Thursday, March 27, 2025

Designs for CO2 Carrier and Floating Storage Using Elevated Pressure

LCO12 FLSU — A key part of the plan is the floating storage unit that would coordinate with the Elevated Pressure vessels (NYK)

Knutsen NYK Carbon Carriers, a subsidiary of NYK and Knutsen Group reports it is moving forward in the development of its concepts for the transport and storage of carbon as part of the emerging CCUS (Carbon capture, utilization, and storage) sector. The company obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for the design of liquified CO2 carriers as well as the floating liquified storage facility that would work in conjunction with the vessels.

While CCSU is expected to play a role in achieving carbon neutrality, the companies highlight that significant challenges remain to develop large-scale operations and lower the costs associated with the process. They highlight the issues that need to be addressed in developing the operations, including reducing overall costs and securing land for liquefaction and storage facilities.

The joint venture company was launched by Knutsen and NYK in January 2022 focusing on the commercial development of a liquefied CO2 marine transportation and storage business. To address the challenges, they are focusing on using the elevated pressure (EP) method to store and transport liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) at ambient temperature. Coupled with the vessels is the terminal concept with the companies saying by utilizing an FLSU (Floating Liquefied Storage Unit), the cost of CO2 liquefaction and the land area required onshore in the CCUS value chain can be reduced, expanding the possibilities for realizing CCUS.

ClassNK has carried out a design review of the ship which would use LCO2-EP Cargo Tank technology developed by Knutsen to transport LCO2 in a stable state. Since there is no need to cool LCO2 to cryogenic temperatures, Knutsen says it is easy to handle and potentially reduces energy and costs during liquefaction. It reports the LCO2-EP Cargo Tank has been developed to transport LCO2 at ambient temperatures and elevated pressures (0 to 10 degC / 34 to 45 barG). The companies reporting in December 2024 that the construction studies had started for the vessel.

NYK and KNCC also worked with ENEOS Xplora in developing the FLSU concept that combines the LCO2-EP Cargo Tank technology with the Isenthalpic Expansion Cooling & Liquefaction Process. According to the companies, this process has been researched and developed in collaboration among the three companies while ClassNK issued an AiP following a review.

They call the FLSU a pioneering concept explaining that it liquefies and temporarily stores CO2 that has been collected and transported as gas in an onshore facility making it ready for further transport by LCO2 carrier. By utilizing the features of the EP method, which has the potential to reduce the energy required for liquefaction, and adopting the process, which is expected to be simpler and more compact than conventional cooling methods, it has become possible to install a liquefaction plant on a floating structure.

Development of the concepts comes as the first commercial CO2 transport and storage operations, Northern Lights a joint venture between Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies is set to start operations this summer. It has taken delivery of two dedicated LCO2 carriers and today, March 27, reported it has also decided to proceed with an expansion raising capacity from 1.5 million to a minimum of 5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Other projects are moving forward with both the UK and Denmark reporting a strong response to their offering potential storage sights. Royal Wandborg also reports it has reached a milestone in the construction of its EasyMax CO2 carrier as the hull sections are being assembled. It will be the first CO2 carrier built in Europe to serve the growing potential market.

The Maritime Hacking Village: Cyber Hacking for the Maritime Community

It is time to get serious about hacking — and engaging the hacker community — as a pathway to a stronger maritime environment. All of us in the maritime industry appreciate our respective nation's reliance upon the maritime transportation system (MTS) for our very way of life. We all know the numbers: In the U.S., the MTS reportedly makes a $5.4 trillion contribution to the economy, representing about 25% of the U.S. gross domestic product and supporting 30 million jobs. Nearly 80% of global trade and nearly two-thirds of the world's total petroleum and other liquid energy supply is carried by ship. Overall, approximately 90% of any nation's imports/exports move by sea. Most global supply chains are existentially dependent upon maritime shipping.

Simultaneously, the maritime shipping industry is well aware that nations can and do use the seas as a means for statecraft. Nations rely upon the global economic supply chains, as a tool for influence, not to mention the more direct hard power projection capacity of naval forces. All these interactions have generated the normative quasi-legal landscape of the maritime domain upon which we conduct business.

From a cybersecurity perspective, the MTS is a target-rich environment, filled with an ever-increasing number of poorly understood — and, often, unanticipated — attack surfaces. The ongoing digital transformation driving autonomous, smart, and sustainable shipping, and further increasing the efficiency of the MTS, provides myriad cyber attack vectors. The connection of ships to the Internet via satellite communication, ship-to-shore communication required by fleet operation centers, satellite navigation and radio-based situational awareness systems (i.e., GPS and AIS), shipboard communications, and maritime cloud services are particular targets and points of entry to maritime systems on- and offshore.

Enter DEF CON and the Maritime Hacking Village (MHV)

The maiden voyage of the Maritime Hacking Village (https://maritimehackingvillage.com/) is this August at DEF CON 33, with a goal to deliver the first and only immersive maritime hacking experience for attendees to learn what it takes to exploit and defend real-world maritime systems. DEF CON (https://defcon.org/) is the world's premier professional hacker event. Hosted annually in Las Vegas, DEF CON draws audiences and participants that include computer security practitioners, educators, amateur and professional (mostly white hat) hackers, journalists, national and international policy makers, lawyers, federal employees and military personnel, students, researchers, and others with an interest in anything that can be "hacked" — from hardware, software, and communication systems to door locks, card readers, and security policy.

Our mission is simple. MHV is creating a space for stakeholders to come together and navigate the changing digital vulnerability tides. We provide a space that showcases the maritime sector's technological, geopolitical, and adversarial landscapes. Upon this landscape we will explore the systemic cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the systems which underpin global maritime defense and trade.

