This is how oceans move water across the planet! pic.twitter.com/sCIVVZ9cHj
— All day Astronomy (@forallcurious) May 8, 2026
Links :
Sunday, May 17, 2026
How oceans move water across the planet
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Nividic lighthouse
— L'Oeil de Sauron 👁️🗨️ (@Hall_Of_FameX) January 11, 2026
The Nividic lighthouse, built in 1912 off the coast of Brittany, France,
was the world's first automatic lighthouse.
Friday, May 15, 2026
Russia's shadow fleet ships defying PM's threat and entering UK waters
Graphics by Sally Nicholls / Additional reporting by Nicholas Barrett and Yi Ma
Almost 200 so-called Russian "shadow fleet" vessels have entered UK waters since the prime minister threatened to intercept them nearly seven weeks ago, BBC Verify analysis suggests.
In March, Sir Keir Starmer announced that British armed forces "are now able to board sanctioned vessels that are passing through our waters".
However, BBC Verify has identified 184 UK-sanctioned vessels making 238 journeys through UK waters since then and the government has not publicly stated or offered evidence that any have been boarded.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) say it is "disrupting and deterring" shadow fleet vessels, without providing specific details.
One former Royal Navy commander has called the lack of action "pathetic".
Each ship entered the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - an area that reaches up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles; 370km) from the coastline.
Each ship entered the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - an area that reaches up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles; 370km) from the coastline.
Most of the journeys were through the English Channel.
In at least 94 instances, the ship briefly crossed into UK territorial waters - a smaller zone that extends up to 12 nautical miles (14 miles; 23km) from the coast.
BBC Verify understands the UK's interception policy applies to both the UK's territorial waters and the EEZ.
Russia has been operating a "shadow fleet" of tankers with obscure ownership structures to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports.
All 184 UK-sanctioned ships were tracked by BBC Verify using data from MarineTraffic between 25 March and 15:00 BST on 11 May.
In at least 94 instances, the ship briefly crossed into UK territorial waters - a smaller zone that extends up to 12 nautical miles (14 miles; 23km) from the coast.
BBC Verify understands the UK's interception policy applies to both the UK's territorial waters and the EEZ.
Russia has been operating a "shadow fleet" of tankers with obscure ownership structures to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports.
All 184 UK-sanctioned ships were tracked by BBC Verify using data from MarineTraffic between 25 March and 15:00 BST on 11 May.
All of the ships we have identified appear on the Foreign Office sanctions list and are noted for their links to Russia.
The sanctions ban the vessels from entering UK ports and also prohibit British firms and individuals from providing financial, insurance, or brokerage services to ships that supply or deliver Russian oil.
The government has said it is targeting Russia's oil revenues to "choke off funding for Russia's war machine" in Ukraine.
The vast majority of ships tracked were oil tankers (173), 10 were Liquified Natural Gas tankers, while one was listed as a "multipurpose offshore vessel", according to MarineTraffic.
MarineTraffic data is based on ships' onboard tracker systems - known as AIS (Automatic Identification System).
However, these systems can be turned off to conceal a ship's true identity and location.
MarineTraffic data shows many have data gaps west of Scotland and Ireland.
Former Royal Navy warship commander Tom Sharpe told BBC Verify it was "utterly confusing" and "pathetic" that no boardings had been carried out.
"We have the military capability, whether that's warships, boarding teams, Customs and Excise.
"We've got no maritime spine in us. I see it time and time again with the way we operate our warships. We are risk averse, we're poorly coordinated."
One sanctioned oil tanker - Universal - appears to have been escorted by a Russian warship, based on satellite images obtained by BBC Verify.
By matching vessel dimensions and other reports, including one by the Telegraph, experts from the intelligence firm MAIAR concluded the warship was highly likely to be the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich.
Former Royal Navy warship commander Tom Sharpe told BBC Verify it was "utterly confusing" and "pathetic" that no boardings had been carried out.
"We have the military capability, whether that's warships, boarding teams, Customs and Excise.
"We've got no maritime spine in us. I see it time and time again with the way we operate our warships. We are risk averse, we're poorly coordinated."
One sanctioned oil tanker - Universal - appears to have been escorted by a Russian warship, based on satellite images obtained by BBC Verify.
By matching vessel dimensions and other reports, including one by the Telegraph, experts from the intelligence firm MAIAR concluded the warship was highly likely to be the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich.
Ship-tracking data shows the tanker entered UK waters in the early hours of 8 April before transiting the Channel.
Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy at King's College London, said the fact the tanker had been escorted by a warship suggested the UK was "keeping the Russians under pressure".
The Kremlin has criticised the UK's threat to detain Russian vessels calling it "another deeply hostile step directed at Russia" and warned such actions "have consequences".
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy has been monitoring Russian ships in the UK waters
It is possible legal constraints may be preventing the UK from actively boarding and seizing tankers, said James M Turner KC, a shipping lawyer at Quadrant Chambers.
"The position with very few exceptions is that you can't seize vessels that are flying the flag of another country," he told BBC Verify.
Turner explained that if a ship travels through UK waters under a flag it is entitled to fly then there is "very little" a coastal state can do - regardless of whether the vessel has been sanctioned or is carrying sanctioned goods.
"I am wondering how this policy was formulated. It will have been carefully vetted and lawyered but it is incapable of being applied unless a tanker is false-flagged or has no flag.
"This is a case where rhetoric and reality do not coincide".
A "falsely-flagged" ship is one that incorrectly reports it is registered to a certain flag state. This is often used to help conceal the ship's true identity.
The tracking data also reveals several ships - including an oil tanker called the Yi Tong - changing their usual travel pattern.
Yi Tong is registered to a Chinese company called Pacific Shipmanagement based in the eastern province of Shandong.
In 2025, the ship travelled to and from the Port of Ust-Luga in north-west Russia to China via the English Channel.
Last month, however, the Yi Tong took a longer route around Ireland and the north of Scotland - avoiding the Channel and the UK's territorial waters.
The re-routing suggests the UK's policy is having some impact, added Prof Patalano.
"The Russians are probably already thinking how to test the UK more, and we should expect ships taking a longer route bringing some measure of challenge to UK defences and infrastructure."
Longer journeys use additional fuel, making it more costly and time-consuming for those involved in the sale of the ships' cargo.
BBC Verify asked the MoD if the UK's armed forces had intercepted any sanctioned vessels since 25 March.
The MoD did not answer our question directly but said it was "disrupting and deterring" the shadow fleet and more than 700 suspected vessels had been challenged since October 2024.
It added it would not comment on specific operations "as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against these ships".
We went back to the MoD to ask what it meant by "challenging" vessels, but it did not provide us with further details.
Links :
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Iran is using tiny ‘mosquito’ boats to shut down the Strait of Hormuz
Photograph: Morteza Nikoubazl / Nurphoto / Getty Images
From Wired by Vincenzo Leone
Iran’s traditional naval fleet has been almost completely destroyed by US-Israeli raids.
But Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has deployed a fleet of small vessels that is crippling every passageway.
IN THE STRAIT of Hormuz, Iran has developed an asymmetrical naval strategy that is crippling the passage of container ships.
This “hemostat” uses guerrilla tactics, after Iran's “traditional” fleet was almost entirely destroyed by US and Israeli attacks.
No longer able to rely on specialized military ships, Tehran is using an unconventional force made up of dozens of small military vessels armed with missiles, machine guns, and drones.
Quick and nimble, this “mosquito fleet” is capable of assaulting ships carrying tons of cargo.
In mid-April, US president Donald Trump had reassured the public in a post on Truth Social that Iran's hemostat fleet did not pose a major problem for the US and Israel.
“The Iranian Navy lies at the bottom of the sea, completely annihilated: 158 ships,” Trump wrote.
“What we didn't hit are their small numbers of what they call ‘fast attack boats’ because we didn't consider them a big threat.”
Less than 10 days later, on April 22, an Iranian attack conducted with the small vessels led to the seizure of two large container ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz, changing the course of the war.
Enter the Hemostat Fleet
“Iranian fleets of small boats were created during the Iran-Iraq war, with the purpose of disrupting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf that supported the Iraqi war effort,” says Michael Eisenstadt, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where he is director of the Military and Security Studies Program, who compares them to the “US torpedo squadrons that disrupted enemy naval traffic in the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean Sea during World War II.”
“The effectiveness of Iran's fleet of small boats comes from their numbers and their use in swarms, which makes them difficult to counter,” Eisenstadt adds.
“Iran has over a thousand of these small boats armed with rockets, machine guns, anti-ship missiles, and mines.” In this way, Tehran can pose a serious naval threat even though much of its military fleet has been destroyed.
“As Iran showed in March, it can close the straits by launching only a few dozen drones against oil tankers and cargo ships in the Persian Gulf,” says Eisenstadt, who has also worked as an analyst for the US military in addition to a 26-year career in the US Army as a reserve officer, with missions in Iraq and Israel.
