MIW — Marine Intelligence | MIW Consolidated Brief

Start · Issue 30
Deployed vs. Demonstrated
Published 22 July 2026 · Read Issue 30
July 2026
30 Jul – 2 SepIndia / Seafarers
India re-issues its seafarer labour and recruitment rules under the Merchant Shipping Act 2025
The Maritime Labour Rules 2026 (G.S.R. 695(E), 30 July) and the Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Rules 2026 (G.S.R. 777(E), 2 September) replace their 2016 predecessors and took effect on publication in the Gazette.
The first carries India's MLC 2006 duties, including repatriation; the second governs the manning agencies (RPSLs), with a bank guarantee DGMA can invoke to bring abandoned seafarers home.
Why it mattersThe legal base under India's seafarer protections changed while the advisories were making the news.
ENTERED INTO FORCEFollow-up / watch
Source: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways / DGMA [1] [2]
August 2026
Aug–Sep 2026Class / IACS
IACS revises seven Unified Requirements, several directly relevant to machinery, electrical and fire-safety systems
Dated August 2026: F24, F32, M11 (protective devices for starting-air mains) and M12 (fire extinguishing for scavenge manifolds). Dated September 2026: M9 (crankcase explosion relief valves), E5 and F3.
All seven are revisions of existing requirements, each with an implementation date of 1 January 2028.
Why it mattersDesign and class work approaching the 2028 implementation dates needs the revised texts, checked against each UR's own applicability basis.
ADOPTEDTimeline only
Source: ClassNK · IACS via ClassNK [1] [2]
3 AugSafety & Security
Eight shipping associations tell the UN and IMO: no compulsory Hormuz tolls
ASA, BIMCO, CLIA, ECSA, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and WSC wrote jointly to the UN and IMO Secretaries-General, warning that compulsory transit charges, or fees that are a toll in all but name, would depart from established international practice.
Why it mattersIndustry put the freedom-of-navigation principle on record while compulsory transit charges were being contested.
STATEMENT→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: International Chamber of Shipping · Marine Insight (secondary)
3 AugIMO / Regulation
Paris and Tokyo MoUs launch a cargo-securing inspection campaign, active from 1 September
Announced 3 August; campaign active 1 September – 30 November 2026. Port State control officers in both regions apply a cargo-securing questionnaire alongside routine inspections, one CIC inspection per ship per MoU, and outcomes range from a recorded deficiency to detention.
Onboard focus: the approved Cargo Securing Manual and compliance with it, cargo plans reflecting verified gross mass, approved portable securing devices and their condition, and bridge visibility.
Why it mattersThrough September, ships calling in the Paris and Tokyo MoU regions faced targeted cargo-securing checks that could end in detention.
ACTIVE CICTimeline only
Source: Paris MoU [1] [2] · Tokyo MOU
4–12 AugAI & Technology
ShipIn raises $52m on a stated 1,300-vessel base as Stealth Maritime goes fleetwide
ShipIn Systems announced $52m in new financing, with investors including Tokio Marine Future Fund, and says its platform runs across 92 shipowners and more than 1,300 vessels.
On 12 August ShipIn said Stealth Maritime had taken its FleetVision camera analytics from a 12-vessel pilot to nearly its entire fleet of over 50 tankers and gas carriers.
Why it mattersVision AI is being standardised across whole fleets, on adoption figures that so far come only from the vendor.
VENDOR-REPORTEDTimeline only
Source: ShipIn Systems · Smart Maritime Network (secondary) · Hellenic Shipping News (carrying ShipIn release) (secondary)
5 AugIndia / Seafarers
DGMA replaces its Hormuz deployment bar with individual seafarer consent
Circular 47 of 2026 superseded Circular 36 of 15 July. The blanket bar on deploying Indian seafarers through the Strait gave way to each seafarer's individual consent, plus notification of the transit.
MIW analysisThe risk decision moved from the regulator to the individual seafarer and the manning agent.
ISSUED→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), India [1] [2]
11 AugSafety & Security
Houthi missiles kill crew aboard the cargo ship TIHAMAH off Yemen
The small Tanzania-flagged cargo ship was hit off Al Mokha, near Bab el-Mandeb. IMO later counted four seafarers killed; some reports give a higher toll that includes rescuers. The IMO Secretary-General condemned the attack the next day.
Why it mattersThe Red Sea threat to merchant crews was lethal again while attention was on Hormuz.
INCIDENTTimeline only
Source: IMO · UN News (secondary) · ABC (Reuters) (secondary)
17 AugAI & Technology
Singapore's port regulator signs Ocean Infinity to trial autonomous operations in port waters
Opening Singapore Safety@Sea Week, MPA said it had signed an MoU with Ocean Infinity to test, evaluate and validate autonomous and remote marine operations in Singapore port waters, and had brought its IPOC port command system into operation.
A confidential near-miss reporting system, modelled on CHIRP, was launched alongside by the National Maritime Safety at Sea Council and the Singapore Shipping Association.
Why it mattersA major port authority is preparing to oversee autonomy trials in its own waters while the MASS Code is still voluntary.
AGREEDFollow-up / watch
Source: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore · Smart Maritime Network (secondary)
17–24 AugSafety & Security
Somali piracy returns: two hijackings in four days and an IMO call to act
Pirates seized the cargo ship LATUF off Puntland on 17 August and the tanker SEAMULL (also reported as SIBU 1) off Yemen on 20 August. On 24 August the IMO Secretary-General said six vessels and more than 90 seafarers were being held.
Turkish and Somali forces freed LATUF by the end of August.
Why it mattersA second front of seafarer risk reopened in the Gulf of Aden.
ONGOINGFollow-up / watch
Source: IMO · Al Jazeera (secondary)
20–21 AugAI & Technology
ClassNK agrees to verify an AI voyage-optimisation system's emission savings
ClassNK joined Evergreen, Samsung Heavy Industries and Weathernews in an MoU to test SHI's speed-optimisation system on an Evergreen ship, with ClassNK reviewing the verification method and issuing a Statement of Fact.
MIW found no published vessel name, trial dates or results by 30 September.
Why it mattersIt builds the instrument that can check an AI performance claim, rather than making another claim.
AGREED→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: Ship & Bunker (secondary) · Hellenic Shipping News (republishing ClassNK release) (secondary)
23–24 AugSafety & Security
Hormuz: Iran blacklists 46 ships; Washington warns that dealing with its toll authority risks sanctions
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) published a list of 46 ships it said had breached its transit rules, warning of fines, detention or seizure. The next day OFAC warned that engaging with the PGSA or its insurance arms risks US sanctions even when no payment is made.