It is not enough simply to wait for vulnerabilities to emerge from attack. We need to find them and address them ourselves. Together, MHV hacks to facilitate the discovery and sharing of knowledge integral to the development of effective maritime cybersecurity policy, industry standards and regulations, vulnerability information sharing, cyber threat intelligence, and most importantly – a capable and trusted workforce and community-of-interest.

Despite the importance of the seas for commercial, recreational, and military use, no single stakeholder controls the implementation of policies and regulations. Stakeholders unanimously agree that from machines to systems to governance, the maritime domain is fundamentally insecure. Still, seemingly insurmountable access barriers are preventing the security community, and anyone else, from doing anything to help.

The purpose of Maritime Hacking Village is to eliminate these barriers – and to provide everyone with the access and resources necessary to engage in maritime vulnerability research and cybersecurity innovation. MHV is a safe, shared space where the security community (elite hackers, trusted providers, and young talent alike) can develop and demonstrate their competence in attacking and defending real maritime systems – and where maritime industry stakeholders can engage with this community on neutral ground to grow their arsenals of knowledge, tools, trusted and capable providers, and fresh talent. We at MHV believe that this work together will create rising tides of awareness, information sharing, and innovation that will lift all ships and allow us to gradually secure the maritime sector.

MHV's demo floor will host a variety of advanced commercial maritime systems available for the conference attendees to try their hand at hacking. MHV will also host various learning events, including a multi-vendor capture-the-flag (CTF) contest that involves hacking challenges related to maritime bridge testbeds, real maritime radio (AIS, SATCOM) hacking, port systems hacking, social engineering and transportation badge counterfeiting, maritime grand theft auto, "swarm AI"-enabled unmanned watercraft, and a premier Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) CTF contest . Speakers and panels will discuss a broad set of topics about maritime policy, cybersecurity regulation (e.g., the new US Coast Guard cyber rules), maritime cyber research, new product development, maritime autonomous systems, next-gen maritime architectures, weaponizing OSINT, and much more. MHV will also have a policy suite where key invited policy makers will have their own space to meet and delve deeper into regulation and policy coordination that draws together the technical, systemic and governance elements necessary to chart a new course for the maritime industry – one that will ultimately make all of our maritime systems more secure.

MHV planning has been ongoing for many months and we are still seeking sponsors, equipment and challenge providers, maritime operators, and speakers. We invite the maritime community to actively engage with us in the Maritime Hacking Village. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.

Gary C. Kessler is President of Gary Kessler Associates, a principal consultant at Fathom5, and a member of the advisory board of Cydome. Nina Kollars is a professor at the U.S. Naval War College. Duncan Woodbury is President and CEO of Liberas. All are the co-founders and co-directors of the Maritime Hacking Village.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Report: Panama Poised to Purge Sanctioned Tankers from Registry

oil tanker — Bloomberg reports Panama is moving to remove a further 128 sanctioned ships from its registry (file photo)

After an extended pressure campaign from the United States and activist groups such as UANI (United Against Nuclear Iran) the Panama Maritime Authority is poised to purge its registry of sanctioned tankers. Bloomberg is citing comments by the General Director of Merchant Maine for PMA, Ramon Franco made during a conference in Singapore.

According to Bloomberg, Panama is poised to remove 128 ships from its registry. They are ships sanctioned by the U.S. or its allies. The new Trump administration has been moving to expand the sanctions against tankers in the Iranian trade following a sweeping move in the last days of the Biden administration targeting the shadow tanker fleet moving Russian oil and gas.

Bloomberg highlights the move by Panama was made possible by changes to the administration process and regulations making it easier to expel violators from Panama’s ship registry. The report says at least 70 tankers have already been removed but the administrators pledged to become more aggressive in their actions against sanctioned vessels and other violators.

Separately, Bloomberg is also reporting the Trump “maximum pressure” campaign appears to be having an effect on tanker movements and deliveries. The news outlet calculates that 11 tankers are currently idle or slow steaming in the area around Malaysia and Singapore. Bloomberg reports the tankers have 17 million barrels of oil loaded. Further, it says more than 20 tankers are anchored idle near Iran’s Kharg Island terminal.

Bloomberg’s report asserts that more than two-thirds of the tankers that handled Iranian crude in 2024 had been sanctioned as of late February. Analysts at TankerTracker.com taking the wider view however said early in March that the U.S. has “only blacklisted 234 (or 45 percent) of the 522 tankers involved in the Iran sanctions oil trade” as of the beginning of this month.

UANI has long been critical of Panama with the NGO asserting that Panama has 18 percent (96 vessels) of the 510 the group has listed in its “Ghost Armada List” tracking vessels in the Iranian oil trade. The group notes its list has grown from just 70 vessels when it started the listing in November 2020. They currently list nine tankers registered in Panama as having been sanctioned.

Panamanian officials have highlighted their efforts in recent years to clear the registry after a change in administration. As the largest ship registry by number of vessels, Panama has had a large number but a small percentage of violators in the registry.

Despite the ongoing pressure effort, UANI reports Iran continues to ship large amounts of oil. The group cites data saying Iran shipped 1.7 million barrels in February up from 1.3 million the month before. China according to the data is the largest customer receiving nearly all the oil Iran ships.

U.S. Files Suit Seeking $47M from Sale of Iranian Oil Hidden in Croatia

oil terminal with ranker — Oil terminal where the U.S. alleges the shipment was falsely identified as being Malaysian (Janaf file photo)

The United States is continuing its “maximum pressure” against the Iranian oil industry reporting it has filed a new civil forfeiture in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. to seize $47 million from the proceeds of oil sales. It is part of a long-running campaign by the U.S. targeting Triliance Petrochemical Co., a Hong Kong-based broker with branches in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, China, and Germany, that the U.S. says is a well-known Iranian front company supporting the Iranian regime’s petrochemical industry.