Between the number of vessels at its disposal and the thousands of support drones for air operation, Iran possesses “much more than it needs to effectively force the closure of the strait,” Eisenstadt says.
Then there is its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, which allows Iran to systematize its deterrence against the passage of container ships and oil tankers.
“It is therefore important to see the Iranian threat as multidimensional, involving a diverse range of capabilities to exploit its favorable geographic location,” he adds.
Enter the Hemostat Fleet
“Iranian fleets of small boats were created during the Iran-Iraq war, with the purpose of disrupting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf that supported the Iraqi war effort,” says Michael Eisenstadt, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where he is director of the Military and Security Studies Program, who compares them to the “US torpedo squadrons that disrupted enemy naval traffic in the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean Sea during World War II.”
“The effectiveness of Iran's fleet of small boats comes from their numbers and their use in swarms, which makes them difficult to counter,” Eisenstadt adds.
“Iran has over a thousand of these small boats armed with rockets, machine guns, anti-ship missiles, and mines.” In this way, Tehran can pose a serious naval threat even though much of its military fleet has been destroyed.
“As Iran showed in March, it can close the straits by launching only a few dozen drones against oil tankers and cargo ships in the Persian Gulf,” says Eisenstadt, who has also worked as an analyst for the US military in addition to a 26-year career in the US Army as a reserve officer, with missions in Iraq and Israel.
Between the number of vessels at its disposal and the thousands of support drones for air operation, Iran possesses “much more than it needs to effectively force the closure of the strait,” Eisenstadt says.
Then there is its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, which allows Iran to systematize its deterrence against the passage of container ships and oil tankers.
“It is therefore important to see the Iranian threat as multidimensional, involving a diverse range of capabilities to exploit its favorable geographic location,” he adds.
An Islamic Revolution Guards Corps vessel allegedly engaged in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, April 21, 2026.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Meysam Mirzadeh
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Meysam Mirzadeh
A Tactic in the Hands of the Pasdaran
Iran's “conventional” navy is separate from the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, also known as the IRGC or the Pasdaran.
But a parallel chain of command has allowed Tehran to develop a diverse guerrilla doctrine, even in their respective operational areas of responsibility.
The hemostat fleet is used by the Pasdaran.
As the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, explains in a report authored by analyst Can Kasapoglu, “most of the Iranian conventional platforms sunk or put out of commission by allied attacks belonged to … Iran's regular armed forces,” Kasapoglu adds: “In contrast, the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guardians maintain their own asymmetrical naval component, designed specifically for combat operations in the Strait of Hormuz, much of which has remained intact.”
As Eisenstadt explains, “the IRCG navy, which operates in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, is still fully active and has always been the most important organization when it comes to threatening maritime traffic across the Strait.”
In addition to the vessels themselves, Iran has developed a system—from coastal bases and hidden infrastructure to radar and the integration of mines, drones, and civilian vessels—to support them.
“This overall architecture is designed to impose friction and attrition rather than to seek or win a decisive naval engagement,” reads the Hudson Institute report, which details the “maritime component being reinforced with a robotic element consisting of unmanned systems,” and some vessels “configured as explosive-laden suicide crafts.”
Creating further instability is the armaments factor.
Not to be forgotten, Eisenstadt says, “are the cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles that, together with the other assets, create a layered network of systems capable of striking targets throughout the Gulf.”
Iran's “conventional” navy is separate from the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, also known as the IRGC or the Pasdaran.
But a parallel chain of command has allowed Tehran to develop a diverse guerrilla doctrine, even in their respective operational areas of responsibility.
The hemostat fleet is used by the Pasdaran.
As the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, explains in a report authored by analyst Can Kasapoglu, “most of the Iranian conventional platforms sunk or put out of commission by allied attacks belonged to … Iran's regular armed forces,” Kasapoglu adds: “In contrast, the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guardians maintain their own asymmetrical naval component, designed specifically for combat operations in the Strait of Hormuz, much of which has remained intact.”
As Eisenstadt explains, “the IRCG navy, which operates in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, is still fully active and has always been the most important organization when it comes to threatening maritime traffic across the Strait.”
In addition to the vessels themselves, Iran has developed a system—from coastal bases and hidden infrastructure to radar and the integration of mines, drones, and civilian vessels—to support them.
