not to admit two Alang yards to the European List, while shipping bodies are lobbying ministers to approve them.
House Votes to Strip Two California Maritime Emissions Rules
The House has passed two Congressional Review Act resolutions overturning California's at-berth shore power rule and its commercial harbour craft rule, sending both to the Senate.
Gottlieb Detained at Brake Over Steering Gear and Hidden Engines
German authorities detained the Barbados-flagged cargo ship Gottlieb at Brake after a pilot reported failing steering gear, and found three auxiliary diesels missing from her certificates.
One in Ten Container Inspections Found Deficiencies in 2025
Deficiencies turned up in 9,645 of 93,079 container inspections filed for 2025, a rate of 10.36 percent, and only seven of the IMO's 170-plus member states reported at all.
Hapag-Lloyd Gets 30 Days to Rework Its Zim Acquisition
Israeli authorities have given Hapag-Lloyd 30 more days to restructure its $4.2bn acquisition of Zim around the state's golden share, with revised terms due by the end of September.
Container Ship Fires Rise 20% as Lithium Cargo Slips Through SP188
A new study puts the rise in ship fires at 20% year on year and a major container ship fire at one every 17 days, and points at Special Provision 188 as the gap through which lithium cells travel unseen.
Hapag-Lloyd Gets 30 Days to Rework Its Zim Bid for Israeli Approval
Israeli authorities have given Hapag-Lloyd a 30-day extension to restructure its proposed acquisition of Zim, with six of eight ministries reported to have been set to oppose the deal.
Panama Canal Postpones Neopanamax Draft Cut for a Second Time
The Panama Canal Authority has again deferred a planned reduction in Neopanamax draft, holding the maximum at 14.63 metres as Gatun Lake levels stay steady.
IMO Ends Another Net-Zero Session Divided, With Three Meetings Left in 2026
The IMO's latest working group closed after four days without a finalised text, deferring the lifecycle framework and pushing key decisions to a run of sessions in late November and early December.
MARAD Cuts Its Title XI Application Fee by 80% in a First Overhaul Since 1978
The US Maritime Administration has cut the application fee for its federal vessel and shipyard financing programme to $1,000 and replaced the investigation fee with a commitment fee.
Zim Lifts Q2 Revenue to $1.8bn as Hapag Merger Meets Regulators
Zim reported $1.8 billion in second-quarter revenue, up nine percent, but its shares fell four percent after Brazil's competition authority opened a full review of the $4.2 billion Hapag-Lloyd merger.
Singapore To Require All New Harbour Craft To Be Electric From 2030
All new harbour craft entering service in the Port of Singapore must be fully electric from 2030, with existing large craft judged ready for biofuel.
UK Brings Shipping Into Its Emissions Trading Scheme With No Phase-In
The United Kingdom has brought shipping into its Emissions Trading Scheme with no phase-in, and OOCL has responded with a surcharge effective 1 September.
UK carbon market extends to shipping from today
The UK has extended its emissions trading scheme to domestic shipping, bringing cargo and passenger vessels of 5,000 gt and above into the carbon market and adding to operators' compliance burden.
IMO Completes First Global Audit Cycle Of Its Member States
The International Maritime Organization has completed its first full member state audit cycle, assessing 168 states on how effectively they implement its regulations.
Washington moves to ease Arctic offshore drilling rules
The United States Department of the Interior has proposed a rule making what it calls targeted updates to the regulations governing exploratory oil and gas drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf.
Petrobras strikes deal with regulator to bring 335 offshore wells into line
Petrobras has agreed with Brazil's oil regulator to adapt 335 abandoned offshore wells to safety and environmental rules, paying R$300m and taking until 2030 to comply.
US regulator warns on China's detention of Panama-flagged ships
A US maritime regulator has renewed warnings over China's detentions of Panama-flagged vessels, raising the prospect of measures against Chinese-controlled carriers in US trades.
US weighs offshore platforms as launch pads for space missions
A US ocean-energy agency is canvassing industry on whether offshore platforms could host space launches and re-entries, potentially giving disused rigs a second life.
Somalia joins 15 maritime conventions
Somalia has acceded to 15 international maritime conventions in a push to tighten its legal framework across ship safety, navigation, pollution response and maritime security.
Landlocked Kyrgyzstan readies ship registry
Landlocked Kyrgyzstan has passed its first Merchant Shipping Code, paving the way for a national ship registry and a Kyrgyz-flagged fleet registered in Bishkek.
California prepares legal challenge over offshore wind buybacks
California is preparing to sue the Trump administration over the federal buyback of offshore wind leases, including the Golden State Wind project, warning it threatens the state's 25GW target.
Carbon pricing is becoming a compliance maze
Overlapping carbon schemes — EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and the IMO framework — risk duplicated reporting and double charging for shipowners. EmissionLink's Philippos Ioulianou on navigating the maze.
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