Triliance was first sanctioned by the United States in January 2020 on charges that it helps to finance Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its terrorist proxies. The U.S. said it had traced transactions in 2019 shipping oil to the UAE and China and transferring millions of dollars to Iran from the sale of oil which Trilance worked to conceal the Iranian origin of these products.

Today’s suit details an elaborate scheme between 2022 and 2024 to facilitate the shipment, storage, and sale of Iranian petroleum products. U.S. prosecutors contend Iran was working to increase the marketability of Iranian oil in Europe and create future demand from European buyers.

U.S. Attorney Edward Martin said the suit was to show Iran that avoiding sanctions “is not as easy as playing a shell game with tankers.” The filing alleges in January 2022 Iran loaded approximately one million barrels of oil to a tanker that would later be sanctioned by the U.S.

After leaving Iran, the U.S. traced the oil including through three ship-to-ship transfers before it was offloaded for storage in Croatia. The U.S. alleges companies working with Triliance falsified documents and manipulated tanker AIS signals to conceal the origins and claim the oil came from Malaysia. Further, it is alleged that the facilitators paid the storage fees in U.S. dollars through U.S. financial institutions that would have refused the transactions had they known they were associated with Iranian oil. The oil was ultimately sold with the U.S. reporting proceeds of $47 million which the U.S. is moving to seize.

It is not the first time the U.S. has targeted Trilance and the proceeds of sales. In November 2024, the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., ordered the forfeiture of nearly $12 million connected with Triliance. Government lawyers highlighted a series of transactions and money transfers in 2020 linked to Triliance. In 2022, the U.S. had also gone after oil producers that it said were working with Triliance.

New U.S. Strikes Reported in Houthi-Controlled Sanaa

An F/A-18 fighter takes off from the deck of USS Harry S. Truman carrying a bomb loadout, March 26 (USN) — An F/A-18 fighter takes off from the deck of USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea March 26 (USN)

Airstrikes have been reported for another night in Sanaa, Yemen, as U.S. forces continue to hit the Houthi rebel militia. Earlier in the day, the group launched two more ballistic missiles at targets in Israel, demonstrating that it retains the capacity for long-range attacks.

Local reports indicate that the latest American airstrikes hit the airport in Sanaa, as well as the Houthi military headquarters in the city center.

The strikes are more sustained than the campaign carried out by the previous administration last year, and more intense as well, according to a review by the AP. Satellite imaging and radio traffic also reveal a buildup of bomber forces at Diego Garcia, the strategic base that the U.S. leases from Britain in the Indian Ocean. The rare deployment of seven B-2 stealth bombers at this remote airfield - a third of the entire inventory - has raised speculation about possible escalation against Houthi targets, or even against their sponsors in Iran. The B-2 has many capabilities, including one that could be particularly relevant: it is the only U.S. aircraft certified to carry the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Pentetrator (MOP, or GBU-57/B). This is the largest U.S. bunker-buster bomb, and would provide more capability for hitting hardened tunnels and command posts.

If the Houthis are hit hard by U.S. strikes, it would not be the first time: a U.S.-supplied force tried to defeat them on the ground for the better part of a decade, but despite billions spent, the Houthis expanded their reach and dug in.

"The Houthi leadership has been taken out in history in the past, and they are resilient," Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan (USN, ret'd) told AP. "They came back and they grew stronger. So this isn’t something that is a one-and-done."

Car Carriers' Outlook Dims With New U.S. Auto Tariffs

File image courtesy Wallenius Wilhelmsen

U.S. auto tariffs are taking a toll on the outlook for many foreign automakers, but are also having an effect on the companies that carry their goods to market - the pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) ro/ro operators.

Share prices for the publicly-traded car carrier owners have taken a dive since the White House announced new 25 percent tariffs on Wednesday. Hoegh has fallen 10 percent since the start of the week; K Line is down by four percent; Wallenius Wilhelmsen is down nine percent; and Hyundai Glovis is down by nearly 10 percent. These firms have had solid financial success over the past few years thanks to booming exports out of China, but a contraction in the U.S. import market could weigh heavily on their prospects.

Trade data shows that automakers appear to have anticipated new tariffs and frontloaded their shipments in the first quarter of 2025. According to ship tracking firm Esgian, five extra ro-ro shipments departed Europe for the U.S. in February, and eight extra out of East Asia in January (compared to the same periods last year).

The tariff threat would primarily affect seaborne trade lanes out of South Korea, Japan and Europe, the primary overseas sources of U.S. autos. China sells relatively few complete cars into the U.S. market, capturing a market share of less than two percent, and will be less affected by U.S. auto tariffs.

But foreign PCTC owners still have a tough road ahead in the Chinese market. The world's leading car exporter is building its own national car-carrier fleet to compete with longtime industry incumbents. According to Li Gang, Communist Party committee chair for China Citic Financial Leasing, the "national vehicles and national transport" strategy will reduce shipping costs and ensure capacity for Chinese automakers.

Study: To Keep Seafarers in the Industry, Stop Shipboard Harassment

The shipping industry faces its worst shortage of crewmembers in nearly two decades, and could be 90,000 people short by next year. The Global Maritime Forum's "All Aboard" consortium has conducted extensive research on methods to improve life at sea and boost retention, and it has just released a report on real-world changes that could make the difference.