Why it mattersOwners and managers faced potentially conflicting Iranian demands and US sanctions exposure.
ISSUEDFollow-up / watch
Source: US Treasury OFAC · Newsweek (secondary) · Lloyd's List Intelligence (secondary)
25 AugAI & Technology
Eastern Pacific scales Orca AI navigation to dozens more ships
After a five-ship pilot covering more than 130,000 nautical miles, Orca AI announced the fleet rollout and reported 48% fewer close-encounter events per 1,000 nm.
The figures are the operator's and vendor's own; no independent verifier is named.
Why it mattersFleet-scale AI deployment arrived before independent proof of its safety effect.
VENDOR-REPORTED→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: Orca AI
28 AugIndia / Seafarers
DGMA ties Indian crew deployment on foreign ships to recognised P&I cover
Order 22 of 2026 lets manning agencies place Indian seafarers on foreign-flag ships only with International Group P&I cover or a DGMA-approved insurer. Otherwise the agency must insure each seafarer for at least ₹1 crore, or sign them off and repatriate them. It took effect immediately.
MIW analysisIndia is using its manning agencies to push abandonment risk back onto shipowners' insurers.
ENTERED INTO FORCEFollow-up / watch
Source: Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), India [1] [2]
September 2026
1 SepIMO / Regulation
NOx Technical Code amendments for modified engines enter into force
Resolution MEPC.398(83), adopted in April 2025, amends the NOx Technical Code 2008 on certifying an engine that undergoes a substantial modification, or is certified to a Tier it was not certified to at installation.
Why it mattersEngine conversions and Tier re-certification now follow the amended procedure.
ENTERED INTO FORCETimeline only
Source: IMO · The Deep Draft (secondary)
1–4 SepIMO / Regulation
Net-Zero working group ends without agreed text; guidelines deferred
ISWG-GHG 22 did not agree revised MARPOL Annex VI text, and it deferred every implementation-guideline document, and the life-cycle assessment item, to ISWG-GHG 23 in late November.
IMO says the adjourned extraordinary session resumes on 4 December, subject to discussions at MEPC 85.
Why it mattersThe Net-Zero Framework remains unadopted, and the rules needed to operate it are not yet written.
DEFERRED→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: IMO · All About Shipping (secondary) · gCaptain (secondary)
4 SepIndia / Seafarers
India launches daily position tracking for its seafarers in high-risk areas
Circular 56 of 2026 launched a Seafarer Tracking Module, in beta, on the e-NAVIK portal. Manning agencies and owners must record vessel, crew, daily position and sign-on/off data for ships with Indian crew in listed high-risk areas, foreign-flag ships included.
Why it mattersJurisdiction is following the seafarer rather than the flag.
LAUNCHED→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), India · Maritime Gateway (secondary)
14–18 SepIMO / Regulation
IMO CCC 12 finalises methanol-fuel guidelines and starts on onboard carbon capture
The sub-committee finalised revised interim guidelines for ships using methyl or ethyl alcohol as fuel, and a performance standard for lashing software, both expected to go to MSC 113 for approval in June 2027. It also began interim safety guidelines for onboard carbon capture and storage.
Why it mattersMethanol-fuelled ships get a firmer safety baseline, and carbon capture enters IMO's safety agenda.
AGREEDTimeline only
Source: DNV · Lloyd's Register
16 SepSafety & Security
IMO: 80 verified attacks on ships around Hormuz, at least 22 seafarers killed
Addressing CCC 12 on 16 September, the IMO Secretary-General said 80 attacks on merchant ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz had been verified since 28 February, with at least 22 seafarers killed, and that conflicts were being used as a pretext to attack merchant vessels.
Why it mattersThe human toll, counted by IMO, became the measure of the crisis.
ISSUED→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: IMO
16–18 SepAI & Technology
Autonomous navigation moves into newbuild specifications
CIDO Shipping will fit Avikus's HiNAS Control system to 20 LNG dual-fuel car carriers being built in China, with deliveries from 2027. At Gastech, HD Hyundai Samho, Avikus and ClassNK signed an MoU towards a ClassNK autonomous-navigation notation for an LNG carrier.
Why it mattersAutonomy is being specified at fleet scale while the IMO MASS Code is still voluntary.
VENDOR-REPORTEDFollow-up / watch
Source: Smart Maritime Network (secondary) · The Maritime Executive (secondary) · All About Shipping (secondary)
17 SepDecarbonisation
NYK and partners report the first ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering to an ammonia-fuelled vessel
At JMU's Ariake yard, ammonia was transferred from the carrier Shoei Maru to an ammonia-fuelled medium gas carrier due for delivery in November. NYK and its partners call it a world first; it was carried out at a shipyard quay, before delivery.
Why it mattersAmmonia bunkering has now been demonstrated ship-to-ship, not only from port to ship.
TRIALTimeline only
Source: NYK Line
22 SepIMO / Regulation
US President criticises the IMO Net-Zero Framework at the UN General Assembly
In his General Assembly address, President Trump said his administration had intervened to stop the IMO from establishing a global carbon tax, which he said would raise shipping costs by 10 to 20%.
Why it mattersThe Framework goes into the 4 December session with the US President's public criticism on record.
STATEMENTFollow-up / watch
Source: Roll Call Factba.se (secondary) · gCaptain (secondary)
23–29 SepSafety & Security
Hormuz attacks continue: CAPE DAO hit; four further tanker strikes reported
CAPE DAO, struck by a projectile off Musandam on 23 September with one crew member killed in the engine-room fire, is confirmed in IMO's incident register. Trade reports then described four further tanker strikes on 28–29 September; these had not yet appeared in IMO's confirmed register at the brief's cutoff.
Why it mattersThe period closes with merchant ships still being attacked in and around the Strait.
ONGOINGFollow-up / watch
Source: IMO · Middle East Monitor (secondary) · Riviera Maritime Media (secondary)
30 SepDecarbonisation
EU ETS: deadline to surrender allowances for 70% of 2025 shipping emissions
By 30 September, shipping companies had to surrender allowances covering 70% of their reported 2025 CO₂ emissions. The next surrender, by 30 September 2027, covers 100% of 2026 emissions, with methane and nitrous oxide in scope.
Why it mattersThe next surrender widens to the full share and two more gases, and the monitoring for it is happening on board now.
DEADLINE→ Deep analysis in Issue 31 · 7 Oct
Source: European Commission DG CLIMA [1] [2]
Next · Issue 31
Scale Before Proof
Planned 7 October 2026 · In preparation

