Charlie B

@CopernicusEU Thx @StarboardIntel

26 MAY 2026 @CopernicusEU #Sentinel2 🛰️📷 South of Sri Lanka. Two formations of 🇨🇳 fishing vessels spotted sailing east, back to China. Just a few of a huge number of Chinese fishing vessels on their way back home after massive, industrial scale fishing in the Western Indian Ocean. Many are OFAC Sanctioned in accordance with Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world. home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel… @nilanthis @ChongJaIan @GordianKnotRay @SeaLightFound @JeffreyOrdaniel @SkylightMarine @GlobalFishWatch

JSDF has finally released the report on the activities by the PLA-N aircraft carrier Liaoning's group: mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p2…. ■Vessels: 1. Kuznetsov-class (Type 001) aircraft carrier Liaoning (辽宁) (16) 2. Renhai-class (Type 055) destroyer Wuxi (无锡) (104) 3. Luyang III-class (Type 052D) destroyer Kaifeng (开封) (124) 4. Jiangkai III-class (Type 054B) frigate Luohe (漯河) (545) 5. Fuyu-class (Type 901) fast combat support ship Hulunhu (呼伦湖) (901) ■Translation: At around noon on Monday, May 25, 2026, the JMSDF confirmed that a total of five PLAN vessels — the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Liaoning (hull number “16”), a Renhai-class guided missile destroyer (hull number “104”), a Luyang III-class guided missile destroyer (hull number “124”), a Jiangkai III-class frigate (hull number “545”), and a Fuyu-class fast combat support ship (hull number “901”) — were sailing in waters approximately 880 km southwest of Okinotorishima (Tokyo Metropolis). In addition, on Tuesday, May 26, carrier-borne fighter aircraft and carrier-borne helicopters were confirmed taking off from and landing on the aircraft carrier Liaoning. Among these vessels, the Jiangkai III-class frigate (hull number “545”) and the Fuyu-class fast combat support ship (hull number “901”) are the same vessels that transited southeastward through the waters between Okinawa Main Island and Miyako Island (Okinawa Prefecture) on Tuesday, May 19. The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces conducted warning and surveillance as well as information gathering using the JMSDF vessel Asahi, assigned to Escort Division 5 and based in Sasebo.

The shipping industry is confronting a sobering reality: safe passage through Hormuz no longer exists, and resilience alone won’t bring it back lloydslist.com/LL1157273/Horm…

From the Quad Statement, 26 MAY 2026: "Developments in key maritime regions have underscored the vulnerability of critical sea lanes and the risks posed to the uninterrupted flow of commerce. These challenges carry significant implications for the Indo-Pacific, which remains central to global trade and connectivity. Disruptions to maritime transport and supply chains have far-reaching consequences for global fuel, food and fertilizer security as well as the safety of seafarers." ➡️ Understatement of the year. @mercoglianos @graham_euan mofa.go.jp/files/10103433…

🇨🇳 PLAN new Type 076 LHA: "from keel-laying to launch in 15 months" @cdrsalamander @mercoglianos @brentdsadler @johnkonrad

.@SecRubio on the Quad: Each of these four nations represented here today bring unique capabilities that collectively we can bring to bear on some of the most significant problems facing the world. Full remarks: state.gov/releases/offic…

Quad Joint statement out:

Late observation: 20 MAY 2026 @CopernicusEU #Sentinel2 🛰️📷 18.7830, 127.6452 in the Philippine Sea Likely the 🇨🇳PLA Navy Aircraft Carrier #Liaoning #CV16 @d_viekass @MT_Anderson @tom_bike @songs349 @PLATracker @detresfa_ @AaronMatthew_L @SeaLightFound @GordianKnotRay @CollinSLKoh