Seafaring can be a hard life, and there have always been aspects that shoreside workers would find challenging, like fatigue, months-long work schedules, and (on some vessels) abusive work environments. Shipping has always had a certain amount of hazing and harassment under way, out of sight of the home office; the All Aboard Alliance found that this cultural phenomenon is a modern-day retention issue. 25 percent of study participants had experienced harassment and bullying in their careers, rising to more than 50 percent among female seafarers.

Working with 12 shipowners, the alliance came up with guidance to improve the crew experience, especially in abuse reduction. A positive work environment starts with setting clear policies and guidelines, then requires "zero-tolerance" enforcement for unacceptable behavior, the alliance advises.

The coalition also recommends clear guidelines for training and performance evaluations; avoiding discriminatory hiring practices; providing female-appropriate PPE and facilities on board; setting up a family leave policy; improving shore leave, a common point of friction since the COVID era; building onboard community; and providing timely relief at the end of a seafarer's contract, without involuntary extensions. The alliance advises a target of offboarding at least 85 percent of the crew on schedule at contract end, allowing them predictable time off for their personal lives.

"These guidelines serve as a roadmap for shipping companies striving to improve employee well-being, and will also help seafarers and other stakeholders identify companies that take sustainability and social responsibility seriously. They strike a strong balance between aspiration and realism, and we’re confident that they will improve outcomes for all workers in the maritime industry, ensuring that success is accessible to everyone — regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or background," said Mikael Skov, Chief Executive Officer at Hafnia and All Aboard Alliance Co-chair.

These inclusive, diversity-friendly HR policies may not be easy everywhere. Some overseas companies openly discriminate against female seafarers in hiring, or only hire personnel of certain nationalities, according to the study - and even for well-resourced Western companies, it can be hard to uphold "zero-tolerance" deterrence policies. Maersk, the number-two ocean carrier, has had to rehire at least one officer who was previously dismissed for sexual harassment, and has noted that sexual offenders can return to work in its U.S. market. It will not provide numbers on the extent of any onboard abuse in its fleet, according to Danish business paper Berlingske.

Greenpeace Blocks LNG Gas Carriers off Belgium in Fossil Gas Protest

activists blocking gas tanker — Activists demonstrating to delay the arriving gas carriers (© Eric De Mildt / courtesy of Greenpeace)

Activists from the group Greenpeace staged two demonstrations today, March 27, temporarily blocking gas carriers arriving from the U.S. and Russia. It was done as part of a campaign by the well-known group against fossil fuels and the EU’s lack of progress on ending Russian and other gas imports.

The campaigners are urging Europe to become energy independent by transitioning to renewables. They said ending fossil gas imports is crucial for safety and security.

The group in its inflatable boats and supported by its mothership Arctic Sunrise first targeted the Marshall Islands-registered gas carrier Marvel Swallow. The 93,510 dwt vessel was recently placed in service by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. It was coming from Louisiana in the United States with a shipment of gas bound for Zeebrugge, Belgium.

The group circled and ran alongside the gas carrier displaying banners for the photo ops. Among the banners they were displaying were ones reading “Their gas, your cash.” The group reports it briefly interrupted the voyage of the gas carrier but it later docked in Belgium.

“Autocrats like Putin fund their wars with gas revenues, while political bullies like Trump use their dominance as gas suppliers to pressure European countries economically and politically. Meanwhile, families and communities struggle with soaring energy bills and extreme weather fueled by fossil gas,” said Joeri Thijs, spokesperson for Greenpeace Belgium speaking from aboard Arctic Sunrise. “This dependence leaves us all vulnerable. Energy sovereignty through renewables is no longer just an environmental necessity, it is a matter of security.”

Greenpeace cited data from IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis saying despite promises from EU politicians gas imports from Russia grew 18 percent in 2024 with the EU spending €21.9 billion on gas. It reports 45 percent of Europe’s gas supply is coming from the U.S. making America Europe’s largest supplier.

Hours later the group returned to the waterways targeting the Cyprus-flagged Fedor Litke. The 96,839 dwt gas carrier was inbound for Sabetta, Russia. It is operated by Dynagas of Greece.

The second protest was to call attention to the new EU sanctions implemented on March 26 that aim to restrict Russian gas imports. Greenpeace highlights that one of the goals is to stop carriers such as the Fedor Litke coming from Siberia and transferring gas at either Zeebrugge or Montoir-de-Bretagne, France as part of a transshipment program to deliver gas across Europe.

The group which is well known for these activities asserts the EU must stop the persistent delays in phasing out Russian fossil fuels imports. They note EU officials under pressure from Donald Trump are considering increasing US LNG imports.

With Europe’s LNG imports declining and gas demand down 20 percent since 2021, Greenpeace says the EU must accelerate its shift away from gas imports. Greenpeace is urging a full phase-out of fossil gas by 2035 and a commitment to clean, independent energy.

South Sudan risks return to war after opposition leader's arrest, UN warns

The political party of South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar has warned that his arrest on Wednesday invalidates the country's 2018 peace deal.

Issued on: 27/03/2025 - RFI

South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar at a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Juba in February 2023. AFP - SIMON MAINA

First Vice President Riek Machar, South Sudan's opposition leader, is reportedly under house arrest.

Machar's Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) party said that it was trying to locate him, after that the defence minister and chief of national security "forcefully entered" Machar's residence and delivered an arrest warrant on Wednesday evening.

Machar was then held at his house overnight with his wife and two bodyguards.

He is accused of being implicated in fighting between the military and the White Army, an ethnic Nuer militant organisation, in Nasir, Upper Nile State this month, senior SPLM-IO official Reath Muoch Tang said in a statement.

The party added on Thursday that the arrest of Machar, long-time rival to President Salva Kiir, had invalidated the 2018 peace deal and risked plunging the country back into war.