“This overall architecture is designed to impose friction and attrition rather than to seek or win a decisive naval engagement,” reads the Hudson Institute report, which details the “maritime component being reinforced with a robotic element consisting of unmanned systems,” and some vessels “configured as explosive-laden suicide crafts.”
Creating further instability is the armaments factor.
Not to be forgotten, Eisenstadt says, “are the cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles that, together with the other assets, create a layered network of systems capable of striking targets throughout the Gulf.”
Add in Iran's Shahed drones, which can strike ships in the Gulf while supporting the guerrilla operations of the hemostat fleet, as yet another threat in the Strait of Hormuz.
A Revolutionary Guards boat attacks a naval vessel during a three-day naval exercise in the Gulf, April 22, 2010.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Guerrilla Warfare at Sea
Amid the threat of US air raids, “Iran keeps many of these boats in reinforced underground tunnels along the Persian Gulf coast, and these tunnels and the boats inside them will likely prove difficult to destroy,” Eisenstadt says.
Iran's apparent objective in the Strait of Hormuz is to create an increasingly unstable situation.
“Strategically, this approach seeks not control but denial,” reads the Hudson Institute report.
“It complicates access to key waterways, raises the economic and military costs of intervention, and sustains coercive leverage without escalating into full-scale war.”
And there is another problem: These remaining available systems “constitute a military architecture that resists decisive destruction,” the analysis says.
“These assets can be contained, but not fully annihilated.”
Experts say it is difficult to eliminate these boats because you have to find where they are hidden.
“It would require a sustained campaign to destroy this fleet,” Eisenstadt says, adding: “So unless the US is willing to land ground forces to conduct raids inside this complex network of tunnels, I don't think they will be able to destroy these capabilities.”
Links :
“It would require a sustained campaign to destroy this fleet,” Eisenstadt says, adding: “So unless the US is willing to land ground forces to conduct raids inside this complex network of tunnels, I don't think they will be able to destroy these capabilities.”
Links :
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
LR assesses AI navigation technology in live vessel trial with Orca AI
Screenshot from the Orca bridge screenFrom Lloyds Register
The trial assessed the performance of an AI-based navigation platform, focusing on its role in enhancing situational awareness and supporting human decision-making at sea.
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has tested Orca AI's AI-powered navigation system during a live vessel trial.
The assessment focused on how AI-based computer vision can support human decision-making in real operating conditions, particularly in complex navigation scenarios such as congested waters and reduced visibility.
The trial was conducted on a feeder containership during a five-day voyage through some of the Mediterranean’s busiest shipping lanes, from the port of Gioia Tauro in Italy to Marsaxlokk, Malta.
The work tested the system’s object detection performance alongside radar, AIS and visual watchkeeping.
During the voyage, the platform detected close-range and low-signature targets that were not always visible on traditional systems, supporting watchkeepers in challenging scenarios such as non-AIS vessel and small craft encounters and night operations.
LR Ship Performance Specialist Han Beng Koe joined the vessel as the onboard assessor, providing real-time feedback on usability and performance while the system was evaluated against established navigation references.
Koe said: “As the onboard assessor, I observed the demonstrated capabilities of AI-based computer vision within the operational environment.
This provides a clear indication of the performance potential and scalable application of emerging technologies in maritime navigation systems.”
Dipali Kuchekar, Product Manager (Marine and Offshore) at LR, said: “This significant project serves as an important reference point for data-driven system evaluations.
It reflects our shared commitment to the adoption of novel technologies, at a time when decarbonisation and autonomy are becoming increasingly intertwined.”
Dor Raviv, Orca AI CTO and Co-founder, added: “What this trial shows is that AI-assisted navigation is no longer a future concept, it is already delivering measurable value in live operations.
More than 1,200 vessels using Orca AI are evidence that earlier and more accurate detection, lead to more-informed decisions on the bridge, which lead to safer navigation.
Trials like this pave the way for broader AI adoption in our industry on the journey towards autonomous shipping.”
The project combined performance metrics with structured human factors input to evaluate both detection accuracy and usability on the bridge.
It also introduces a structured approach for evaluating enhanced situational awareness systems, using precision and recall metrics alongside crew feedback to reflect real-world usability.
This framework aims to support shipowners, technology developers and regulators as AI becomes increasingly adopted in maritime operations.
The collaboration also included targeted human factors workshops delivered by LR to support Orca AI’s approach to gathering and using crew feedback.
The sessions, overseen by Stephanie McLay, Team Lead - Human Factors, LR, focused on best practice in usability research, helping ensure that insights from seafarers operating in demanding conditions are captured, analysed and acted upon effectively.