25 MAY 2026 @CopernicusEU #Sentinel2 🛰️📷 Clear day of Persian Gulf 😎 There are 1024 vessels detected in this image. 173 correlate to an AIS MMSI 257 vessels detected are over 150m in length. 31 correlate to an AIS MMSI GPS jamming in the Gulf is so extensive that AIS correlation alone is often ineffective. I can’t quantify the false positives and false negatives with confidence. That's nearly impossible. This is why satellite imagery is essential to validate AIS data and conduct actual vessel identification. And why experienced human analysts still matter. Even better if you have a team. Get more info in the @UANI Iran War Shipping Updates, here: unitedagainstnucleariran.com/blog @JemimaShelley @TankerTrackers @mercoglianos

All gave some, some gave all. On this #MemorialDay2026, we remember and pay tribute to those who gave all, including the estimated 8,421 merchant mariners who lost their lives in WWII. Some sources have that number much higher, #Freedom #sacrifice #Honor #USA #InPeaceAndWar #MerchantMarine #WeDeliver #mariner #WW2 #WWII #Arlington

The Miyako Strait, aka Kerama Gap, again. It will be unpleasant here, in the event of conflict. @songs349 @TaiwanMonitor @brentdsadler @mercoglianos @cdrsalamander @graham_euan

some more info on "Capt" Kumar aka Scammer Suniel who overseas a plethora of fraudulent ship registries for any regulators who follow me, especially as the EU puts together its 21st package. you'll find him here: linkedin.com/in/suniel-sk-6… or here linkedin.com/in/capt-suniel… (he pays a premium for one of his LinkedIn profiles so that should make tracking him down easy). He appears to employ a brother (or perhaps this is a fake profile) in India. linkedin.com/in/sandeepkuma…

Happy 76th anniversary to the U.S. Maritime Administration. 76 years ago today, MARAD was established to promote and develop America's merchant marine. From investing in our maritime workforce to maintaining readiness for national defense, MARAD's mission remains as critical today as it was in 1950. The Navy League is proud to stand alongside MARAD in strengthening our nation's maritime enterprise. #MARAD #MaritimeAdministration #NavyLeague #MerchantMarine

found this in my drafts, and will now post. "Capt" Suniel Kumar who I've tracked since 2022 as the scammer behind all those fraudulent registries including Guyana and Eswatini might have gone as dark as a falsely flagged Iranian tanker trying to escape the US blockade. Undeterred by his notoriety and feature in the FT as the scam "Captain of Convenience", I've discovered he's opened up a fraudulent seafarer scam academy Mekong Maritime, mekongmarine.com back in October!!!!! included is a page where he posts photographs of his "training ships". a simple Google reverse image search revealed them to be retouched photos of others' vessels. Since I drafted this post he's closed down the site. But maritime journalists please write this up this fresh scam and regulators please place him on your sanctions lists so at least it makes it harder for him to do his banking. He needs to be stopped!!

🇮🇩🇺🇸 President Prabowo accepts a U.S. offer for Indonesia to become a C-130 Hercules MRO hub in Asia. The hub will be located at Kertajati/West Java International Airport Via @kompascom nasional.kompas.com/read/2026/05/2…

#SeaPlanes 🤩🤩🤩🤩 Oh wait, that 🇨🇳PLA's awesome looking seaplane, perfect for use in the South China Sea, if you were intent on protecting distributed forces spread across small islands and atolls. @cdrsalamander @BDHerzinger @AaronMatthew_L

US Secretary of State Rubio calls on PM Modi

Russia’s shadow fleet is not only a sanctions-evasion network —it presents a sustained hybrid war threat at sea. ACLED maps underwater infrastructure damage, drone activities, vessel seizures & Russian naval counter-moves in the Baltic and North Sea.🔗acleddata.com/report/russias…

New, unique addition to my #EnigmaticSmiles of Asian Diplomacy. The Putin-XJP collection is comprised of many excellent pieces, but this fourth-wall-breaking example is exceptional, and of the highest potential value for the most discerning collectors. @IanJStorey