Uganda army chief says troops deployed to South Sudan's capital

Under the deal, which ended the 2013 to 2018 civil war between forces loyal to Machar on one side and Kiir on the other, South Sudan has five vice-presidents. Machar is currently serving as first vice-president.

The United Nations has warned that the recent clashes in Nasir between the army and the White Army, a militia with historical ties to Machar, along with a rise in hate speech, could reignite the civil war.

Machar's SPLM-IO party denies ongoing links with the White Army.

South Sudan's army and government spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rumours of Machar's imminent arrest have been rife since early March, according to RFI's correspondent in the country, when the crisis in the Upper Nile region in the northeast of the country led to the arrest of several officials from his party in Juba.
Calls for dialogue

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent dialogue between the country’s leaders to de-escalate tensions and restore calm".

"To prevent a relapse into civil war, the parties must recommit to the Revitalised Peace Agreement by ceasing all hostilities and strictly adhering to the ceasefire, resolving grievances through dialogue, and reconvening as a truly unified government,” said the head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom, in a statement.

He warned that "a return to widespread conflict... will devastate not only South Sudan, but the entire region".

Earlier this month, Kiir's government detained several officials from Machar's party, including the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army, in response to the clashes with the White Army in Upper Nile State.

UN Security Council extends South Sudan arms embargo

The United States on Thursday called on Kiir to release his rival. "We are concerned by reports South Sudan's First Vice President Machar is under house arrest," Washington's Bureau of African Affairs wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"We urge President Kiir to reverse this action and prevent further escalation of the situation. It is time for South Sudan's leaders to demonstrate sincerity of stated commitments to peace," the post continued.

The African Union also released a statement on Machar's arrest on Thursday, saying: "The chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, expresses deep concern over reports regarding the detention of the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, Dr Riek Machar."

On Wednesday, the UN reported fighting between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar close to the capital Juba.

The 2013-2018 civil war, which was fought largely along ethnic lines, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the world's youngest nation.

(with newswires)

EU vows retaliation after Trump slaps 25 percent duty on foreign cars

The European Union has vowed to take "proportionate and necessary" action after US President Donald Trump announced steep new tariffs on all foreign-made cars, a move set to fuel tensions with trading partners worldwide.

Issued on: 27/03/2025 - RFI

A Volkswagen car dealership in Essen, Germany. AP - Martin Meissner

"What we're going to be doing is a 25 percent tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States. If they're made in the United States, it is absolutely no tariff," Trump said at the White House on Wednesday.

The measure will take effect at 12:01am eastern time on 3 April and will impact foreign-made cars and light trucks, with key automobile parts also to be hit within the month.

The move, part of a wave of tariffs introduced since Trump returned to the presidency in January, has heightened trade tensions with long-standing US allies.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the tariffs would hurt businesses and consumers, and warned that the EU was ready to strike back.

She reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to defending its industries, warning that Brussels was prepared to take "proportionate and necessary" counter-measures.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Trump’s new tariffs send a “fatal signal” to free and rules-based trade.

France leads EU fightback against Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs
Further threats

Trump has warned he could impose significantly higher tariffs on both the European Union and Canada if they work together in ways he sees as economically harmful to the United States.

"If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large-scale tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Peter Navarro, Trump's senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, later blasted "foreign trade cheaters" who he said turned America's once-bustling manufacturing sector into a "lower wage assembly operation for foreign parts".

"That threatens our national security because it's eroded our defense and manufacturing industrial base," he said.

Navarro took aim at Germany and Japan specifically for reserving the construction of higher-value parts to their countries.

Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has imposed fresh tariffs on imports from major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China – alongside a 25 percent duty on steel and aluminium.

Trump escalates trade tensions with 200 percent tariff on EU wine, champagne
France defends EU interests

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot earlier said the European Union will respond in kind to any such moves from the US.

In February, Barrot emphasised that France and its European partners would not hesitate to defend their interests against US threats.

He noted that the European Commission is prepared to act, stating: "It is ready to pull the trigger when the time has come. Now this time has come. It is in no-one's interest to start a commercial war with the European Union."
'Direct attack'

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney branded the tariffs a "direct attack" on Canadian workers, saying that Ottawa was considering its own retaliatory measures.

The auto tariffs come a day before Trump plans to unveil additional duties aimed at countries he deems responsible for the US trade deficit.

The EU has indicated that it will delay its initial counter-measures until mid-April, which include a planned 50 percent tariff on American bourbon whiskey.

In response, Trump has threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff on all European wines and other alcoholic products should the bloc proceed with its plans.

The mounting tensions have raised concerns of a full-scale transatlantic trade war, with European officials vowing to coordinate a "decisive response" should Washington escalate the dispute further.

Rain gives some respite to South Korea firefighters as death toll rises

Yeongdeok (South Korea) (AFP) – Overnight rain helped douse some of South Korea's worst-ever wildfires, authorities said Friday, as the death toll from the unprecedented blazes raging for nearly a week reached 28.

Issued on: 28/03/2025 - RFI

A house glows after being torched by a wildfire in Cheongsong

More than a dozen fires have ravaged large areas of the country's southeast, destroying an ancient temple, and forcing around 37,000 people to evacuate.

The flames blocked roads and knocked out communication lines, causing residents to flee in panic as fireballs rained down on cars stuck in traffic jams to escape the area.

The flames have been fanned by high winds and ultra-dry conditions, with the area experiencing below-average rains for months after South Korea experienced its hottest year on record in 2024.

But overnight Thursday it rained in the affected area, helping firefighters to contain some of the worst blazes.