“From a human factors perspective, it is not just about what the technology can do.
It is about how effectively it supports the human operator.
These workshops demonstrated how structured feedback and user-centred design can play a critical role in shaping safer and more usable AI-enabled navigation systems,” McLay said.
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has tested Orca AI's AI-powered navigation system during a live vessel trial.
The assessment focused on how AI-based computer vision can support human decision-making in real operating conditions, particularly in complex navigation scenarios such as congested waters and reduced visibility.
The trial was conducted on a feeder containership during a five-day voyage through some of the Mediterranean’s busiest shipping lanes, from the port of Gioia Tauro in Italy to Marsaxlokk, Malta.
The work tested the system’s object detection performance alongside radar, AIS and visual watchkeeping.
During the voyage, the platform detected close-range and low-signature targets that were not always visible on traditional systems, supporting watchkeepers in challenging scenarios such as non-AIS vessel and small craft encounters and night operations.
LR Ship Performance Specialist Han Beng Koe joined the vessel as the onboard assessor, providing real-time feedback on usability and performance while the system was evaluated against established navigation references.
Koe said: “As the onboard assessor, I observed the demonstrated capabilities of AI-based computer vision within the operational environment.
This provides a clear indication of the performance potential and scalable application of emerging technologies in maritime navigation systems.”
Dipali Kuchekar, Product Manager (Marine and Offshore) at LR, said: “This significant project serves as an important reference point for data-driven system evaluations.
It reflects our shared commitment to the adoption of novel technologies, at a time when decarbonisation and autonomy are becoming increasingly intertwined.”
Dor Raviv, Orca AI CTO and Co-founder, added: “What this trial shows is that AI-assisted navigation is no longer a future concept, it is already delivering measurable value in live operations.
More than 1,200 vessels using Orca AI are evidence that earlier and more accurate detection, lead to more-informed decisions on the bridge, which lead to safer navigation.
Trials like this pave the way for broader AI adoption in our industry on the journey towards autonomous shipping.”
The project combined performance metrics with structured human factors input to evaluate both detection accuracy and usability on the bridge.
It also introduces a structured approach for evaluating enhanced situational awareness systems, using precision and recall metrics alongside crew feedback to reflect real-world usability.
This framework aims to support shipowners, technology developers and regulators as AI becomes increasingly adopted in maritime operations.
The collaboration also included targeted human factors workshops delivered by LR to support Orca AI’s approach to gathering and using crew feedback.
The sessions, overseen by Stephanie McLay, Team Lead - Human Factors, LR, focused on best practice in usability research, helping ensure that insights from seafarers operating in demanding conditions are captured, analysed and acted upon effectively.
“From a human factors perspective, it is not just about what the technology can do.
It is about how effectively it supports the human operator.
These workshops demonstrated how structured feedback and user-centred design can play a critical role in shaping safer and more usable AI-enabled navigation systems,” McLay said.
Watch how Orca AI’s AI-based navigation safety platform increases situational awareness of fleets and helps their crews navigate safely in high risk conditions like congested waterways and low visibility
Trial information
The evaluation of the Orca AI platform was conducted on a feeder containership sailing from the port of Gioia Tauro in Italy to Marsaxlokk, Malta, by way of Bar in Montenegro.
Covering a total distance of 828 nautical miles, it included complex navigation scenarios such as congested waters near ports, the Strait of Messina and the Marsaxlokk anchorage, as well as open-water sailing.
Orca AI’s SeaPod computer-vision units, mounted on top of the vessel’s bridge, features a fixed sensor heads equipped with day and thermal cameras providing up to 360 FOV.
The SeaPod serves as digital watchkeeper that detects, classifies and estimates the distance to relevant objects in real time, with the system display positioned centrally in the bridge console.
A total of 98 observations were collected at intervals of roughly 30 minutes in open water, reducing to 5 minutes in heavy-traffic areas.
The majority (63%) were conducted under congested conditions.
The dataset covered 739 relevant targets including small, unlit or low-Radar-signature vessels that traditional Radar failed to identify.
Benchmarking for evaluating detections was provided by ground truth data generated through a combination of the Orca AI system’s screen and recordings, Radar, AIS data via ECDIS and visual observations.
The SeaPod achieved 94% Precision (635 “True Positive” detections out of the 739 targets) and 98.6% Recall, detecting nearly all relevant objects.
There was zero system downtime during the voyage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)