Months after announcement of a security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands, new details have emerged that China is also pursuing a Pacific-wide deal with almost a dozen of the island nations in the region. Some of the themes include maritime cooperation, cybersecurity and an education exchange program for over 2,000 workers and young diplomats from the Pacific.

The UK has announced plans to impose a windfall tax of 25 percent on oil and gas profits, raising complaints from industry that the UK North Sea offshore sector could become a less attractive region for investment - just as the UK is looking to boost its domestic energy security.

Iran is strongly protesting the seizure of the cargo of crude oil from a tanker anchored in Greece, now calling the shadowy tanker an “Iranian vessel” despite previous reports that the tanker was owned by a Russian shipping company and until May 1 was registered in Russia. Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization is calling Greece’s actions to support the U.S. seizure of the oil “an act of piracy” while demanding that the Greek government fulfill its international obligations under maritime law.

• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created an urgent need for Europe to rethink its energy policy
• The World Economic Forum has convened business and policy-makers to push the clean energy transition in the face of oil and gas shortages brought on by the war
• The private sector has a critical role to play but needs to be incentivized with the right policy and regulatory framework
• Manifesto on Implementing the European Green Deal in the New Global Context published today at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
• Collaboration between the public and private sector to unleash the potential of homegrown European renewables will enable Europe to achieve genuine strategic autonomy
• For more information on the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022, visit www.wef.ch/wef22

CALLING all airline cargo customers: It's time to cast a vote for your favourite cargo airline as part of London's Air Cargo News Awards 2022.

LONDON and Sofia-based middle-mile drone firm Dronamics is partnering with aviation training company FlightSafety International on an advanced training programme for its remote pilots and engineers.

HEAVY-LIFT specialist Antonov Airlines is abandoning its Hostomel, Kiev base for the safer environs of Germany's Leipzig Airport, reports London's Simply Flying.

International maritime analytics platform MarineTraffic will be promoting its services under the “Shipping is Here” tagline at Posidonia, the world’s most important maritime event (6-10 June) in Athens. The company has created a maritime data ecosystem which includes vessel positions, meteorological forecasts, asset values, container tracking, nautical charts and is used by six million users a month.

The UK´s Royal Navy has already used ECOsubsea´s services in Southampton, Plymouth and Portsmouth through a testing period in 2021 with encouraging results.

The story of a shadowy Russian oil tanker took a new turn today as the U.S. Department of Justice seized the oil aboard the vessel and according to reports is in the process of transferring the oil to the United States on a chartered tanker. The vessel was detained nearly seven weeks ago in Greece when authorities thought it was covered by the European Union sanctions on Russian assets, but later held for mechanical deficiencies while watchdog groups announced that it was actually smuggling sanctioned Iranian oil.

Paris, Piraeus, Wednesday 25th May 2022 - Posidonia Exhibitions SA, the leading trade fair organiser in Greece, and Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, have collaborated for Posidonia 2022, the International Shipping Exhibition, to be certified as Greece’s first sustainable event. With Bureau Veritas’ support, Posidonia 2022 has become the first maritime exhibition to receive the ISO 20121 certification, attesting the industry’s commitment to organising sustainable events.

• More than 50 companies have now joined the First Movers Coalition, launched by President Biden of the US and the World Economic Forum at COP26 to decarbonize the heavy industry and long-distance transport sectors responsible for 30% of global emissions.
• The companies – whose market cap represents about $8.5 trillion across five continents – have sent the largest market signal in history to commercialize emerging clean technologies by making unprecedented advance purchase commitments by 2030 for near-zero carbon steel, aluminium, shipping, trucking and aviation, as well as advanced carbon dioxide removal solutions.
• Two new sectors have launched – aluminium and carbon dioxide removal:
  • For aluminium, companies commit to purchasing aluminium produced with lower emissions than any facility in the world is currently capable of.
  • For carbon dioxide removal, companies make financial or volume commitments. Alphabet, Microsoft and Salesforce are collectively committing $500 million in carbon removal by 2030 and Boston Consulting Group is committing to remove 100,000 tonnes of carbon by 2030.
• Denmark, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom have joined the US as government partners to create early markets for clean technologies through policy measures and private sector engagement.
• US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 this week to maximize momentum for this flagship initiative.

Crew shortages are driving up seafarer wages, according to Danica Crewing Specialist's CEO Henrik Jensen who urges ship operators to be quick to offer jobs to seafarers who apply with them or risk losing out to a higher bidder.

• Freshwater ecosystems around the world are under threat from climate change, with record-breaking droughts in India, France and the US
• The time to act on water security is now – by 2030, the global demand for water will exceed sustainable supply by 40%
• A new $15 million investment over five years has been announced to support entrepreneurs who can drive innovation in freshwater resource management
• The initiative will be hosted by UpLink, the open innovation platform of the World Economic Forum
• For more information on the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022, visit www.wef.ch/wef22

• Russia is using food supplies as a weapon, she said and called for international action to prevent a global food crisis
• Europe must strengthen its renewable energy promotion, supply chain resilience, defence spending in response to the war in Ukraine
• EC president says Russia's future lies in the hands of its people
• Learn more about the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 at www.wef.ch/wef22