"The rain that fell from the afternoon into the early morning aided the firefighting efforts," Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop said.

A destroyed property in Cheongsong after being ravaged by fire

© ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP

The rain "reduced the haze, improving visibility, and the cooler temperatures compared to other days create very favourable conditions for firefighting efforts", he said.

South Korea's interior ministry said a total of 28 people had been killed as of Friday morning, and 37 others were injured -- nine seriously.

The fatalities include a pilot in his 70s whose helicopter crashed Wednesday while trying to contain a fire, as well as four firefighters and other workers who lost their lives after being trapped by rapidly advancing flames.
Hottest year in 2024

More than 2,240 houses in the region have been destroyed, according to the latest figures, and an official said Thursday more than 35,000 hectares (86,500 acres) of forest have been burned.

Some 28 people have died in the worst-ever wildfires to hit South Korea

© ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP

The extent of damage makes it South Korea's largest-ever wildfire, after an inferno in April 2000 that scorched 23,913 hectares across the east coast.

The fire also destroyed several historic sites, including the Gounsa temple complex in Uiseong, which is believed to have been originally built in the 7th century.

Among the damaged structures at the temple are two state-designated "treasures," one of which is a pavilion built in 1668 that overlooks a stream.

Last year was South Korea's hottest on record, although temperatures in the months running up to the blaze had been colder than last year and in line with the country's 30-year average, Korea Meteorological Administration data shows.

But the fire-hit region had been experiencing unusually dry weather with below-average precipitation.

According to the interior ministry, the wildfires were accidentally started by a grave visitor and "sparks from a brush cutter".

Both the devastating California wildfires in January and the fires in South Korea are similar, said Kimberley Simpson, fellow in nature-based climate solutions at the University of Sheffield's School of Biosciences.

"Only three months into 2025, we’ve already witnessed record-breaking wildfire activity in multiple regions.

"As climate change drives rising temperatures and alters rainfall patterns, the conditions that give rise to these devastating fires are becoming more frequent."

© 2025 AFP

Clean energy giant Goldwind leads China's global sector push

Beijing (AFP) – China has rushed ahead in recent years as the world's forerunner in wind energy, propelled by explosive local demand as Beijing aggressively pursues strategic and environmental targets.

Issued on: 28/03/2025

RFI

China's wind power manufacturers are beginning to make headway overseas

Goldwind -- the country's sector champion -- is set to publish financial results for last year on Friday, offering a window into how its domestic operations and overseas expansion efforts are faring.

AFP looks at how Goldwind and its Chinese peers turned the country into the indisputable global superpower in wind:
Recent gusts

China has been a major player in global installed wind capacity since the late 2000s but it is only in the past few years that it has surged to the top.

Publicité

Companies from mainland China accounted for six of the top seven turbine manufacturers worldwide last year, according to a report this month by BloombergNEF.

Goldwind held the top spot, followed by three more Chinese firms -- the first time European and US firms all ranked below third.

The country's global wind energy layout is lopsided, however, with the majority of its firms' growth driven by domestic demand.

"The market for wind turbines outside of China is still quite diversified," Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), told AFP.

The situation "can stay that way if countries concerned about excessive reliance on China create the conditions for the non-Chinese suppliers to expand capacity", he added.
Overcapacity concerns

China's wind energy boom has fuelled fears in Western countries that a flood of cheap imports will undercut local players, including Denmark's Vestas and GE Vernova of the United States.

A report in January by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed Chinese wind turbine manufacturers have for decades received significantly higher levels of state subsidies than member countries.

Western critics argue that the extensive support from Beijing to spur on the domestic wind industry have led to an unfair advantage.

The European Union last April said it would investigate subsidies received by Chinese firms that exported turbines to the continent.

"We cannot allow China's overcapacity issues to distort Europe's established market for wind energy," said Phil Cole, Director of Industrial Affairs at WindEurope, a Brussels-based industry group, in response to the recent OECD report.

"Without European manufacturing and a strong European supply chain, we lose our ability to produce the equipment we need -- and ultimately our energy and national security," said Cole.
Gold rush

Goldwind's origin lies in the vast, arid stretches of western China, where in the 1980s a company named Xinjiang Wind Energy built its first turbine farm.

Engineer-turned-entrepreneur Wu Gang soon joined, helping transform the fledgling firm into a pioneer in China's wind energy sector, establishing Goldwind in 1998.

"Goldwind was there from the beginning," said Andrew Garrad, co-founder of Garrad Hassan, a British engineering consultancy that had early engagement with China's wind industry.

"The West was looking at China as an impoverished place in need of help," Garrad told AFP.

"It wasn't, then, an industrial power to be reckoned with."

Garrad, whose company once sold technology to several Chinese wind energy startups including Goldwind, remembers Wu paying him a visit in Bristol during the early 1990s to talk business.

The two spent three days negotiating a software sale for around £10,000 -- a sum "which, for both of us at the time, was worth having", recalled Garrad.

"He didn't have any money at all, and so he was staying at the youth hostel, sharing a room with five other people," he said.

Wu's firm would go on to strike gold, emerging in this century as a global leader in wind turbine technology and installed capacity.
Global future?

In recent years, as China's wind market matures, state subsidies are cut and the economy faces downward pressure, Goldwind has increasingly been looking overseas.

In 2023, the firm dropped "Xinjiang" from its official name.

The move was interpreted as an attempt to disassociate from the troubled region, where Beijing is accused of large-scale human rights abuses.

It was also seen as adopting a more outward-facing and international identity.

China's wind power manufacturers are making some headway overseas, particularly in emerging and developing countries, said Myllyvirta of the CREA.