What happened between Issue 30 and Issue 31

India re-issues its seafarer labour and recruitment rules under the Merchant Shipping Act 2025

IACS revises seven Unified Requirements, several directly relevant to machinery, electrical and fire-safety systems

Eight shipping associations tell the UN and IMO: no compulsory Hormuz tolls

Paris and Tokyo MoUs launch a cargo-securing inspection campaign, active from 1 September

ShipIn raises $52m on a stated 1,300-vessel base as Stealth Maritime goes fleetwide

DGMA replaces its Hormuz deployment bar with individual seafarer consent

Houthi missiles kill crew aboard the cargo ship TIHAMAH off Yemen

Singapore's port regulator signs Ocean Infinity to trial autonomous operations in port waters

Somali piracy returns: two hijackings in four days and an IMO call to act

ClassNK agrees to verify an AI voyage-optimisation system's emission savings

Hormuz: Iran blacklists 46 ships; Washington warns that dealing with its toll authority risks sanctions

Eastern Pacific scales Orca AI navigation to dozens more ships

DGMA ties Indian crew deployment on foreign ships to recognised P&I cover

NOx Technical Code amendments for modified engines enter into force

Net-Zero working group ends without agreed text; guidelines deferred

India launches daily position tracking for its seafarers in high-risk areas

IMO CCC 12 finalises methanol-fuel guidelines and starts on onboard carbon capture

IMO: 80 verified attacks on ships around Hormuz, at least 22 seafarers killed

Autonomous navigation moves into newbuild specifications

NYK and partners report the first ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering to an ammonia-fuelled vessel

US President criticises the IMO Net-Zero Framework at the UN General Assembly

Hormuz attacks continue: CAPE DAO hit; four further tanker strikes reported

EU ETS: deadline to surrender allowances for 70% of 2025 shipping emissions

What changed in 70 days?

How this brief was built