This is particularly true "after Western manufacturers were hit by supply chain disruptions and major input prices due to Covid and Russia's invasion of Ukraine", he added.

Emerging markets affiliated with Beijing's "Belt and Road" development push seem to offer Chinese players the best chance at overseas growth, Endri Lico, analyst at Wood Mackenzie, told AFP.

"Chinese strength comes from scale... and strategic control over domestic supply chains and raw material resources," said Lico.

Western markets remain strongholds for local players, however, "due to entrenched positions, energy security concerns and protectionist policies", he added.

© 2025 AFP

Behind the veneer of de-demonization, the anti-Semitism still present in the National Rally

Jordan Bardella has been invited to take part in an international conference on the fight against anti-Semitism in Israel on Wednesday and Thursday, a further step in the National Rally's strategy of normalization. However, anti-Semitism is still very much present among elected officials and supporters of the far-right party.

Published : 25/03/2025 -
FRANCE24
By: Romain BRUNET

The president of the French far-right party National Rally (RN) and member of the European Parliament, Jordan Bardella in Montélimar on February 1, 2025. (Illustration) (Illustration) © Jean-Philippe Ksiazek, AFP

It is an invitation that looks like a culmination. The president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, and the MEP Marion Maréchal are invited to Israel on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 March to participate in an international conference on the fight against anti-Semitism. More than 50 years after its creation by Jean-Marie Le Pen in the company of a former Waffen-SS, Pierre Bousquet, the National Front, which became the National Rally in 2018, is thus masquerading as a party fighting against anti-Semitism.

After the presence of the far-right party at the march against anti-Semitism on November 12, 2023 and the dubbing received by the historian Serge Klarsfeld in June 2024, this is one more step in the de-demonization at work since the takeover of the party by Marine Le Pen in 2011, and continued with Jordan Bardella.

To be readEuropean far-right in Israel to talk about anti-Semitism, controversial invitation

"This strategy has been made in particular on the issue of anti-Semitism, considered a disqualifying stigma to access power. So being received in Israel is obviously something that can be used as an argument against those who continue to think that the RN is a far-right party. Jordan Bardella can thus give the impression that his party is working on this issue and that it has evolved," analyses political scientist Sylvain Crépon, a lecturer at the University of Tours.

However, the president of the National Rally sometimes finds it difficult to completely detach himself from his party's past. Asked in 2023 a few days before the march against anti-Semitism on BFMTV about the anti-Semitism of Jean-Marie Le Pen - convicted more than 25 times by the courts for glorifying war crimes, incitement to hatred and discrimination, anti-Semitism and public insults - Jordan Bardella replied: "I don't believe that Jean-Marie Le Pen was anti-Semitic".
And even if Marine Le Pen had expelled her father from the party in 2015, precisely on this issue, behind the veneer of respectability, anti-Semitism still runs through the French far right and the National Rally in particular.
Anti-Semitic prejudices very present on the far right

In its annual report on the fight against racism, antisemitism and xenophobia published in June 2024, which highlighted an explosion in antisemitic acts since the October 7, 2023 attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel, the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) stressed that there was far-left antisemitism in France but that it was "without comparison with that observed on the far right and among those close to the National Rally".

"In general, far-right sympathizers remain the most inclined to agree with these traditional anti-Semitic prejudices: 34% of RN sympathizers believe that 'Jews have too much power', 51% adhere to the stereotype of the 'dual allegiance' of French Jews and 51% attribute to them a particular relationship with money, which is systematically much more than the average French person and supporters of other major political parties," according to the CNCDH study.

To be readBy marching against anti-Semitism, Marine Le Pen is taking another step towards its normalization

"What has changed is that anti-Semitism that is displayed and liberated no longer has the right to exist. In the 1990s, I frequently heard anti-Semitic remarks from officials or members of the National Front. Now, these remarks have disappeared because instructions have been given. But I note that some people who were members of the party 20 years ago and who made anti-Semitic remarks then are still members of the RN today. The clean-up has not been completely done," says Sylvain Crépon.

Proof of an incomplete clean-up, each election brings its share of revelations about the candidates presented by the National Rally. Several investigations, notably by Libération and Mediapart, have revealed the presence of anti-Semitic National Rally candidates in the 2024 legislative elections.
Several more openly anti-Semitic candidates in 2024

Thus, Mediapart revealed that the former deputy of the Aisne Jocelyn Dessigny, candidate for re-election, had posted on his Facebook account a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt of the identity rock group In memoriam, known to neo-Nazis for having covered a march song of the Hitler Youth, La Colonne.

The RN has also once again invested in Paris Agnès Pageard who, in February 2021 on her X account, according to Libération, called for "rereading Henry Coston", a collaborationist essayist known for his anti-Semitism and anti-Masonism.

To be read2024 legislative elections: the pretences of the National Rally

The same problem exists in Gironde with Sandrine Chadourne, RN municipal councillor of Pineuilh, who is used to "likes" anti-Semitic pages, "such as that of the newspaper Rivarol or the website Jeune Nation, a showcase for the neo-fascist movement Les Nationalistes," says Libération.

At the time, Jordan Bardella described these candidates as "black sheep" of the RN and assured that he did not have "a trembling hand" when he withdrew their nomination from the party.

"But even today, you have in the National Assembly an RN deputy, Frédéric Boccaletti, who ran a bookshop in Toulon for years that sold anti-Semitic books. It was even called Anthinéa, which is the title of a book by Charles Maurras, one of the great theoreticians of anti-Semitism in France," says Sylvain Crépon about a past that Jordan Bardella's trip to Israel will never be able to erase.

In Paris, the unease of the Algerian diaspora in the face of tensions with France

While diplomatic tensions have poisoned relations between France and Algeria for several months – immigration, Western Sahara, the arrest of influencers, visa restrictions – France 24 met with members of the Algerian diaspora in Paris. They share their hopes that these tensions will ease.

Published : 25/03/2025 -
FRANCE24
By: Irène SULMONT

A montage showing the Great Mosque of Paris, on March 21, 2025. © iStock, Studio graphique France Médias Monde / Alexandre Neracoulis

In the Barbès-Rochechouart district located in the north of Paris, the sun's rays illuminate, on this Friday, March 21, the stalls of round biscuits coated with honey, the pastries filled with almonds and flavored with orange blossom, the varieties of sweet dates. "Ramadan is a time when sales are good," says Mahjoub Youssef, originally from Algiers, who works as a salesman in one of the pastry shops on Boulevard de la Chapelle.

However, this festive period has a special flavour this year for Algerians in France, who are closely following the tense exchanges between Paris and Algiers. Some members of the Algerian community find this rift worrying, while others prefer not to elaborate on the subject, sometimes for fear of reprisals.

"Diplomatic tensions? It's not my problem and it's none of my business. Give my opinion? It only gets me into trouble," Mahjoub said.

See also France-Algeria: towards a break?

Originally from Algiers, Mahjoub Youssef is a salesman in one of the shops on Boulevard de la Chapelle, in Barbès-Rochechouart, north of Paris, on March 21, 2025. © Irène Sulmont, France 24

The stalls on Boulevard de la Chapelle, in Barbès-Rochechouart, in the north of Paris, on March 21, 2025. © Irène Sulmont, France 24

"I don't prefer to talk about politics"

Yassine, 36, who owns a halal meat shop in the district and has lived in Seine-Saint-Denis for about twenty years, calmly comments on the situation. "We work with French, Muslims, Christians, Jews without any problem." Although he has both passports, he remains convinced that "France and Algeria are brotherly peoples" and that diplomatic tensions "are very far from the daily life of the people of the neighborhood, where Algerians are overrepresented."

Yassine is tired of French party officials and "prefers not to talk about politics". "Last time, a politician said 'Algerians are thugs'. What should we not hear!" he laments.

To be read

1968 Agreement: a singular and controversial commitment between France and Algeria

A halal meat shop, boulevard de la Chapelle, in the Barbès-Rochechouart district, on March 21, 2025. © Irène Sulmont, France 24

A halal meat shop, boulevard de la Chapelle, in the Barbès-Rochechouart district, on March 21, 2025. © Irène Sulmont, France 24

Originally from Annaba in Algeria, owner of a date shop, who arrived in France 35 years ago, Mouloud believes that there are no "problems or significant changes in his daily life". For him, the recent tensions are a "small temporary crisis", and he believes that the only desirable thing "is a good relationship between the two countries".

This "yo-yo relationship, since colonization, has left after-effects and the consequences are undeniable at the economic, relational and cultural levels," he concludes.

A store on Boulevard de la Chapelle, in Barbès-Rochechouart, in the north of Paris, on March 21, 2025. © Irène Sulmont, France 24
"A lack of dialogue between the two nations"

Shortly before the time of the Dohr prayer in front of the Great Mosque of Paris, tongues are loosened at midday in the Jardin-des-Plantes district, in the5th arrondissement of the capital.

Un peu avant l’heure de la prière de Dohr devant la Grande mosquée de Paris, le 21 mars 2025. © Irène Sulmont, France 24

Âgée de 81 ans, Myriam, d’origine kabyle, affirme qu’autour d’elle, "les gens sont abasourdis par la situation et le climat médiatique". Pour les Algériens de France, il est impossible, "même si nous nous sentons français, de balayer notre appartenance d'un revers de main". Elle concède cependant que "de l'autre côté de la Méditerranée, ils sont obtus et apparemment très susceptibles".

According to her, the deterioration of the bilateral relationship finds its essence "in a lack of dialogue between the two nations", since by "listening to the other, it is easier to find a compromise". Regarding Algeria's reactions, Myriam says however that "we cannot swallow everything without reacting and this is perfectly normal".

As for Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who last week promised a "graduated" response to Algeria's refusal to take back its nationals that France wanted to expel from the country, "he should review his copy," she said politely. "It's not by fighting right away that you get what you want," she said.

One of the main reasons for the current disagreement is Emmanuel Macron's announcement, in July 2024, of his strong support for an autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty for Western Sahara. "Emmanuel Macron is turning his back on the side of the Moroccans," she laments.

The octogenarian finally prefers "not to think about the repercussions and the future".
The feeling of "having your ass between two chairs"

Two young Franco-Algerian women confide more frankly, declaring that they "do not want to evolve or start a family in France". Children of the Algerian diaspora, aged 30 and 24, the young women were born in France and work in the Parisian artistic milieu. One, Dounia, is in design, the other, Neïla, in the music industry.

Government threats, visa issues, questioning of the 1968 agreements, arrests of influencers, intellectuals... "The news is tiring and anxiety-provoking. By dint of it, we stop following it," says Dounia.

"To be honest, we perfectly understand the Algerian decisions and reluctance towards France," Dounia said. This was mainly because of "the history of colonisation and the French crimes committed during the Algerian war", she added. Beyond the Franco-Algerian relationship, "the recent debates on the veil and, in general, the perception of Islam in France give me the feeling that I am not welcome here", Neïla laments. This is difficult to accept for these women who "were born here, have Western codes, French culture and mentality", she continues.

This double belonging gives the feeling of "having our ass between two chairs", since "in the bled, we are French, and in Paris, we are foreigners", concludes Dounia.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment