Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

Circa 1.500 chilogrammi di olio etichettato come extra-vergine sono stati bloccati nel porto di Augusta all’interno di un container diretto a Tbilisi, in Georgia. L’operazione è scaturita da uno dei molteplici controlli operati dal personale dell’Agenzia delle Dogane di Siracusa e dei finanzieri del Comando Provinciale, volti a verificare il rispetto della normativa vigente in materia di traffici commerciali e tutela del mercato in particolare nel terminal container dello scalo siciliano. Nel dettaglio – si legge in una nota delle Dogane – gli accertamenti tecnici, eseguiti dal Laboratorio Chimico dell’Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli/Asi di Palermo, hanno consentito di appurare che il prodotto, in realtà, apparteneva alla categoria dell’olio ‘vergine’ e pertanto non era conforme alla qualità dichiarata in etichetta. Da lì il sequestro della spedizione, nonché il deferimento alla Procura della Repubblica di Siracusa del titolare della società esportatrice, per i reati di cui agli artt. 515 e 517 del Codice penale, ovvero di frode in commercio e vendita di prodotti industriali con segni mendaci. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Fugro will conduct a long-term marine mammal monitoring campaign in Ireland under a two-year environmental services contract with EirGrid for the offshore wind grid connection infrastructure the transmission system operator (TSO) plans along Ireland’s south coast. The Dutch company will deploy and maintain a network of eight seabed monitoring stations equipped with underwater acoustic sensors designed to detect and record whales, dolphins and porpoises. The campaign also marks the first commercial deployment of Fugro’s newly developed mooring system, according to the company. The monitoring work will support environmental assessments for offshore transmission infrastructure planned as part of EirGrid’s South Coast offshore grid program, which is expected to enable the connection of around 900 MW of offshore wind capacity. Fugro said the monitoring systems will collect long-term data on cetacean activity, including harbour porpoises, which are known to inhabit the area. The company will periodically recover and analyse the data, providing EirGrid with annual reports on species presence and distribution. The contract builds on Fugro’s seven-year framework agreement with EirGrid, signed in 2025, which covers marine site investigations and related offshore services. In November last year, EirGrid completed the first phase of marine and coastal surveys along Ireland’s south coast, which includes cable route corridor options from Maritime Area A, or Tonn Nua, offshore wind area of the Irish Government’s South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP). The work covered geophysical, environmental and metocean surveys around potential subsea cable route corridor options in Maritime Area A, as well as intertidal non-intrusive landfall investigations. Also in November 2025,the joint venture between ESB and Ørsted was awarded a contract for difference (CfD)for the 900 MW fixed-bottom offshore wind farm at the Tonn Nua site by the Irish Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

ByAlan Ohnsman, Senior Editor. The next hot electric vehicle may not come with gullwing doors, a self-driving mode or the ability to provide backup power to your home. It may be an 80-foot tugboat, nearly four stories tall, built to pull massive cargo ships around the Port of Long Beach. That’s the bet Arc is making. The Los Angeles startup, cofounded by software engineer Mitch Lee and former SpaceX rocket designer Ryan Cook, launched their electric boat startup to target the luxury watercraft market,selling sleek, fast $300,000 e-boatsfor wealthy weekenders. Now, with oil prices at historic highs, it’s pushing into the commercial marine space with $20 million battery-powered tugs capable of pulling ginormous cargo ships into container ports. It’s an opportunistic, timely shift from polished recreational toys to industrial machines with brutal duty cycles, big fuel bills and regulators at the door. “Over the next 10 to 15 years, every segment of marine is going to go primarily electric” Arc’s first commercial boats, being built at a Seattle-area shipyard, are already heading toward proof of concept. Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025. If they perform as well as Arc and initial customer Curtin Maritime expect, the company aims to expand into electric ferries, barges and even military watercraft, CTO Cook toldForbes. “It's our strong hypothesis that over the next 10 to 15 years, every segment of marine is going to go primarily electric,” he said. “That could mean primarily hybrid electric, like diesel electric, but the fact is electric is just far more efficient and cost-effective at moving really heavy loads. This happened in the train industry. Now it’s happening in the marine industry.” Cars still dominate the electrification conversation, even as U.S. EV demand has tanked since the Trump administration axed $7,500 tax credits to help offset higher price tags, though other transportation segments are starting to electrify. Tesla has begun regular production of its much-anticipated electric Semi, with California expected to be its first major market,aided by generous state subsidies. So it’s not a surprise that electric tugboats are also being deployed first in California, where tough state air pollution rules are pushing operators at ports, especially in Los Angeles and Long Beach, to slash harmful emissions created by diesel- and bunker-fuel powered ships. The war in Iran has made fuel prices more than background noise. The price of diesel fuel has jumped by about 50% since it began three months ago. That’s boosted the economic case for Arc’s electric boat tech in the highly fragmented marine space. Why not swap exposure to fuel-price chaos for durable lithium-iron phosphate batteries that are getting cheaper? “With the volatility of fuel prices–plus the fact that we’re already working on the Curtin deal–interest that we've seen on the commercial side has just been ballooning over the last few months,” Cook said. “We're bidding and in conversations with many ferry operators, barges, pretty much anything on the water. We're getting a flood of inbound interest to see if we can electrify or hybridize things to help.” The boats it’s doing with Curtin are much beefier than Arc’s sleek wake sport boats. They’re about 80 feet long and nearly four stories high and will be able to pull up to 100 ton-loads. The first models will have 6 megawatt-hour battery packs–the equivalent of 75 Tesla Model Y SUVs–to support a massive 4,000-horsepower propulsion system. Arc, which has raised about $150 million since its founding in 2021, is supplying more than batteries. It is also supplying the battery management system and all the software, offering what it believes is the only comprehensive electrification system in the marine industry. That matters in commercial marine, where integration is not a nice-to-have. It is the business. Tugboats are workhorses critical to port operations, particularly those in Southern California that handle the highest volume of inbound cargo in North America. Martin Curtin, CEO of Curtin Maritime and a tugboat captain, has been looking for a way to electrify his fleet for several years to comply with California pollution rules. But until connecting with Arc, options were thin. “There are very few options for batteries and integration in the commercial space,” he toldForbes. There's a group that does batteries, but then they don't do any integration, and that's kind of tricky for us. So when we set out to do the electric tugboat program, we knew that we wanted to be vertically integrated from the very bottom – from initial scope to design to construction and then end use all in one place.” The challenge is not just engineering. It is money. California doesn’t offer the same kind of generous subsidies for commercial boats that are available to operators of heavy-duty truck fleets to shift to cleaner electric models. “We expected a lot more traction on this than we’ve received. We’re patiently waiting for the world to get up to speed, or at least California to be able to support what they're forcing,” Curtin said. “We’ve seen it in the trucking industry, but for the new construction of tugboats, we just haven't seen as much funding as what’s needed for this to take off.” Still, Curtin sees a fit for electric tugs in Long Beach. Harbor work is intense but localized, which makes charging easier than it would be for vessels that spend days at sea. “When you look at the operational loads and the maintenance and all these components, it’s our belief that going with an electric setup and battery energy storage is just a much simpler and much more cost-effective way of doing it.” “When you crack the code on commercial marine powertrain in the United States, I think the world's your oyster” The bet is still just that: a bet. The first boats are costly, custom-built and arriving in an industry where equipment can stay in service for 40 to 50 years. Proving the economic advantage of going electric will take time. “I think long-term, it will. We're building the first boats, and so time will tell, but I'm willing to bet $160 million on it,” Curtin said. The tugboat market isn’t particularly large, with only a couple of dozen new units entering service annually, according to Curtin. That’s because they typically last 40 to 50 years. Still, these are bespoke, custom vessels with big price tags – like the $20 million units Arc is supplying. “So if I were in Arc’s shoes, I’d be focused on the commercial side, and I think they are. That market is huge,” he said. “I think when you crack the code on commercial marine powertrain in the United States, I think the world's your oyster.”

TotalEnergies SE said it has filed for government authorization for a EUR 4.5-billion ($5.24 billion) 1.5-gigawatt (GW) wind farm off the coast of Normandy, which it says is France's largest renewable energy project. Expected to be commissioned 2033, Center Manche II would generate six terawatt hours a year, enough to power over one million French households, according to TotalEnergies. "In line with regulatory requirements, the application includes technical and environmental surveys, a preliminary design for the wind farm, and the planned installation program", it said in a press release. "The environmental impact assessment takes account of the findings of the aforementioned surveys, regular discussions with government departments, and the contributions gathered through the consultation process carried out with regional stakeholders. "The permitting process is now entering a new phase, starting with completion of the dossier followed by its examination by the government", "At the same time, Centre Manche Energies will pursue consultation with local officials, environmental organizations, seafarers, and the public to ensure the project is well integrated into the region’s economy and community", TotalEnergies added, referring to a wholly owned subsidiary overseeing the project. The project is proposed to be sited over 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) from shore. TotalEnergies said it "intends to focus sourcing on European suppliers, particularly for wind turbines and electric cables". TotalEnergies had applied for the project through a consortium with Germany's RWE AG. However, TotalEnergies said last year it was planning to bring in a new partner after RWE initiated an exit from the project. "TotalEnergies is continuing to invest in its home country’s energy security and in the nationwide supply of fuels, gas and electricity", the company affirmed in announcing the application. "Since 2020, while transforming its energy offering, TotalEnergies has invested several billion euros in France, nearly half of which has helped support the energy transition of its sites and customers. "Its renewables portfolio boasts 420 wind, solar, hydropower and battery storage facilities, allowing TotalEnergies to meet the electricity needs of the equivalent of 1.8 million people in France, putting the Company among the country’s top three renewable power operators, with more than 2 GW of installed capacity. "TotalEnergies supplies electricity and gas to 4.2 million residential and business customers". Across its global portfolio, TotalEnergies grew its installed renewable power capacity to 35.6 GW at the end of March, according to its quarterly report. That was up nearly 8 GW from the same period last year. TotalEnergies' net electricity production from renewable sources in the first three months of 2026 increased 20 percent year-on-year to 8.2 terawatt hours, according to the report. To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on theRigzone Energy Network.TheRigzone Energy Networkis a new social experience created for you and all energy professionals to Speak Up about our industry, share knowledge, connect with peers and industry insiders and engage in a professional community that will empower your career in energy.

SINGAPORE,June 1, 2026/PRNewswire/ -- Kenon Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:KEN) (TASE: KEN) ("Kenon") announces its results for Q1 2026 and additional updates. Q1 and Recent Highlights Kenon OPC Discussion of Results for the Three Months ended March 31, 2026 Kenon's consolidated results of operations primarily comprise the consolidated results of OPC Energy Ltd ("OPC"), in which Kenon holds an interest of approximately 46%. On January 1, 2026, OPC changed its presentation currency from NIS to USD, while its functional currency (NIS) remained unchanged. See Exhibit 99.2 of Kenon's Form 6-K dated June 1, 2026 for a summary of Kenon's consolidated financial information; a summary of OPC's consolidated financial information; and a reconciliation of OPC's EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA including proportionate share in associated companies (which is a non-IFRS measure) to profit for the period. OPC The following discussion of OPC's results of operations is derived from OPC's consolidated financial statements. Summary Financial Information of OPC For the three monthsendedMarch 31, 2026 2025 $ millions Revenue 317 183 Cost of sales (excluding depreciation and amortization) (245) (139) Financing expenses, net (20) (13) Share in profit of associated companies, net 34 38 Profit for the period 14 25 Attributable to: Equity holders of OPC 12 18 Non-controlling interest 2 7 Adjusted EBITDA including proportionate share in associated companies2 124 113 For details of OPC's results please refer to Appendix B3. Revenue For the three monthsendedMarch 31, 2026 2025 $ millions Israel 181 146 U.S. 136 37 Total 317 183 OPC's revenue increased by $134 million in Q1 2026 as compared to Q1 2025. Set forth below is a discussion of changes in the key components in revenue for Q1 2026 as compared to Q1 2025. Israel United States Cost of Sales (Excluding Depreciation and Amortization) Set forth below is a summary of OPC's cost of sales (excluding depreciation and amortization) in Israel and the U.S. for Q1 2026 and Q1 2025. For the three monthsendedMarch 31, 2026 2025 $ millions Israel 131 105 U.S. 114 34 Total 245 139 OPC's cost of sales (excluding depreciation and amortization) increased by $106 million in Q1 2026 as compared to Q1 2025. Set forth below is a discussion of significant changes in cost of sales between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026. Israel United States Financing Expenses, net Financing expenses, net in Q1 2026 were $20 million, as compared to $13 million in Q1 2025. Share in Profit of Associated Companies, net OPC's share in profit in associated companies, net decreased by $4 million in Q1 2026 as compared to Q1 2025. For further details of the results of associated companies of CPV, refer to OPC's immediate report published on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange ("TASE") on May 20, 2026 and the convenience English translations furnished by Kenon on Form 6-K on May 20, 2026. Liquidity and Capital Resources As of March 31, 2026, OPC had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $1,158 million, restricted cash of $165 million (including restricted cash used for debt service), and total outstanding consolidated indebtedness of $2,281 million, consisting of $145 million of short-term indebtedness and $2,136 million of long-term indebtedness. As of March 31, 2026, a substantial portion of OPC's debt was denominated in NIS. As of March 31, 2026, OPC's proportionate share of debt (including accrued interest) of CPV associated companies was $904 million and its proportionate share of cash and cash equivalents of CPV associated companies was $110 million. Business and other Developments Receipt of building permit for Hadera 2 Project In May 2026, OPC's project company Hadera 2 ("Hadera 2") was granted a building permit for the Hadera 2 project, a plan for the construction of an 850 MW natural gas-fired power plant on land adjacent to OPC's Hadera power plant. Completion of transaction to swap interests in Maryland Power Plant and Three Rivers Power Plant In May 2026, CPV Group LP (a 70%-owned subsidiary of OPC) ("CPV Group") completed its previously announced transaction with the other partner (the "Seller") in CPV Maryland, LLC ("CPV Maryland") for the Seller's 25% ownership interest in CPV Maryland, which owns a 745 MW power plant located in Maryland, in exchange for CPV Group's 10% interest in CPV Three Rivers LLC ("CPV ThreeRivers"), which owns a 1,258 MW power plant in Illinois. As a result, CPV Group now owns 100% of CPV Maryland, and no longer holds any interest in CPV Three Rivers. For further information, see Kenon's Reports on Form 6-K furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 3, 2026 and November 19, 2025. Update on Ramat Beka Project In April 2026, OPC's Ramat Beka project company signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement for the construction of a solar power plant with an estimated installed capacity of 550 MW with integrated storage of about 3,850 megawatts/hr, with a total cost of approximately $158 million - $160 million. Signing of agreement for supply of electricity to data centers in Israel In May 2026, OPC, through an Israeli subsidiary, signed an electricity supply agreement (PPA) with an existing customer for the supply of electricity to data centers owned or being developed by the customer, with capacity expected by OPC to gradually reach approximately 460 megawatts, for a term of 19 years. OPC Officer summoned in connection with Competition Authority investigation In May 2026, an officer of OPC was summoned in connection with an investigation by the Israel Competition Authority relating to the tender conducted by the Israel Electric Corporation for the "Eshkol" power plant in 2023. Additional Kenon Updates Kenon's (stand-alone) Liquidity and Capital Resources As of March 31, 2026, Kenon's stand-alone cash was $709 million. As of June 1, 2026, Kenon's stand-alone cash was $512 million. There is no material debt at the Kenon level. Kenon's stand-alone cash includes cash and cash equivalents and other treasury management instruments. Collar transaction relating to approximately 2% of OPC shares In May 2026, Kenon entered into a collar transaction with an investment bank relating to 6,000,000 ordinary shares of OPC. The 6,000,000 OPC shares subject to the collar transaction represent 2% of OPC's outstanding shares. The collar transaction provides a potential source of liquidity to Kenon as the collar transaction allows Kenon, in certain circumstances, to elect to borrow against the collar transaction under the terms thereof. The collar transaction also allows Kenon to retain exposure to potential upside in the collar shares up to the call strike price, while limiting the impact of potential decline in the share price. For further information, see Kenon's Report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on May 28, 2026. Interim Dividend for the Year Ending December 31, 2026 In April 2026, Kenon distributed an interim cash dividend of approximately $200 million ($3.85 per share) for the year ending December 31, 2026. Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can generally identify these statements by the use of words like "may", "will", "could", "should", "believe", "expect", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "potential", "intend", "target", "future", and variations of these words or comparable words. These statements include statements relating to (i) OPC's projects including expected capacity of projects, costs of contracts, PPAs and other non-historical matters relating to OPC and (ii) the collar transaction and other non-historical matters. These statements are based on current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Kenon's control, which could cause the actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements. Such risks include risks relating to (i) OPC's projects including risks relating to timing of completion, cost and capacity of projects, risks relating to the PPA discussed herein including the ultimate capacity of the PPA and other risks relating to OPC's business and (ii)risks relating to future trading prices of OPC shares and impact on the outcome of the collar transaction and amounts that Kenon may be able to borrow in connection with the collar transaction and other risks and factors including those risks set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in Kenon's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC and other filings. Except as required by law, Kenon undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 1Adjusted EBITDA including proportionate share in associated companies is a non-IFRS measure. See Exhibit 99.2 of Kenon's Form 6-K dated June 1, 2026 for the definition of OPC's EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA including proportionate share in associated companies and a reconciliation to profit for the applicable period.2Non-IFRS measure. See Exhibit 99.2 of Kenon's Form 6-K dated June 1, 2026 for the definition of OPC's EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA including proportionate share in associated companies and a reconciliation to profit for the applicable period.3See Exhibit 99.2 of Kenon's Form 6-K dated June 1, 2026 for Appendix B. Contact InfoKenon Holdings Ltd.Deepa JosephChief Financial Officer[email protected] SOURCE Kenon Holdings Ltd.

Damon Smith reviews the latest download, streaming and premium video on-demand releases including Hoppers, Relay, How To Make A Killing, Scream 7 and Office Romance. NEW FILMS TO STREAM, RENT ON-DEMAND OR BUY FILM OF THE WEEK Hoppers (UK U/ROI PG, 104 mins, streaming from June 3 exclusively on Disney+, available from June 8 on digital platforms, also available from June 8 on DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Animation/Adventure/Comedy/Sci-Fi/Fantasy) Featuring the voices of: Piper Curda, Karen Huie, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Aparna Nancherla, Sam Richardson, Vanessa Bayer. Nineteen-year-old eco-activist Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda) nurtured a passion for wildlife from her late grandmother (Karen Huie) during blissful afternoons spent together in a glade near the old woman’s home in Beaverton. After grandma dies, animals abandon the glade and self-serving mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) confirms plans for his vanity project – the Beaverton Beltway – which will pass through the formerly teeming preserve. “You can’t save that place. Only a beaver can,” biology professor Dr Samantha Fairfax (Kathy Najimy) explains to Mabel, confirming that if a new beaver settles in the glade, Jerry cannot legally send in the bulldozers. Mabel subsequently learns that Dr Sam, colleague Nisha (Aparna Nancherla) and grad student Conner (Sam Richardson), have secretly developed Hopping technology, which allows humans to port their minds inside life-like robotic critters. Mabel hijacks the system to meld with a mechanised beaver and the teenager embarks on an outlandish odyssey to save the glade. Hoppers is a wildly imaginative, computer-animated comedy from the heartstring-pluckers at Pixar that conceals a tub-thumping lesson about protecting natural habitats inside a hilarious coming-of-age story. Stylised visuals ramp up cuteness over photorealism but remain impeccably detailed down to the way animal fur interacts with flowing water. Zany set pieces are breathlessly staged, especially the centrepiece of the Animal Council’s most deadly enforcer, shark assassin Diane (Vanessa Bayer), carrying out a contract to “squish” Jerry. I laughed uproariously at visual and verbal gags and drifted into dewy-eyed delirium before director Daniel Chong’s picture delivered the repeated emotional gut punches that have become Pixar’s trademark. Rating: **** RELEASED Relay (UK 15/ROI 15, 111 mins, Black Bear, available from June 8 on digital platforms, Thriller/Romance/Action) Starring:Riz Ahmed,Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Pun Bandhu, Eisa Davis, Matthew Maher. Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a silent fixer, who supports and protects whistleblowers who have stolen evidence of corporate malfeasance. Using a messaging relay service, which facilitates lively discourse between deaf and hearing communities, Ash acts as an invisible go-between to negotiate terms that ensure his client escapes punishment in return for keeping evidence under lock and key. Bioengineering company employee Sarah Grant (Lily James) has damning proof that her corporate behemoth intends to sell genetically engineered grain. She reaches out to Ash through an intermediary and he cautiously takes up her case. Covert surveillance confirms that Sarah is being watched by Dawson (Sam Worthington) and his associates. Using a series of disguises and technical fail-safes, Ash sends Dawson and co down a rabbit hole of bogus leads to distract the high-tech pursuers. Relay is an ingenious thriller directed by David Mackenzie, which engineers a high-stakes game of cats and mice on the streets of New York. Screenwriter Justin Piasecki ruthlessly exploits the simple mechanics of a real-life service to conceal the identity of the film’s crusading hero until exposure becomes an inevitability. The big twist relies on misdirection that feels like a blatant cheat in hindsight. Ahmed barely utters a word on screen for the opening hour and his performance is magnetic. Through facial expressions and gestures, he conveys every emotion churning under a calm facade. He kindles palpable chemistry with James from a tantalising distance. The script cannot quite nail the landing and relies on outrageous good fortune rather than cunning and logic to facilitate Ash’s hastily conceived masterplan. Rating: **** How To Make A Killing (UK 15/ROI 15, 108 mins, StudioCanal, available from June 8 on digital platforms, also available from June 8 on DVD/Blu-ray, Thriller/Comedy/Romance) Starring: Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick,Ed Harris, Nell Williams, Raff Law, Topher Grace, Grady Wilson. Becket Redfellow (Grady Wilson) is disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, spearheaded by grandfather Whitelaw (Ed Harris). On her deathbed, Becket’s mother, Mary (Nell Williams), whispers: “Promise me you won’t quit until you have the right kind of life… the kind of life I raised you to have.” As an orphan, the grieving boy reaches out to his biological family and is rejected again, sowing seeds of rage that just need a little watering. An unexpected reunion with former childhood crush, Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley), convinces Becket (now played by Glen Powell) to kill his selfish kin. Initially, he targets obnoxious stockbroker cousin, Taylor (Raff Law), before he starts pruning other branches of the family tree. How To Make A Killing lacks is an exceedingly loose remake of Kind Hearts And Coronets, which jettisons the gimmick that made the 1949 film such a whoop-inducing blast: namely, Sir Alec Guinness playing all eight members of an aristocratic family marked for death. Writer-director John Patton Ford’s contemporary revamp could do with that kind of unabashed, show-stopping theatrics to enliven a plodding script that gives the aggrieved lead character everything he needs to be happy but still compels him to slide a noose tightly around his own neck. Qualley’s materialistic vamp forcefully inserts herself into the plot. Screen chemistry with Powell’s serial killer is lukewarm and their lack of heat is felt acutely in the film’s belaboured final stretch when bullets start flying. Harris, Law and co-stars, who embody the doomed Redfellow bloodline, have limited screen time to make an impact. Rating: *** Scream 7 (UK 18/ROI 16, 113 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, available from June 8 on digital platforms, also available from June 8 on DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Horror/Thriller/Romance) Starring:Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Joel McHale, Sam Rechner, Celeste O’Connor, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Timothy Simons, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown. Sidney Prescott-Evans (Neve Campbell), one of the survivors of the original Ghostface killer(s), has relocated to the picture postcard town of Pine Grove to run a neighbourhood coffee shop. She raises her sassy 17-year-old daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), with her police officer husband, Mark (Joel McHale). A new Ghostface killer brazenly arrives in Pine Grove with a diabolical plan to target everyone that Sidney loves. To protect her family and old acquaintances, including Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), with whom Sidney has a “complicated but enduring” friendship, the stoic survivor confronts ghosts of her grim past. The most obvious suspects for scrutiny include Tatum’s classmates, Chloe (Celeste O’Connor), Hannah (Mckenna Grace) and Lucas (Asa Germann), and the school’s mean-spirited drama teacher (Timothy Simons). For long stretches, Scream 7 is a slickly executed blast with some satisfyingly squelchy kills. Campbell makes a welcome return as the prime target of Ghostface’s machinations. Her absence from the sixth film, set in New York City, is addressed head-on in dialogue between Sidney and Gale (“You’re lucky that you sat that one out – it was brutal.”) Unfortunately, one key sequence derails the entire picture and Kevin Williamson’s first stint in the franchise director’s chair never recovers. It is a bewildering and infuriating misstep, all the more glaring when everything else in a script co-written by the director and Guy Busick is polished and punctuated by delectable peekaboo moments with the masked menace. Rating: *** also released The Land Of Sometimes (UK U/ROI G, 93 mins, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, Animation/Fantasy/Adventure – see below) NEW TO DOWNLOAD, STREAM OR BUY Cape Fear (10 episodes, starts streaming from June 5 exclusively on Apple TV+, Thriller/Romance) Steven Spielberg executive produces a 10-part psychological thriller based on John D MacDonald’s suspense novel The Executioners and the 1962 and 1991 film versions of Cape Fear. The first two episodes premiere this week and the storm intensifies in further instalments on Fridays. Happily married lawyers Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Amy Adams) are responsible for putting notorious killer Max Cady (Javier Bardem) behind bars. The couple’s perfect life with children Natalie (Lily Collias) and Zack (Joe Anders) is threatened when Max is let out of prison and vows to exact revenge on the Bowdens. Tom and Anna’s Achilles heels are their children and Max cleverly targets Natalie to drive a wedge between the daughter and her terrified parents. Office Romance (UK 12/ROI 12 TBC, 94 mins, streaming from June 5 exclusively on Netflix, Comedy/Drama/Romance) Award-winning Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein co-writes and acts in a romantic comedy of errors directed by Ol Parker, pairing him with Jennifer Lopez. Jackie Cruz (Lopez) is the workaholic chief executive of Air Cruz, who has devoted her life to building up her business. She is a tough taskmaster and frowns upon romances between employees. New legal counsel Daniel Branchflower (Goldstein) is immediately smitten with Jackie but cannot act upon his attraction as he prepares the chief executive for a deposition in the Dominican Republic. As desire between the couple builds, they succumb to temptation and vow to conceal their feelings in the office so it does not undermine Jackie’s position as chief exec. Betty Gilpin, Edward James Olmos, Amy Sedaris and Bradley Whitford also star. Alice And Steve (6 episodes, starts streaming from June 8 exclusively on Disney+, Comedy/Drama/Romance) Love puts an intolerable strain on a lifelong friendship in this six-part comedy created by Sophie Goodhart and directed by Tom Kingsley. Alice (Nicola Walker) and Steve (Jemaine Clement) have weathered life’s greatest challenges side by side but storm clouds are gathering. Steve starts dating Alice’s 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith), and the mother secretly plots to sabotage the relationship to protect her bonds with two of the people she loves the most. Alice’s husband, Daniel (Joel Fry), and son, Dom (Tyrese Eaton-Dyce), witness the emotional fallout when Steve launches retaliatory measures, sparking a feud that threatens to escalate out of control Every Year After (8 episodes, streaming from June 10 exclusively on Prime Video, Romance/Drama) Persephone “Percy” Fraser (Sadie Soverall) returns to the source of her greatest pleasure and pain in an eight-part romance based on Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel. Percy has a seemingly idyllic life in the city in her stylish apartment, surrounded by friends, but she keeps people at arm’s length. A shocking telephone call propels her back to Barry’s Bay and to Sam Florek (Matt Cornett), the man she once believed she could never live without. Over the course of six years and one week, Percy revisits the choices she made about Sam and the deep psychological wounds she inflicted on herself. All episodes debut this week. Best Medicine (13 episodes, streaming from June 9 exclusively on Now, Comedy/Drama /Romance) Josh Charles plays a cranky heart surgeon, who leaves the big city for small town life, in an American remake of the long-running British comedy drama Doc Martin. Dr Martin Best (Charles) relinquishes his position at a hospital in Boston to take up private practice in a small fishing village where he holidayed as a child. In the absence of a friendly bedside manner, Martin creates friction with many residents of Port Wenn in Maine including schoolteacher Louisa Gavin (Abigail Spencer) and her one-time fiance, sheriff Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra). Martin begrudgingly forges emotional bonds with his patients and unravels their perplexing medical histories while getting to know his mobster aunt, Sarah (Annie Potts), who operates on the wrong side of the law. Best Of The World With Antoni Porowski (4 episodes, starts streaming from June 8 exclusively on Disney+, Documentary) Montreal-born cook and author Antoni Porowski, best known as the food and drink expert on Netflix reality makeover series Queer Eye, hosts a four-part travelogue which celebrates some of the world’s most vibrant destinations. In each location, he immerses himself in the culture, history and, of course, the cuisine, searching for authentic experiences that are exclusive to each city. Travelling first to London, Antoni samples the tastes of Brick Lane, discovers what makes Big Ben’s Great Clock tick, explores Kew Gardens and dives headfirst into the local drag scene. In Mexico City, he enters the cathedral of the lucha libre and glides through Xochimilco’s ancient waterways, while Paris invites him to cycle to the top of Montmartre and venture behind the scenes of the Moulin Rouge. Heading back home to New York City, he is excited to share fusion cuisine, mind-bending cocktails and a unique twist on pizza. Sweet Magnolias – Season 5 (10 episodes, streaming from June 11 exclusively on Netflix, Romance/Drama) Best friends Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), Helen (Heather Headley) and Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) face new challenges in the heartwarming drama based on the bestselling novels by Sherryl Woods. Maddie is excited by her publishing job in New York City and she befriends prominent writer Nell Winters (Jamie-Lynn Sigler). Dana Sue and Helen provide unstinting support as Maddie navigates personal and professional crises. Back in Serenity, South Carolina, Dana Sue’s husband, Ronnie (Brandon Quinn), has a new business partner, Courtney Sinclair (Courtney Grace), and sparks fly with business rival Clark Bellson (John Gabriel Rodriquez). Mexico 86 (UK 15/ROI 15 TBC, 95mins, streaming from June 5 exclusively on Netflix, Drama/Comedy/Sport) Diego Luna headlines a satirical drama directed by Gabriel Ripstein about Mexico’s audacious bid to host the 1986 World Cup. Colombia is chosen to host the tournament but incoming president Belisario Betancur announces his country can no longer afford to honour the commitment. Mexican bureaucrat Martin de la Torre (Luna) vows to do whatever it takes so his beloved homeland takes over as host for a second time. Bending and breaking rules along the way, de la Torre faces an uphill battle to defeat bid rivals, the United States and Canada. However, in business and on a football pitch, anything is possible. James Dean: The Emotional Man (UK 12/ROI 12 TBC, 75 mins, streaming from June 11 exclusively on Now, Documentary) When he died at the age of 24 in a car accident, James Dean had made three films in quick succession: East Of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. Openly vulnerable on screen, he challenged conventional portrayals of masculinity and became a sex symbol for a generation. Dean was posthumously honoured with Oscar nominations for two of his roles and in this feature-length documentary, commentators and experts consider his lasting impact on Hollywood and popular culture. Devil In The Dust (UK 15/ROI 15 TBC, 108 mins, streaming from June 5 exclusively on Paramount+, Western/Fantasy/Thriller) Widowed doctor Bender (Guy Pearce) agrees to escort freed slave, Sarah (DeWanda Wise), and her daughter (Emily Katherine Ford) across the wilderness. Mother and child seek an audience with Preacher Ross (Bill Pullman) in the hope he can exorcise the demon that resides in the girl. The tyke can kill with a touch of her bare hands and she wears gloves to prevent a rapidly escalating body count in a supernatural western directed by Ned Crowley. The Land Of Sometimes (UK U/ROI G, 93 mins, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, available from June 8 on digital platforms, Animation/Fantasy/Adventure) Twin siblings discover the power of a united family in an animated escapade based on Francesca Longrigg’s audiobook, which features new original songs by Sir Tim Rice and Pete Hobbs. Alfie (voiced by Andrei Shen) and sister Elise (Alisha Weir) receive a magical watch from their missing soldier father (Calum Callaghan). The children summon the mysterious Wish Collector (Ewan McGregor), who spirits the tykes away to The Land of Sometimes, where all four seasons pass in one day. The siblings are granted six wishes, which sounds a lot, but Alfie and Elise quickly learn they need to be careful what they wish for. As the pair seek enlightenment, they cross paths with a menagerie of wild and fantastical creatures. The voice cast of Leon Joosen’s film also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Mel Brooks, Asa Butterfield and the late Terry Jones.

Canada’s Frontera Energy Corporation has pivoted to a fully focused, pure-play energy infrastructure company by exiting the exploration and production segment and betting on liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and container growth at Puerto Bahía, Colombia. Frontera Energy has revealed that the completion of the divestiture of its Colombian exploration and production assets to Parex Resources through its wholly-owned subsidiary enables it to formally become a fully focused, pure-play energy infrastructure company. The firm claims to be uniquely positioned as a focused infrastructure platform within Colombia’s energy value chain anchored by the cash‑flow generation from its ownership in Oleoducto de Los Llanos Orientales (ODL) and a portfolio of strategic projects, bringing additional growth to its subsidiary, Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía (Puerto Bahía), which together provide a differentiated value proposition in the infrastructure space. Gabriel de Alba, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Frontera, commented:“Frontera has evolved into a focused energy infrastructure company at a critically important time for Colombia and the broader energy sector. The ODL pipeline, one of Colombia’s most important energy infrastructure assets, provides stable and predictable cash generation, while Puerto Bahía represents a strategically located, difficult-to-replicate infrastructure platform with significant expansion potential. “Together with a strong balance sheet, these assets position the Company to deliver a compelling combination of resilient cash flows, visible growth opportunities, and long-term value creation. With approximately $64 million of cash on its balance sheet, expected ODL dividends of approximately $65 million this year, and multiple near-term catalysts supporting the expansion of Puerto Bahía, including the LNG regasification project, which has now entered the execution phase, Frontera is well positioned to capitalize on Colombia’s growing energy infrastructure needs.” Puerto Bahía has entered into a take-or-pay agreement with Ecopetrol, which will enable it to provide integrated logistics and LNG regasification services in Cartagena, Colombia. The agreement is to be developed in two phases, with initial regasification of 126 million cubic feet per day (cfd), starting in 2027, increasing to 300 million cfd after the first two years. The company has entered into a contract with a U.S.-based player for the lease of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and the provision of related operations and maintenance (O&M) services to fulfill the contract and satisfy additional demand needs. The agreement provides Puerto Bahía with access to an FSRU with LNG regasification capacity of around 500 million cfd beginning in 2027 for an initial term of seven years, extendable for an additional five to eight years. Orlando Cabrales Segovia, Chief Executive Officer at Frontera, remarked:“The Puerto Bahia agreements mark an important milestone in the advancement of the LNG project and further reinforces the strategic role of Puerto Bahia within Colombia’s energy infrastructure. Through our partnership with Ecopetrol and one of the world’s largest FSRU providers and operators, we are combining Puerto Bahía’s established infrastructure and operating capabilities with a proven global LNG platform to provide a reliable and scalable solution to Colombia’s growing natural gas supply needs. “We also continue to make meaningful progress across our energy infrastructure projects, including reaching a key milestone in the LPG project with the successful commencement of initial operations, which gives us the capacity to handle up to 10,000 tons per month. We are also evaluating the entry into power generation anchored by our LNG project, in particular, the potential development of a gas fired power plant at Puerto Bahia. At our container business, we also expect further growth beyond the current capacity of approximately 42,000 TEUs per annum.” The firm emphasizes that the take-or-pay agreement with Ecopetrol represents a committed offtake volume intended to underwrite the FSRU lease contract. The project is perceived to have meaningful upside through potential incremental third-party demand, supported by South America’s growing natural gas supply deficit, weather-related supply pressures associated with El Niño conditions, and the additional regasification capacity expected to be provided by the contracted FSRU. Frontera owns a 35% equity investment in the ODL pipeline, which connects Rubiales, Quifa, Caño Sur, Llanos-34, and other blocks to the Monterrey and Cusiana Stations in the department of Casanare, Colombia, transporting approximately 30% of the country’s oil production and serving the Llanos basin, which holds roughly 70% of Colombia’s proven crude oil reserves. The Canadian player owns a 99.97% equity interest in Puerto Bahía, a strategically located multi-purpose maritime and logistics terminal in Cartagena, Colombia, adjacent to the Bocachica access channel in Cartagena Bay. Under the LNG project with Ecopetrol, Puerto Bahía would provide services, including receiving LNG, regasifying it and delivering regasified natural gas at agreed delivery points. This content is available after accepting the cookies. Guyana partners strike loan deal The LNG project is perceived to be supported by Colombia’s growing natural gas supply deficit, the weather-related supply pressures associated with El Niño conditions and the resulting need for reliable alternative sources of supply. The project is expected to strengthen Puerto Bahía’s role in the country’s energy infrastructure while supporting energy security and long-term growth in the asset’s service offering. The LNG project is expected to benefit from the terminal’s existing port infrastructure and operating platform, including the Reficar connection for natural gas, which is expected to support an accelerated development timeline and faster time to market. Puerto Bahía is positioned to leverage several existing advantages in advancing the project, including regulatory readiness, as the existing environmental license and concession allow for LNG imports. The LNG project is expected to start commercial operations at the beginning of 2027. Puerto Bahía and Gasco Soluciones Logísticas y Energéticas S.A.S. (Gasco) have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop, construct and operate a refrigerated LPG storage facility at Puerto Bahía, with capacity to import and store more than 240,000 tonnes of LPG annually, supported by a ten-year offtake agreement with Gasco. The terminal has made meaningful progress toward its development, including the commencement of operations in March 2026, which provides handling capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes per month. Puerto Bahía continues to advance the project to achieve full operations during the first quarter of 2028. The terminal has delivered strong growth in container volumes, increasing from nil in 2024 to approximately 18,000 TEUs in 2025, with further growth expected. Existing infrastructure already has the capacity to support approximately 42,000 TEUs per annum. “Puerto Bahía is focused on regional containerized cargo lines to capture trade growth and further develop its role as a regional transshipment hub. The asset has meaningful upside potential to strengthen its position as a containerized cargo hub in Cartagena, supported by a phased expansion strategy aligned with volume growth,”highlighted Frontera. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! 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Norwegian energy data and intelligence provider TGS has secured an award to perform a 4D streamer contractoffshore Angola, described as large and high-end. The contract has a duration of approximately eight months, with the acquisition expected to begin in early July. According to the Norwegian firm, the award provides its vessel with visibility well into the first quarter of 2027. “The award further underscores our ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality data solutions to clients. Leveraging the advanced Ramform acquisition platform, coupled with the proprietary multi-sensor GeoStreamer technology. TGS is well-equipped to deliver results that align with the evolving needs of the energy sector,”saidKristian Johansen, CEO ofTGS. This news comes after TGSsecured three new contractsin the Norwegian North Sea, with the first having started immediately. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Each week we will feature some of the top performances across South Jersey softball diamonds in our seven-county coverage area. Who had the best week? Vote in the poll at the end of the story. Voting will close on Friday afternoon. Williamstown's Angel Bushwas the top vote getter last week, garnering 36.9 percent of the 13.6 K votes recorded.Delran's Colbie AleszczykandGloucester County Tech's Madison Krouparounded out the top three vote getters. Brianna Gallo, Bordentown.The junior spun a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts as the Scotties knocked off third-seeded Delran, 5-0, to avenge two regular-season losses to the Bears and reach the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinal round. Gallo has allowed one run over 14 postseason innings with three walks and 13 strikeouts. Jasmine Martinez, Palmyra.The senior picked up a pair of postseason wins, striking out 25 without allowing an earned run over 14 innings, as the Panthers checked into the South Jersey Group 1 semifinal. She helped her own cause by going 3-for-6 with four RBIs at the plate in wins over Glassboro and Gateway. Martinez has struck out 229 batters and boasts a 2.09 ERA. Jayla Zingaro, Florence.The freshman leadoff hitter provided five hits, five runs scored and four RBIs as the ninth-seeded Flashes posted a pair of upsets and advanced to the semifinal round of the Central Jersey Group 1 tournament. Zingaro went 3-fot-5 with her first scholastic homer as Florence shocked top-seeded Shore 12-6. Sadie Afflerbach, West Deptford.The senior collected two hits, including her first scholastic home run, as the Eagles soared to a 7-4 win over Cedar Creek in the South Jersey Group 2 quarterfinal round on May 29. Afflerbach finished with three RBIs, including two on the round-tripper. She’s driven in six runs over her last three games. Leah Schiavo, Audubon.The freshman catcher made her postseason debut in stellar fashion, collecting a pair of two-hit, two-RBI performances as the Green Wave began their sectional title defense with wins over Paulsboro and Riverside in the South Jersey Group 1 tournament. Alexis Ullman, Gloucester.The senior went 5-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs as the Lions roared to two wins to open their state Group 2 title defense. Ullman has at least one hit in eight of her last nine games, raising her batting average to .333. She also has six RBIs over her last four contests. Keira Wackes, Haddon Heights.The sophomore went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs as the Garnets polished off a 2-1 win over Cinnaminson to reach the South Jersey Group 2 semifinal round. She also reached base twice, scored a run and knocked in a run during Heights’ playoff-opening win over Lower Cape May. Isabella Acetti, Bishop Eustace.The sophomore put up threes across the board with three hits, three runs scored and three RBIs during the Crusaders’ 16-2 victory over Wildwood Catholic in the South Jersey Non-Public B first-round game. Kasey McNee, Cherokee.The senior contributed a pair of three-hit games as the Chiefs advanced to the South Jersey Group 4 semifinal round with victories over Toms River North and Central Regional. McNee is batting .800 (8-for-10) with three doubles and five runs scored over her last three games. Evelyn Stover, Cherry Hill East. The junior finished the season on a torrid streak at the plate with six straight multi-hit games. She delivered a pair of two-knock games in the postseason, which included career hit No. 100 in the Cougars’ first playoff win in 23 years – a 3-0 victory over Williamstown. Stover batted .507 for the spring, the second straight season she finished north of .500. Cailyn Centeno, Delsea.Just another week at the office for this sophomore as she went 4-for-8 with a pair of homers and five RBIs to go along with two pitching wins as the Crusaders advanced to the South Jersey Group 3 semifinal round with victories over Mainland and Seneca. Centeno struck out 22 batters over her 12 innings of work, allowing two runs on seven hits. At the plate, she has hit four homers in her last five games, giving her a team-best 12 round-trippers on the season. Ava D’Alessandro, Clearview.The junior stayed hot at the dish with two more multi-hit games to power the Pioneers in the South Jersey Group 3 semifinal round. She has 10 hits over her last four games to raise her batting average to .465. Riley Mikiewicz, Triton.The senior made her final scholastic knock a big one as she tied the program record for hits in a career (136) during the Mustangs’ 2-1 loss at Hammonton on May 28. She tied the mark that was set 14 years earlier. Mikiewicz finished the season with 31 hits, including 16 over her last 10 games. She hit .403 this spring. Ava Snyder, Kingsway.The senior collected three doubles and swatted her eighth homer of the season as the defending South Jersey Group 4 champion Dragons opened the tournament with wins over Atlantic County Tech and Cherry Hill East. Snyder drove in five runs over the two games and her 10 RBIs over the last three games has lifted her season total to a club-best 32. Leah Catto, Ocean City.The sophomore went 6-for-7 with four runs scored and eight RBIs, powering the Red Raiders to a pair of postseason wins over Cherry Hill West and Timber Creek in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament. Catto has raised her season hit total to 48 with a .565 batting average and has 85 knocks in her scholastic career. Madisyn Powell, St. Joseph Academy.The senior slugged three homers and drove in five runs as the Wildcats picked up wins over Notre Dame and Bishop Eustace. Powell had a double with her other hit last week. She has six homers on the season. Arionna Ware, Vineland.The sophomore had five hits in seven at-bats, including a 4-for-4 effort against Egg Harbor Township, as the Fighting Clan moved into the South Jersey Group 4 semifinal round. Ware is batting .397 this spring. Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by emailat tmcgurk@usatodayco.com.Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

Vantage Drilling, a Bermuda-exempted offshore drilling contractor, and Eldorado Drilling, an offshore drilling player backed by a group of well-known Norwegian investors, have embarked on a merger quest, which is expected to strengthen drilling capabilities, customer relationships, and investment capacity. Eldorado has set the wheels in motion to acquire Vantage Drilling in a $257.6 million cash deal, backed by a $125 million equity commitment from the Norwegian player’s principal shareholder. The completion of the merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of the required shareholder approval and the absence of any applicable law issued by a governmental authority in a key jurisdiction that makes the merger illegal, or otherwise prevents, or prohibits its consummation. This business combination is made possible through an agreement and plan of merger, dated May 29, 2026, between Vantage and Eldorado and its subsidiary, Eldorado Drilling Merger Sub, a Bermuda exempted company limited by shares. As a result, the Norwegian company will acquire Vantage by way of a merger of merger sub with and into the company, with the firm surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary. Ihab Toma, Chief Executive Officer of Vantage Drilling, commented:“We are excited to join forces with Eldorado. Our teams share a commitment to safety,operational excellence, and customer success. This transaction strengthens ourability to invest in our people and assets, pursue high-quality opportunitiesacross regions, and maintain the standards our customers expect.” Vantage shareholders are set to receive $19 per share in cash, representing an equity value of approximately $257.6 million. This transaction was unanimously approved and recommended to the firm’s shareholders by its board of directors. A shareholder meeting to approve the merger is expected to be held on June 18, 2026. The merger will be implemented as a statutory merger under Bermuda law, with Vantage as the surviving company and as a wholly owned subsidiary of Eldorado, following completion. The surviving company’s name will remain Vantage Drilling International. The principal shareholder of Eldorado has committed to provide $125 million of equity funding for the transaction, consisting of a $64,500,000 cash commitment and $60,500,000 through the conversion of an existing shareholder note into equity. The principal shareholder of Eldorado is also the guarantor under the merger agreement. Subject to satisfaction of the closing conditions set out in the merger agreement, the completion is expected at the beginning of the third quarter of 2026. Bernie Wolford, Chairman of Eldorado, underlined:“Today’s announcement marks an important step in building a scaled, resilient offshore drilling platform. “By combining Vantage Drilling’s global operating capabilities and long-termcustomer relationships with Eldorado’s investment program, we believe we candeliver enhanced solutions for customers, accelerate growth opportunities, andcreate lasting value.” This merger shows that the rig market consolidation wave is gaining momentum, as it comes months after Transoceandecided to acquireValaris in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $5.8 billion in a bid to establish a combined company with a diversified offshore fleet of 73 rigs, including 33 ultra-deepwater drillships, nine semi-submersibles, and 31 modern jack-ups. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Il gruppo Volkswagen ha vinto in primo grado la causa intentata da Mol e cinque compagnie assicurative per l’episodio del 2022. Cause impossibili da dimostrare Non è stato possibile stabilire se fu la batteria agli ioni di litio montata su una Porsche Taycan a scatenare l’incendio che divampò sulla Felicity Ace, e che portò infine al suo affondamento. Così ha deliberato il tribunale di Stoccarda, chiamato a esprimersi sul caso della car carrier affondata nel 2022 al largo del Portogallo con un carico di quasi 4.000 veicoli di alta gamma. La nave, battente bandiera panamense e operata dalla compagnia giapponese Mitsui Osk Lines (Mol), prese fuoco il 16 febbraio 2022 mentre navigava a circa 90 miglia nautiche a sud-ovest delle Azzorre, nel corso di un viaggio che avrebbe dovuto portarla da Emden, in Germania, verso il Rhode Island, negli Usa. L’incendio proseguì per oltre due settimane. Tutti i 22 membri dell’equipaggio furono evacuati in sicurezza dalle autorità portoghesi, ma la nave si inabissò il 1° marzo 2022 con il suo carico di quasi 4.000 veicoli composto da Porsche – tra cui oltre 100 Porsche Taycan elettriche – Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini e Volkswagen. Secondo il gruppo Volkswagen le auto a bordo avevano un valore di 400 milioni di dollari. Sul caso, l’Autorità marittima di Panama aveva condotto già nel 2022 una indagine le cui risultanze erano state trasmesse all’Organizzazione Marittima Internazionale senza che però il contenuto fosse mai stato reso pubblico. Secondo quanto emerso un paio d’anni più tardi, Mitsui Osk Lines e Allianz ritenevano di avere identificato la causa dell’incendio in una batteria difettosa di un veicolo elettrico Porsche, e avevano pertanto intentato cause separate contro il gruppo Volkswagen, con una iniziativa che aveva riacceso il dibattito sul trasporto in sicurezza via mare di veicoli di questo tipo. La richiesta di risarcimento danni nei confronti di Porsche ammontava a quasi 30 milioni di euro. Il produttore di auto aveva respinto le accuse, indicando inoltre un’altra possibile causa del rogo. Ora il pronunciamento del tribunale di Stoccarda, che però potrà ancora essere impugnato in appello. Un’altra causa contro Porsche e contro la logistica del gruppo Volkswagen per lo stesso episodio, riferisce il sito dpa-Afx, è in corso a Braunschweig. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Early works to support the installation of the mainland underground cable section of the 1.8 GW power transmission link that will connect the Scottish Western Isles to the UK national electricity transmission network for the first time are set to begin on June 8. The Western Isles HVDC Link will consist of approximately 83 kilometers of underground cable and 81 kilometers of subsea cable, connecting SSEN Transmission’s Lewis Hub HVDC converter station and AC substation on the Isle of Lewis to the mainland. Highlands-based contractor RJ McLeod will carry out the early works which will focus on preparing the route between Dundonnell and Beauly before the main construction later this year. In the coming weeks, works taking place as part of permitted development activity will include access provision, improving local tracks to support cable installation, establishing temporary working compounds, and undertaking specific tree felling. “These early works, taking place under permitted development, are an important early step in delivering the mainland underground cable section of the Western Isles HVDC Link,”saidNiall Macleod, Project Director for SSEN Transmission. “We are also pleased that this phase of the project will be delivered by local contractors, supporting jobs and economic activity in line with our commitment as the first organisation to sign the Highland Social Value Charter.” The project is a key component of SSEN Transmission’s planned £22 billion investment program to upgrade the north of Scotland’s electricity transmission grid. The Scottish Government Marine Directorate at the beginning of 2026granted the variation to the existing marine license, approved in 2021, for the subsea cable link, greenlighting the needed increase in capacity. Hitachi Energywill deliver the HVDC converter stationsfor the project, with NKTdelivering the power cable system. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

È salito di livello il monitoraggio internazionale della “flotta ombra” con il fermo avvenuto ieri della nave Tagor nelle acque dell’Oceano Atlantico da parte della Marina militare francese. Più precisamente, secondo l’agenzia stampa Reuters, una forza d’intervento d’oltralpe, supportata dal lato logistico e d’intelligence dal Regno Unito, ha intercettato e abbordato in acque internazionali la suddetta petroliera sanzionata. La nave è una crude oil tanker (Imo: 9282481), lunga 252 metri e larga 44, salpata dal porto artico russo di Murmansk, che al momento del fermo si trovava a circa 400 miglia a ovest delle coste della Bretagna. Il blitz è stato eseguito dai reparti d’assalto che si sono calati sulla nave da elicotteri militari, mettendola successivamente sotto scorta navale e reindirizzandola verso la Francia nord-occidentale per condurla all’ancoraggio e approfondire gli accertamenti documentali. La nave, sotto il profilo giuridico, ha potuto essere fermata perché sospettata di navigare sotto falsa bandiera; nonostante i sistemi di tracciamento marittimo indicassero la sua registrazione ufficiale presso il registro del Madagascar, l’ispezione preliminare dei documenti eseguita dal team di bordo della Prefettura marittima francese ha “confermato i sospetti relativi all’irregolarità della bandiera issata”. Questo aspetto legale fondamentale – ovvero la dimostrazione di una bandiera fraudolenta o l’assenza di una nazionalità valida – secondo il diritto della navigazione permette lo sblocco dei poteri di polizia marittima internazionale in acque extraterritoriali, superando così l’immunità giurisdizionale dello Stato di bandiera. L’operazione Tagor rappresenta il quarto provvedimento di blocco eseguito dalle autorità francesi contro navi cisterna sanzionate collegate al commercio di petrolio di Mosca. Il precedente più recente risale allo scorso aprile, quando i proprietari della Deyna, un’unità battente bandiera del Mozambico, hanno dovuto versare una sanzione pecuniaria dall’importo riservato per ottenere il rilascio della nave. Il metodo operativo utilizzato con Tagor evidenzia una modalità più aggressiva da parte delle forze speciali di Parigi e Londra che cercano di far valere il diciannovesimo pacchetto di sanzioni europee. A marzo, il Primo Ministro britannico Keir Starmer aveva formalmente autorizzato le forze armate del Regno Unito a eseguire ispezioni fisiche a bordo delle navi riconducibili alla flotta ombra; nonostante questo, i dati sul traffico commerciale evidenziano che decine di unità sanzionate stanno continuando a transitare regolarmente attraverso le acque territoriali britanniche. Questa escalation nell’Oceano Atlantico ha provocato reazioni differenti e diverse opinioni sulle strategie da adottare all’interno dei paesi europei. Il Cremlino, che si è espresso attraverso il portavoce Dmitry Peskov, ha fermamente condannato il sequestro definendolo un atto illegittimo simile alla pirateria internazionale e preannunciando l’adozione di contromisure per garantire l’incolumità dei propri carichi. Mosca potrebbe replicare quanto fatto ad aprile, quando scortò due tanker sanzionate lungo il Canale della Manica impiegando una fregata militare. Una prova di forza che scatena timore delle nazioni costiere più esposte: paesi baltici come l’Estonia hanno infatti già manifestato forte cautela accennando alla possibilità di astenersi dal trattenere o ispezionare fisicamente le petroliere sospette nei propri spazi marittimi, per evitare incidenti geopolitici a ridosso delle acque territoriali russe. Dal punto di vista dei mercati e dei noli, gli analisti evidenziano come le sanzioni e le sporadiche intercettazioni navali abbiano finora scalfito solo marginalmente l’operatività della flotta ombra. I forti incentivi economici legati al rialzo dei prezzi del greggio, spinti dalle tensioni della guerra in Iran, spingono gli armatori di registri ‘opachi’ ad accettare l’incremento del rischio assicurativo e legale pur di servire i mercati di sbocco in India e Cina. In un quadro globale delle esportazioni russe, l’effettiva contrazione della capacità di distribuire petrolio di Mosca sembra derivare più dall’impatto dei raid di droni ucraini contro gli impianti petroliferi di raffinazione e stoccaggio a terra che non dai blocchi fisici attuati lungo le rotte oceaniche. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI https://x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/2061303998888509492?s=20

A conditional final investment decision (cFID) is paving the way to prolong operations at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Netherlands until 2036, securing its role in the country’s LNG infrastructure beyond 2027. Gasunie and Vopak, as shareholders ofEemsEnergyTerminal, have taken the conditional investment decision as a significant step toward extending the LNG terminal in Eemshaven (Groningen) beyond 2027, based on recently concluded commercial contracts for the period 2028-2036 and a government-committed guarantee to cover part of the remaining project risks and thereby ensure the extension of the terminal. This decision is interpreted to mark a major milestone in the continuation of the LNG infrastructure in Eemshaven, with the final investment decision (FID) expected to follow once the necessary permits have been obtained. EemsEnergyTerminal has concluded contracts with customers who will supply LNG to the terminal during the period 2028-2036. While a significant part of the offered capacity has been contracted, discussions are said to be ongoing with various parties for the remaining capacity, which is offered on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis. The EemsEnergyTerminal currently has a capacity of 8 billion cubic meters (bcm). The shareholders highlight that the need for a robust and reliable energy infrastructure remains undiminished in the longer term. The intended extension will enable the import of 8.6 bcm of natural gas per year, which corresponds to approximately 25% of the annual Dutch gas demand. Gasunie and Vopak underline their joint ambition to make a lasting contribution to the energy security of the Netherlands and Europe with this LNG terminal. The LNG import terminal in Eemshaven, which has been operational since September 2022, was originally contracted for a period of five years and developed in consultation with the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth to increase energy security and reduce dependence on Russian gas. This comes weeks after Exmarlaunched afloating storage regasification unit (FSRU)conversion project, which is being undertaken to advance the long-term expansion of the EemsEnergyTerminal, following the signing of a conditional charter party, covering both the extension of the existing Eemshaven LNG FSRU and a newly converted FSRU. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Sale la tensione in Liberty Lines dopo che alle 24 di questa notte è scaduto il termine dell’accordo integrativo aziendale, già prorogato in precedenza. Le Segreterie di Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl e Uiltrasporti hanno diffuso una nota per informare lavoratrici e lavoratori che “allo stato attuale non è stato raggiunto un accordo” ma che è volontà delle tre sigle “riprendere il confronto con l’azienda, auspicando una rapida riapertura e chiusura della trattativa”. In conseguenza dell’impasse, spiegano, già da oggi 1 giugno 2026 la compagnia potrebbe dare corso all’applicazione integrale del solo contratto nazionale, sia per gli aspetti normativi che per quelli relativi all’organizzazione del lavoro, compresa la turnistica, nonché per quelli economici, in assenza di una intesa di secondo livello. Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl e Uiltrasporti hanno poi evidenziato che “nei prossimi giorni saranno fornite ulteriori informazioni ed indicazioni operative, al fine di garantire la massima tutela dei diritti e degli interessi di tutte le lavoratrici e di tutti i lavoratori”. Parallelamente si è fatta sentire anche Ugl Mare e Porti. Con una missiva indirizzata, oltre che alla stessa Liberty Lines, anche alla Commissione di garanzia scioperi, a Confitarma, e alle istituzioni coinvolte, ha indetto lo stato di agitazione ai sensi della legge 146/90, e chiesto di essere urgentemente convocata. La definizione dell’accordo integrativo, secondo l’organizzazione, è necessaria per colmare “alcune lacune da tempo evidenziate” e per adeguare il riconoscimento economico delle professionalità impiegate nel comparto. Ugl ha sottolineato infine come il mancato rinnovo rischi di prolungare criticità già presenti nell’organizzazione del lavoro e nei trattamenti economici. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Rapido ritocco nello stabilimento Fincantieri di Palermo per la Valiant Lady. Dopo avere attraversato l’Oceano Atlantico, la nave di Virgin Voyages ha raggiunto a inizio maggio il cantiere siciliano per affrontare alcuni lavori, tra cui quelli per l’aggiunta del nuovo ristorante Ariya, ispirato ai mercati delle spezie indiani e comprensivo anche di un bar. In linea con quanto fissato nel programma, la cruiseship è poi ripartita prima della fine di maggio. Dopo avere raggiunto Palma di Maiorca, nei prossimi giorni toccherà di nuovo l’Italia per una sosta a Civitavecchia. Costruita da Fincantieri nello stabilimento di Sestri Ponente e consegnata nel 2021, la Valiant Lady ha una stazza lorda di 110.000 tonnellate e una lunghezza di 278 metri per una capacità di 2.770 passeggeri, come la capostipite della flotta, la Scarlet Lady. Nella imminente stagione estiva la nave sarà dislocata nel Mediterraneo, offrendo viaggi con partenza da Barcellona e Civitavecchia, prima di spostarsi nel Regno Unito verso la fine dell’estate per una serie di crociere con partenza da Portsmouth. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Join War on the Rocks and gain access to content trusted by policymakers, military leaders, and strategic thinkers worldwide. One of the most effective counter-drone systems in the largest drone war in history between Ukraine and Russia isa German anti-aircraft gun designed during the Cold War. The Gepard — a self-propelled 35 mm cannon that first entered service in 1976 — has earned recognition from Ukrainian military experts as the most effective weapon against Shahed-type drones, at a cost of a few thousand dollars per engagement. Meanwhile, one of the more novel counter-drone technologies amounts to a sharpened prongmountedon another drone that lances its target mid-flight — a 12th-century solution to a 21st-century problem.Then there is the 2026 Iran war, where the wealthiest states in the Middle East have spent tens of billions of dollars onlayeredPatriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and related architectures over the past decade but are running out of ammunition for those systems, fast.Iran’s missiles and drones have struck Gulf hotels, energy facilities, and billion-dollar military radarswith frequency and persistence. Even though most Iranian missiles are intercepted,each successful interception burns through guided missiles at a rate the Western defense-industrial base cannot sustainindefinitely. The Center for International and Strategic Studies concluded that, while the picture of replenishment is challenging and often has long lead times, it ismanageablefor the United States, at least in this war. For the Gulf states, however, the picture is much moretroubling, not least as “the U.S. and Israel will still need to first re-stock their own inventories.”These air defense systems are technical miracles — they are literally shooting a bullet in the air with another bullet. But technical performance and strategic sustainability are not the same thing, and the Iran war is exposing this critical difference with brutal clarity. To answer these issues, the Gulf states need neither more F-15s, nor do they need to badger the United States for access tothe F-35 – the latest high-tech export that promises to be all things to all people. Rather, they need a change of procurement mindset across the board, which would rest on three elements.The first is local relevance: an architecture built around the threats Gulf states actually face, rather than those that animate American (and other supplier) force planning assumptions and that Gulf militaries have inherited largelyintact. The second is logistical realism: a sober assessment of whether the collective Gulf force can host, maintain, and operate a given system at the tempo combat demands, with the trained crews, depot infrastructure, and institutional routines that exquisite platforms silently assume. The third is industrial sustainability: a recognition that the relevant unit of capability is not the platform but the production rate behind it, and that a weapon expended in days and replenished in years is, in any extended conflict, a one-shot system regardless of its sophistication.As this pertains to air and missile defense specifically, it means forging a genuinely layered architecture in which exquisite interceptors sit at the apex of a structure whose lower tiers — physical barriers, electronic warfare, helicopter and gun-based engagement, and interceptor drones — do the bulk of the attritional work. The current posture is layered in name only, with most focus and investment concentrated in the most expensive and least replenishable tier: guided missiles. A serious layered architecture inverts that distribution, and its foundation — which may be awkward for the prestige economy of regional defense — may turn out to be a fence.BECOME A MEMBERThe Depletion CrisisIn the opening days of the Iran war,Gulf coalition air defenses fired “thoughtlessly,” according to Ukrainian military advisors deployed to the region, using multiples of the highest-quality, most sophisticated missiles against drones without classifying threats or rationing interceptors.Over 1,000 Patriot interceptors were consumed in the first 10 days, against regional stockpiles estimated at 1,800 to 2,300 missiles. THAAD interceptors costing $12-13 million each were expended at a rate that consumed a significant share of annual production — just 96missilesper year — within the first fortnight.The United States had to redeploy interceptors from South Korea to maintain supplies.In early March 2026, Kelly Grieco of the Stimson Center warned that at the rate of consumption observed in the opening days —extrapolatedfrom the June 2025 12-Day War, during which America expended an estimated 100 to 150 THAAD interceptors supporting Israel — the United States would burn through half its entire interceptor stockpile in four to five weeks. The depletion curve has since materialized in roughly that form. By April, oneanalysisfound that the U.S. military had expended nearly half of its Patriot stockpile and more than half of its THAAD interceptors in the war with Iran.Iran’s inexpensive Shaheddrones, which come in multiple varieties, are central to this depletion dynamic. Each drone or missileinterceptedby a high-end guided missile – Patriot Advanced Capability 3, Standard Missile 6, or THAAD — burns through inventory the defense-industrial base cannot replace at anything close to the rate of consumption. Open-source estimates of the cost-exchange ratio vary by Shahed variant and engagement doctrine but cluster between roughly 100:1 and 230:1 in the attacker’s favor: a $35,000Shahed-136 against a $4 million Patriot Advanced Capability Missile Segment Enhancer at the two-shotdoctrinefor high-value asset defense.The arithmetic for Iran’s ballistic missile salvos is different but no more sustainable: a $12.7 million THAAD interceptor against an Iranian ballistic missile manufactured at a fraction of that cost. Such ratios are not ideal, but it makes sense to defend high-value targets even at this high expense. The far bigger problem, however, is that theproduction-exchange ratiois even moreasymmetricand unsustainable. Patriot Advanced Capability 3 annual production isapproximately600 missiles.Iran can produce hundreds of Shaheds in a week.The Gulf states’ missile defense forces improved, not least by learning under pressure withhelp from Ukrainian experts, evolving their tactics away from using more expensive and less available missiles. Importantly, some Gulf forces, such as the United Arab Emirates, also used novelapproacheslike employing helicopters to shoot down Shaheds. However, as the conflict ebbs along in a painful stalemate and the Gulf monarchies seek to replenish their arsenals, if past is prologue, they will seek to procure their way out of this wicked problem with expensive, cutting-edge solutions such asdirected-energy weaponsorAI-enabled counter-drone systems. This is necessity as the mother of invention, and it is the wrong way to frame the problem.From Overwhelm to OutlastIran’s operational pattern over the first month of the war reveals a shift whose causes remain contested, but whose consequences are clear. Opening salvos of over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones were mostlyintercepted, but the interceptor cost was catastrophic. From the second week onward, as noted, threat libraries evolved and rationing began. Then, Iranian launch rates fell by more than 90 percent while hit ratesclimbed.How much of this shift was deliberate adaptation, how much was forced by U.S. and Israeli strikes on launchers, stockpiles, and command and control, and how much reflected a separate decision to retarget less defended sites, is not yet possible to disentangle. The attrition story creditscoalitioncounter-battery and deep-strike campaigns with degrading Iran’s ability to generate large salvos; on this reading, the smaller follow-on attacks are what Iran could still launch, not what it chose to launch. The retargeting story observes that Iran’s later strikes shifted away from heavily defended military nodes towardsofter civilian and industrial targets—energy infrastructure, hotels, port facilities — where lower defensive density mechanically raised hit rates without requiring any particular strategic sophistication on the attacker’s side. The adaptation story readsIran’s smaller and more deliberate salvos as a “death by a thousand cuts” approachin which cheap drones are drawn against expensive interceptors as a calculated inventory-depletion tactic.Iran also targeted critical sensor layers. Drones and missilesstrucka billion-dollar early warning radar inQatar,Jordan, and theUnited Arab Emirates, which are functionally irreplaceable in any kind of medium-term time frame. As radar coverage thinned, consumption per incoming missile climbed: Fewer sensors meant less efficient cueing, more interceptors fired per threat, faster depletion. Related losses compounded the picture — an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) andfive KC-135 tankers damaged at Prince Sultan Air Base, and, by Grieco’sestimate, roughly 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles expended in four weeks against an annual production capacity of around 600.Whether Iran chose the depletion dynamic, was driven into it by coalition pressure, or stumbled into it by retargeting toward softer sites, the dynamic itself is what Gulf air defense has had to absorb — and the absorption problem is structural, not motivational. A defense architecture concentrated in exquisite interceptors is equally vulnerable to a strategy that intends to deplete it and to a pattern of attacks that happens to deplete it. The procurement implications do not turn on Iranian intent.The Copycat TrapThree reinforcing dynamics produced the current Gulf defense posture. The first is what I have elsewhere termed theprotection curse: access to an (apparent) external security guarantor distorts the seriousness of local military affairs, creates a moral hazard analogous to the resource curse, and permits whimsical procurement. U.S. regional hegemony gave the Gulf monarchies an implicit security guarantee that reduced the incentive to develop self-sufficient capabilities. Defense spending was high in absolute terms but channeled through the patron-client relationship rather than toward strict capacity building. The archetypal example here is an inexplicable lack ofindigenous Gulf counter-mine capability, when states like Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar — but also the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, albeit to a lesser degree — are almost entirely dependent on waterborne trade that has been threatened by Iranian mining capabilities for decades.The second isinstitutional isomorphism— the propensity of militaries to copy what apparently successful militaries do. The Gulf forces are, to a striking degree, structurally modeled on their American patron and the wider NATO mold. They often seek to buy what America sells, in the configurations America recommends, thus optimized for threat assumptions animating American — not Gulf — force planning. The result is a defense posture designed for peer-state ballistic threats, transplanted into a theatre whose primary threat is a swarm of expendable drones assembled on what resembles a car assembly line. This is not to disregard the importance of Gulf ballistic missile interception from Iran; rather, it is pointing out the lack of a rounded grasp of Gulf operational environment requirements.The third is a demand-side preference forprestigeplatforms. Gulf procurement has historically served a status-signaling function partly independent of operational effectiveness. Owning a THAAD battery signalsstrategicalignment with Washington and membership in anexclusiveclub; a chain-link canopy over a desalination plant signals neither.The ensuing depletion crisis is less an accident of war than a comparatively predictable consequence of an architecture that funneled decades of investment primarily into a single, exhaustible layer. To understand what a corrective might look like, one must abandon the assumption that better defense inevitably requires newer technology. The most useful framework belongs not to a defense analyst but to a historian.The Edgertonian CorrectiveDavid Edgerton argued inThe Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900thatsocieties systematically overvalue invention and undervalue use— the technologies that matter most are not the newest but the most widely deployed, the best maintained, and the most sustainably produced. The history of technology, properly understood, is as much a story of mundane things used at scale (corrugated iron, the sewing machine, the horse — which saw more military service in World War II than in any previous conflict), as a story of breakthroughs.The Russo-Ukrainian War — now the largest empirical dataset on drone warfare in history — vindicates Edgerton’s thesis. The most effective counter-drone system in the Ukrainian theatre is an old German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.Russia’s Molniya drone— aluminum tubing and plywood, using commercial off-the-shelf components — exemplifies the Edgertonian mode on the offensive side.The Layered Architecture: From Chain Link to PatriotEdgerton’s method demands that we begin not with what the defense industry offers but with what already exists, in what quantities, and at what cost. Applied rigorously, this produces a layered architecture that inverts the conventional procurement hierarchy.Layer 1: Physical BarriersA Shahed-136 is a 200-kilogram composite airframe with a 50-kilogram warhead, cruising on a shallow, horizontal terminal approach dictated by its delta-wing aerodynamics. It has an exposed rear propeller and impact fusing calibrated for the target. It has no sensor capable of detecting a cable or mesh in its path, nor for obstacles 15 meters above the target. Any physical barrier in its flight path — tensioned cables, chain-link mesh, industrial netting — will damage the airframe, foul the propeller, or detonate the warhead before it reaches the protected asset. A Shahed that strikes a cable does not need to be destroyed to be defeated; it needs only to lose a propeller blade, suffer a wing failure, or have its warhead fuse triggered prematurely. Any of these converts a precision strike into an uncontrolled crash short of the target.In January 2026, thePentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 released guidance explicitly recommending such barriers for critical infrastructure. A Saudi fencing company is alreadymarketinghigh-tensile mesh rated to stop drones at speeds of 250 km per hour. The concept has historical precedent:British barrage balloons trailing steel cables intercepted over 200 V-1 cruise missiles during World War II— a weapon that was, in its essential characteristics, the Shahed of 1944.Physical barriers are no panacea. One cannot mesh an entire industrial complex. But the logic does not require comprehensive coverage. It requires selective hardening of nodes whose failure would trigger cascading consequences — such as the reverse osmosis trains and intake pumps in a desalination plant, or the liquefaction trains and cryogenic storage systems in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. Moreover, while such barriers may be highly effective against smaller drones, a 50-kilogram warhead detonating above a protected asset is not problem-free: dangerous fragmentation and blast will propagate. But the relevant comparison is not between a barrier interception and an ideal missile interception; at this last moment, it is between a barrier interception and no interception at all. A warhead detonating against a cable array 15 meters above delicate critical national infrastructure is vastly preferable to a direct strike.Lastly, while encasing sensitive critical national infrastructure in a souped-up chain-link fence does not scream exquisite technology, the attacks on the Gulf may have surely blunted the eternal preference for prestige items. Adding basic passive defenses as a foundational layer can bolster the more sophisticated defenses described below.Layer 2: Electronic WarfareGPS jamming and spoofing can deflect a significant fraction of Shaheds, after initial investments, at near-zero marginal cost per engagement.Ukrainian experience suggests roughly 40 percent deflection in large attacks. But this is a depreciating asset.The International Institute for Strategic Studies’ strategic dossier on uninhabited aerial vehicles documentsRussia’s progressive hardening of Shahed-type drones against electronic warfare through fiber-optic control links and visual navigation systems that provide Global Navigation Satellite System-independent terminal guidance. Iran is almost certainly absorbing these innovations via Moscow.Layer 3: Armed Helicopters and Slow Aircraft, Radar-cuedA Shahed-136 is a non-maneuvering target flying in a straight line at approximately 180 km per hour; it can neither evade nor shoot back, and its radar cross-section, while small, is detectable at ranges that provide adequate warning for scramble and intercept. For a cued helicopter crew, this engagement is closer to aerial gunnery practice than to air combat, and the cost is a few hundred dollars in ammunition plus flight-hour expenses. Ukraine has already demonstrated the viability of this approach at scale, using both dedicated attack helicopters and transport helicopters fitted with door-mounted machine guns to destroy,by its military’s account, over 3,000 Shaheds.The Gulf’s geography is favorable: drones approaching the Arabian Peninsula must traverse hundreds of kilometers of open water, providing detection and warning times continental theatres rarely afford. The harder challenge is institutional — sustained alert postures, night and adverse-weather training, and the radar-to-cockpit cueing chain. This is precisely the kind of indigenous operational capacity the protection curse has undermined, and the kind combat now compels the Gulf to develop.Layer 4: AI-enhanced Fire Control on Existing WeaponsGulf militaries possess vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns and 20–25 mm autocannons configured for ground combat. Commercially available AI-enabled fire control sights — the SmartShooter SMASH system at $10,000–15,000 per unit — transform these weapons into counter-drone platforms by tracking small airborne targets and computing firing solutions. Cost per engagement falls to a few dollars in ammunition that already sits in national stockpiles by the millions. Modified mounts for high-angle elevation and integration with radar warning networks are non-trivial in cost, but the arithmetic is compelling: the weapon and vehicle already exist, the ammunition is abundant, and the sight is the only new procurement. This is the Edgertonian move in its purest form — converting sunk costs into operational capability.Layer 5: Interceptor DronesUkraine’s STING interceptor, developed by Wild Hornets,costs$2,000–4,000 per unit — a 3D-printed quadcopter with thermal imaging and a 1.8-kilogram proximity warhead, capable of speeds exceeding 340 km per hour. Production has scaled to nearly 1,000 units per day across a dozen Ukrainian manufacturers.The U.S.-developed Merops has demonstrated hit rates as high as 95 percent in testing at around $15,000 per unit. At these prices, interceptor drones approach cost parity with the Shahed itself. The main limitation is that radio frequency-controlled interceptors inhabit the same electromagnetic environment as their targets: the jamming that degrades a Shahed’s GPS may equally disrupt the command links of the drone sent to kill it. Still, the production economics are transformative in a way no missile-based system can match.Layer 6: Gun-based Air Defense SystemsThe Rheinmetall Skynex and Skyranger, descendants of the Gepard, fire 35 mm programmable ammunition that detonates ahead of the target, creating a cloud of tungsten sub-projectiles. Cost per engagement isapproximately4,000 euros — three orders of magnitude below a Patriot intercept. The Gepard’s Ukrainian record is the single strongest empirical data point in the counter-drone literature. The constraint is industrial rather than conceptual: the global Gepard inventory has been effectively exhausted by transfers to Ukraine, the Skynex successor is barely in production, and the bespoke ammunition supply chain is narrow. These systems are the correct solution for the highest-value defended sites — LNG trains, desalination complexes, remaining early-warning radars — but cannot, at present production rates, cover the full breadth of Gulf critical infrastructure.Layer 7: Guided MissilesPatriot Advanced Capability 3, THAAD, and their equivalents offer an irreplaceable component of a layered system. But they are expensive and relatively rare: A Patriot Advanced Capability 3 takes months to produce and costs millions of dollars; a THAAD interceptor costs $12-13 million and emerges from a production line that yields hundreds a year. The arithmetic of the current war is that these weapons are being expended in days and replenished in years. No upgrade to these interceptors can fix that ratio, which is why they need to be carefully layered, with considerable efforts expended on discerning which targets require these exquisite answers.The Sustainability ThesisThe Gulf states built an air defense architecture consisting mostly of the seventh layer — the most expensive and most supply-chain-constrained. As for layers one through four, the helicopters are in the hangars, the heavy machine guns are in the armories, and the fencing contractors are a phone call away. What is missing is not technology but doctrine and a little ingenuity.Iran, constrained by sanctions and limited resources, was forced into the Edgertonian mode: The Shahed is not sophisticated technology, but it is buildable at scale from available materials and skills, and effective when deployed. The result is a conflict in which the poorer actor’s cheapest weapon is systematically draining the wealthier actors’ most expensive defenses.Fences alone cannot defeat drones and missiles. On occasion, certainly, they can be hugely effective, especially against cheaper drones and missiles that proliferate as conflicts extend in length and stretch defense budgets. Yet the more important point is this: The form of defense should be calibrated to the specific threat it faces — not to externally derived logics like alliance signaling, supplier preference, and prestige that so often shape Gulf force planning. The corrective is sustainability and investing not in the most impressive system but in the system that can be sustained, replenished, and operated at the scale the threat demands. The conceptual leap required is small but, within the political economy of Gulf states’ collective defense, genuinely difficult: to recognize that a fence can be an air defense system, and that the measure of a defense architecture is not its sophistication but its endurance.BECOME A MEMBERDavid B. Roberts, Ph.D., is a reader in international security and Middle East studies at King’s College London, where he serves as head of professional education and enterprise in the School of Security Studies and leads the King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies. He is the founder and commissioning editor of Cambridge University Press’s Elements in Middle East Politics book series. Prior to joining King’s, he directed the Gulf office of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. His 2023 monograph,Security Politics in the Gulf Monarchies, was published by Columbia University Press.The author wishes to thank the external reviewer, the editors, and Professor David Des Roches for diligently advising on improvements to this article.Image: Army Inform viaWikimedia Commons Then there is the 2026 Iran war, where the wealthiest states in the Middle East have spent tens of billions of dollars onlayeredPatriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and related architectures over the past decade but are running out of ammunition for those systems, fast.Iran’s missiles and drones have struck Gulf hotels, energy facilities, and billion-dollar military radarswith frequency and persistence. Even though most Iranian missiles are intercepted,each successful interception burns through guided missiles at a rate the Western defense-industrial base cannot sustainindefinitely. The Center for International and Strategic Studies concluded that, while the picture of replenishment is challenging and often has long lead times, it ismanageablefor the United States, at least in this war. For the Gulf states, however, the picture is much moretroubling, not least as “the U.S. and Israel will still need to first re-stock their own inventories.” These air defense systems are technical miracles — they are literally shooting a bullet in the air with another bullet. But technical performance and strategic sustainability are not the same thing, and the Iran war is exposing this critical difference with brutal clarity. To answer these issues, the Gulf states need neither more F-15s, nor do they need to badger the United States for access tothe F-35 – the latest high-tech export that promises to be all things to all people. Rather, they need a change of procurement mindset across the board, which would rest on three elements. The first is local relevance: an architecture built around the threats Gulf states actually face, rather than those that animate American (and other supplier) force planning assumptions and that Gulf militaries have inherited largelyintact. The second is logistical realism: a sober assessment of whether the collective Gulf force can host, maintain, and operate a given system at the tempo combat demands, with the trained crews, depot infrastructure, and institutional routines that exquisite platforms silently assume. The third is industrial sustainability: a recognition that the relevant unit of capability is not the platform but the production rate behind it, and that a weapon expended in days and replenished in years is, in any extended conflict, a one-shot system regardless of its sophistication. As this pertains to air and missile defense specifically, it means forging a genuinely layered architecture in which exquisite interceptors sit at the apex of a structure whose lower tiers — physical barriers, electronic warfare, helicopter and gun-based engagement, and interceptor drones — do the bulk of the attritional work. The current posture is layered in name only, with most focus and investment concentrated in the most expensive and least replenishable tier: guided missiles. A serious layered architecture inverts that distribution, and its foundation — which may be awkward for the prestige economy of regional defense — may turn out to be a fence. In the opening days of the Iran war,Gulf coalition air defenses fired “thoughtlessly,” according to Ukrainian military advisors deployed to the region, using multiples of the highest-quality, most sophisticated missiles against drones without classifying threats or rationing interceptors.Over 1,000 Patriot interceptors were consumed in the first 10 days, against regional stockpiles estimated at 1,800 to 2,300 missiles. THAAD interceptors costing $12-13 million each were expended at a rate that consumed a significant share of annual production — just 96missilesper year — within the first fortnight.The United States had to redeploy interceptors from South Korea to maintain supplies. In early March 2026, Kelly Grieco of the Stimson Center warned that at the rate of consumption observed in the opening days —extrapolatedfrom the June 2025 12-Day War, during which America expended an estimated 100 to 150 THAAD interceptors supporting Israel — the United States would burn through half its entire interceptor stockpile in four to five weeks. The depletion curve has since materialized in roughly that form. By April, oneanalysisfound that the U.S. military had expended nearly half of its Patriot stockpile and more than half of its THAAD interceptors in the war with Iran. Iran’s inexpensive Shaheddrones, which come in multiple varieties, are central to this depletion dynamic. Each drone or missileinterceptedby a high-end guided missile – Patriot Advanced Capability 3, Standard Missile 6, or THAAD — burns through inventory the defense-industrial base cannot replace at anything close to the rate of consumption. Open-source estimates of the cost-exchange ratio vary by Shahed variant and engagement doctrine but cluster between roughly 100:1 and 230:1 in the attacker’s favor: a $35,000Shahed-136 against a $4 million Patriot Advanced Capability Missile Segment Enhancer at the two-shotdoctrinefor high-value asset defense. The arithmetic for Iran’s ballistic missile salvos is different but no more sustainable: a $12.7 million THAAD interceptor against an Iranian ballistic missile manufactured at a fraction of that cost. Such ratios are not ideal, but it makes sense to defend high-value targets even at this high expense. The far bigger problem, however, is that theproduction-exchange ratiois even moreasymmetricand unsustainable. Patriot Advanced Capability 3 annual production isapproximately600 missiles.Iran can produce hundreds of Shaheds in a week. The Gulf states’ missile defense forces improved, not least by learning under pressure withhelp from Ukrainian experts, evolving their tactics away from using more expensive and less available missiles. Importantly, some Gulf forces, such as the United Arab Emirates, also used novelapproacheslike employing helicopters to shoot down Shaheds. However, as the conflict ebbs along in a painful stalemate and the Gulf monarchies seek to replenish their arsenals, if past is prologue, they will seek to procure their way out of this wicked problem with expensive, cutting-edge solutions such asdirected-energy weaponsorAI-enabled counter-drone systems. This is necessity as the mother of invention, and it is the wrong way to frame the problem. Iran’s operational pattern over the first month of the war reveals a shift whose causes remain contested, but whose consequences are clear. Opening salvos of over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones were mostlyintercepted, but the interceptor cost was catastrophic. From the second week onward, as noted, threat libraries evolved and rationing began. Then, Iranian launch rates fell by more than 90 percent while hit ratesclimbed. How much of this shift was deliberate adaptation, how much was forced by U.S. and Israeli strikes on launchers, stockpiles, and command and control, and how much reflected a separate decision to retarget less defended sites, is not yet possible to disentangle. The attrition story creditscoalitioncounter-battery and deep-strike campaigns with degrading Iran’s ability to generate large salvos; on this reading, the smaller follow-on attacks are what Iran could still launch, not what it chose to launch. The retargeting story observes that Iran’s later strikes shifted away from heavily defended military nodes towardsofter civilian and industrial targets—energy infrastructure, hotels, port facilities — where lower defensive density mechanically raised hit rates without requiring any particular strategic sophistication on the attacker’s side. The adaptation story readsIran’s smaller and more deliberate salvos as a “death by a thousand cuts” approachin which cheap drones are drawn against expensive interceptors as a calculated inventory-depletion tactic. Iran also targeted critical sensor layers. Drones and missilesstrucka billion-dollar early warning radar inQatar,Jordan, and theUnited Arab Emirates, which are functionally irreplaceable in any kind of medium-term time frame. As radar coverage thinned, consumption per incoming missile climbed: Fewer sensors meant less efficient cueing, more interceptors fired per threat, faster depletion. Related losses compounded the picture — an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) andfive KC-135 tankers damaged at Prince Sultan Air Base, and, by Grieco’sestimate, roughly 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles expended in four weeks against an annual production capacity of around 600. Whether Iran chose the depletion dynamic, was driven into it by coalition pressure, or stumbled into it by retargeting toward softer sites, the dynamic itself is what Gulf air defense has had to absorb — and the absorption problem is structural, not motivational. A defense architecture concentrated in exquisite interceptors is equally vulnerable to a strategy that intends to deplete it and to a pattern of attacks that happens to deplete it. The procurement implications do not turn on Iranian intent. Three reinforcing dynamics produced the current Gulf defense posture. The first is what I have elsewhere termed theprotection curse: access to an (apparent) external security guarantor distorts the seriousness of local military affairs, creates a moral hazard analogous to the resource curse, and permits whimsical procurement. U.S. regional hegemony gave the Gulf monarchies an implicit security guarantee that reduced the incentive to develop self-sufficient capabilities. Defense spending was high in absolute terms but channeled through the patron-client relationship rather than toward strict capacity building. The archetypal example here is an inexplicable lack ofindigenous Gulf counter-mine capability, when states like Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar — but also the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, albeit to a lesser degree — are almost entirely dependent on waterborne trade that has been threatened by Iranian mining capabilities for decades. The second isinstitutional isomorphism— the propensity of militaries to copy what apparently successful militaries do. The Gulf forces are, to a striking degree, structurally modeled on their American patron and the wider NATO mold. They often seek to buy what America sells, in the configurations America recommends, thus optimized for threat assumptions animating American — not Gulf — force planning. The result is a defense posture designed for peer-state ballistic threats, transplanted into a theatre whose primary threat is a swarm of expendable drones assembled on what resembles a car assembly line. This is not to disregard the importance of Gulf ballistic missile interception from Iran; rather, it is pointing out the lack of a rounded grasp of Gulf operational environment requirements. The third is a demand-side preference forprestigeplatforms. Gulf procurement has historically served a status-signaling function partly independent of operational effectiveness. Owning a THAAD battery signalsstrategicalignment with Washington and membership in anexclusiveclub; a chain-link canopy over a desalination plant signals neither. The ensuing depletion crisis is less an accident of war than a comparatively predictable consequence of an architecture that funneled decades of investment primarily into a single, exhaustible layer. To understand what a corrective might look like, one must abandon the assumption that better defense inevitably requires newer technology. The most useful framework belongs not to a defense analyst but to a historian. David Edgerton argued inThe Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900thatsocieties systematically overvalue invention and undervalue use— the technologies that matter most are not the newest but the most widely deployed, the best maintained, and the most sustainably produced. The history of technology, properly understood, is as much a story of mundane things used at scale (corrugated iron, the sewing machine, the horse — which saw more military service in World War II than in any previous conflict), as a story of breakthroughs. The Russo-Ukrainian War — now the largest empirical dataset on drone warfare in history — vindicates Edgerton’s thesis. The most effective counter-drone system in the Ukrainian theatre is an old German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.Russia’s Molniya drone— aluminum tubing and plywood, using commercial off-the-shelf components — exemplifies the Edgertonian mode on the offensive side. Edgerton’s method demands that we begin not with what the defense industry offers but with what already exists, in what quantities, and at what cost. Applied rigorously, this produces a layered architecture that inverts the conventional procurement hierarchy. Layer 1: Physical Barriers A Shahed-136 is a 200-kilogram composite airframe with a 50-kilogram warhead, cruising on a shallow, horizontal terminal approach dictated by its delta-wing aerodynamics. It has an exposed rear propeller and impact fusing calibrated for the target. It has no sensor capable of detecting a cable or mesh in its path, nor for obstacles 15 meters above the target. Any physical barrier in its flight path — tensioned cables, chain-link mesh, industrial netting — will damage the airframe, foul the propeller, or detonate the warhead before it reaches the protected asset. A Shahed that strikes a cable does not need to be destroyed to be defeated; it needs only to lose a propeller blade, suffer a wing failure, or have its warhead fuse triggered prematurely. Any of these converts a precision strike into an uncontrolled crash short of the target. In January 2026, thePentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 released guidance explicitly recommending such barriers for critical infrastructure. A Saudi fencing company is alreadymarketinghigh-tensile mesh rated to stop drones at speeds of 250 km per hour. The concept has historical precedent:British barrage balloons trailing steel cables intercepted over 200 V-1 cruise missiles during World War II— a weapon that was, in its essential characteristics, the Shahed of 1944. Physical barriers are no panacea. One cannot mesh an entire industrial complex. But the logic does not require comprehensive coverage. It requires selective hardening of nodes whose failure would trigger cascading consequences — such as the reverse osmosis trains and intake pumps in a desalination plant, or the liquefaction trains and cryogenic storage systems in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. Moreover, while such barriers may be highly effective against smaller drones, a 50-kilogram warhead detonating above a protected asset is not problem-free: dangerous fragmentation and blast will propagate. But the relevant comparison is not between a barrier interception and an ideal missile interception; at this last moment, it is between a barrier interception and no interception at all. A warhead detonating against a cable array 15 meters above delicate critical national infrastructure is vastly preferable to a direct strike. Lastly, while encasing sensitive critical national infrastructure in a souped-up chain-link fence does not scream exquisite technology, the attacks on the Gulf may have surely blunted the eternal preference for prestige items. Adding basic passive defenses as a foundational layer can bolster the more sophisticated defenses described below. Layer 2: Electronic Warfare GPS jamming and spoofing can deflect a significant fraction of Shaheds, after initial investments, at near-zero marginal cost per engagement.Ukrainian experience suggests roughly 40 percent deflection in large attacks. But this is a depreciating asset.The International Institute for Strategic Studies’ strategic dossier on uninhabited aerial vehicles documentsRussia’s progressive hardening of Shahed-type drones against electronic warfare through fiber-optic control links and visual navigation systems that provide Global Navigation Satellite System-independent terminal guidance. Iran is almost certainly absorbing these innovations via Moscow. Layer 3: Armed Helicopters and Slow Aircraft, Radar-cued A Shahed-136 is a non-maneuvering target flying in a straight line at approximately 180 km per hour; it can neither evade nor shoot back, and its radar cross-section, while small, is detectable at ranges that provide adequate warning for scramble and intercept. For a cued helicopter crew, this engagement is closer to aerial gunnery practice than to air combat, and the cost is a few hundred dollars in ammunition plus flight-hour expenses. Ukraine has already demonstrated the viability of this approach at scale, using both dedicated attack helicopters and transport helicopters fitted with door-mounted machine guns to destroy,by its military’s account, over 3,000 Shaheds. The Gulf’s geography is favorable: drones approaching the Arabian Peninsula must traverse hundreds of kilometers of open water, providing detection and warning times continental theatres rarely afford. The harder challenge is institutional — sustained alert postures, night and adverse-weather training, and the radar-to-cockpit cueing chain. This is precisely the kind of indigenous operational capacity the protection curse has undermined, and the kind combat now compels the Gulf to develop. Layer 4: AI-enhanced Fire Control on Existing Weapons Gulf militaries possess vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns and 20–25 mm autocannons configured for ground combat. Commercially available AI-enabled fire control sights — the SmartShooter SMASH system at $10,000–15,000 per unit — transform these weapons into counter-drone platforms by tracking small airborne targets and computing firing solutions. Cost per engagement falls to a few dollars in ammunition that already sits in national stockpiles by the millions. Modified mounts for high-angle elevation and integration with radar warning networks are non-trivial in cost, but the arithmetic is compelling: the weapon and vehicle already exist, the ammunition is abundant, and the sight is the only new procurement. This is the Edgertonian move in its purest form — converting sunk costs into operational capability. Layer 5: Interceptor Drones Ukraine’s STING interceptor, developed by Wild Hornets,costs$2,000–4,000 per unit — a 3D-printed quadcopter with thermal imaging and a 1.8-kilogram proximity warhead, capable of speeds exceeding 340 km per hour. Production has scaled to nearly 1,000 units per day across a dozen Ukrainian manufacturers.The U.S.-developed Merops has demonstrated hit rates as high as 95 percent in testing at around $15,000 per unit. At these prices, interceptor drones approach cost parity with the Shahed itself. The main limitation is that radio frequency-controlled interceptors inhabit the same electromagnetic environment as their targets: the jamming that degrades a Shahed’s GPS may equally disrupt the command links of the drone sent to kill it. Still, the production economics are transformative in a way no missile-based system can match. Layer 6: Gun-based Air Defense Systems The Rheinmetall Skynex and Skyranger, descendants of the Gepard, fire 35 mm programmable ammunition that detonates ahead of the target, creating a cloud of tungsten sub-projectiles. Cost per engagement isapproximately4,000 euros — three orders of magnitude below a Patriot intercept. The Gepard’s Ukrainian record is the single strongest empirical data point in the counter-drone literature. The constraint is industrial rather than conceptual: the global Gepard inventory has been effectively exhausted by transfers to Ukraine, the Skynex successor is barely in production, and the bespoke ammunition supply chain is narrow. These systems are the correct solution for the highest-value defended sites — LNG trains, desalination complexes, remaining early-warning radars — but cannot, at present production rates, cover the full breadth of Gulf critical infrastructure. Layer 7: Guided Missiles Patriot Advanced Capability 3, THAAD, and their equivalents offer an irreplaceable component of a layered system. But they are expensive and relatively rare: A Patriot Advanced Capability 3 takes months to produce and costs millions of dollars; a THAAD interceptor costs $12-13 million and emerges from a production line that yields hundreds a year. The arithmetic of the current war is that these weapons are being expended in days and replenished in years. No upgrade to these interceptors can fix that ratio, which is why they need to be carefully layered, with considerable efforts expended on discerning which targets require these exquisite answers. The Gulf states built an air defense architecture consisting mostly of the seventh layer — the most expensive and most supply-chain-constrained. As for layers one through four, the helicopters are in the hangars, the heavy machine guns are in the armories, and the fencing contractors are a phone call away. What is missing is not technology but doctrine and a little ingenuity. Iran, constrained by sanctions and limited resources, was forced into the Edgertonian mode: The Shahed is not sophisticated technology, but it is buildable at scale from available materials and skills, and effective when deployed. The result is a conflict in which the poorer actor’s cheapest weapon is systematically draining the wealthier actors’ most expensive defenses. Fences alone cannot defeat drones and missiles. On occasion, certainly, they can be hugely effective, especially against cheaper drones and missiles that proliferate as conflicts extend in length and stretch defense budgets. Yet the more important point is this: The form of defense should be calibrated to the specific threat it faces — not to externally derived logics like alliance signaling, supplier preference, and prestige that so often shape Gulf force planning. The corrective is sustainability and investing not in the most impressive system but in the system that can be sustained, replenished, and operated at the scale the threat demands. The conceptual leap required is small but, within the political economy of Gulf states’ collective defense, genuinely difficult: to recognize that a fence can be an air defense system, and that the measure of a defense architecture is not its sophistication but its endurance. David B. Roberts, Ph.D., is a reader in international security and Middle East studies at King’s College London, where he serves as head of professional education and enterprise in the School of Security Studies and leads the King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies. He is the founder and commissioning editor of Cambridge University Press’s Elements in Middle East Politics book series. Prior to joining King’s, he directed the Gulf office of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. His 2023 monograph,Security Politics in the Gulf Monarchies, was published by Columbia University Press. The author wishes to thank the external reviewer, the editors, and Professor David Des Roches for diligently advising on improvements to this article. Image: Army Inform viaWikimedia Commons

Gli specchi acquei “sono aree scoperte ed è indifferente che siano aree solide o liquide, quindi sono soggetti a tassazione sia i posti destinati all’ormeggio di imbarcazioni in acqua, sia i posti a terra per il rimessaggio nell’area portuale, con l’imponibilità di tali spazi”. Lo ha ribadito una sentenza della Corte di giustizia tributaria di primo grado di Livorno, chiarendo però come la spettanza della riscossione della relativa Tari vari a seconda che le aree in questione ricadano o meno sotto la giurisdizione di un’Autorità portuale. I giudici, infatti, hanno precisato che per i Comuni “l’istituzione dell’Autorità portuale si pone come causa di esclusione della tassa rifiuti delle aree soggette alla sua competenza. Viceversa, nei porti privi di tale Autorità solo il Comune è tenuto a svolgere il servizio di smaltimento rifiuti in regime di privativa”. È la legge 84/1994 a stabilire che la raccolta e lo smaltimento dei rifiuti, compresi quelli prodotti a bordo dalle navi e i residui di carico, costituiscono operazioni che non sono demandate al Comune o comunque al gestore del servizio pubblico di igiene urbana, ma al soggetto incaricato dalla stessa Autorità portuale. Ed essendo istituita una tariffa ad hoc per lo svolgimento del servizio, è escluso che l’amministrazione comunale possa richiedere nell’ambito portuale il pagamento della tassa. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Si avvicina la scadenza di luglio 2026, mese in cui la Commissione Europea svelerà l’attesa proposta di revisione del sistema Ets, e si rafforza l’esigenza di sciogliere i nodi geopolitici legati alla decarbonizzazione dello shipping. Per questo Feport, la federazione che rappresenta i terminalisti e le imprese portuali private europee, si è mossa in questi giorni per evitare che la transizione ecologica si trasformi in una sorta di boomerang economico per gli scali europei, avanzando la richiesta – formulata anche prendendo atto della Tavola Rotonda di alto livello organizzata dalla Commissione Europea lo scorso 12 maggio – che una parte cospicua dei proventi (miliardari) generati dalle quote Ets debba essere vincolata per legge al finanziamento delle infrastrutture portuali, a partire dall’elettrificazione delle banchine. La tassa sul carbonio applicata al trasporto marittimo infatti, fino ad oggi, ha guardato quasi esclusivamente alle navi, non considerando che i porti devono investire milioni di euro in impianti di cold ironing e digitalizzazione senza una copertura finanziaria centralizzata. I terminalisti europei ricordano che i porti non sono semplici caselli di transito, ma piattaforme strategiche per la sicurezza energetica e la tenuta industriale del continente. Se i costi della transizione rimarranno interamente a carico degli operatori Ue, il vero rischio non sarà la riduzione delle emissioni globali, ma lo spostamento delle rotte commerciali verso aree franche dal punto di vista normativo. La preoccupazione dei porti europei, spiega Feport, e in particolare quelli del bacino del Mediterraneo, è la delocalizzazione dei traffici di trasbordo. La segretaria generale dell’associazione, Lamia Kerdjoudj, ha lanciato un duro monito alla Commissione, sottolineando come la massiccia espansione della capacità dei terminal in Nord Africa e in Medio Oriente non sia affatto una coincidenza temporale. Gli scali extra-Ue che operano a pochi chilometri dalle acque europee non sono soggetti ai vincoli dell’Ets marittimo e questa asimmetria normativa sta esercitando una pressione competitiva insostenibile sui porti dell’Unione, configurando un fenomeno di ‘carbon leakage’ che rischia di svuotare le banchine europee a favore di hub vicini, con conseguenze devastanti sull’occupazione e sulla connettività delle industrie europee. La soluzione presentata dai terminalisti per disinnescare questa crisi chiede una forte coerenza legislativa da parte di Bruxelles su due fronti. Il primo riguarda l’imminente riscrittura dell’Ets che deve precisare l’obbligo di reincanalare i ricavi della tassa verso la transizione dei porti. L’altro fronte riguarda invece i piani d’azione comunitari dedicati all’energia, come l’Electrification Action Plan, che devono viaggiare alla stessa velocità, con iter burocratici semplificati negli scali marittimi per il rilascio dei permessi, la possibilità di sviluppare sistemi di stoccaggio dell’energia e un accesso prioritario alla rete elettrica nazionale per soddisfare i picchi di domanda delle navi ormeggiate. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

The manufacturing of key equipment for the second electrical interconnector between Malta and Italy has been completed in Türkiye, with the equipment now to be shipped to Malta and Sicily. This includes an autotransformer that will reduce the voltage from the interconnection’s 220 kV to 132 kV, in line with the operation of Malta’s grid, and shunt reactors that help control voltage by absorbing the reactive energy generated. The transformer and two reactors are in the process of dismantling and packaging and are expected to depart from the factory around mid-June. They will be transferred to the terminal in Türkiye to be loaded onto a vessel and travel to the port of Pozzallo in Sicily and the Grand Harbour in Malta, respectively. The installation process of the 220 kV reactor in Ragusa, the 220 kV/132 kV transformer and the 220 kV Reactor in Malta is planned to be completed by the end of summer. “The completion of manufacturing of an autotransformer and two variable shunt reactors all operating at 220kV, and their successful testing at the factory in Turkey is another step forward for the IC2 project. ICM looks forward to having them delivered, installed and commissioned at Maghtab and Ragusa terminal stations ahead of their energization in due course,”Joseph Vassallo, Divisional Manager at ICM, said. The €20.2 million contract related to the transformer and reactors is being delivered by local contractor AG Installations, working in close collaboration with BEST which is responsible for the design, manufacturing, and testing of the respective transformer and reactors’ components, as well as SIMI Trasporti, responsible for the transportation of the equipment from BEST’s factory to Ragusa and Maghtab, and positioning them in their final locations. The IC2 interconnector will consist of a new ~122-kilometer-long HVAC electrical cable interconnection between the Terna substation at Ragusa, Sicily, and the Enemalta terminal station in Maghtab, to be laid in parallel to theexisting HVAC cable link. Nexans, which also delivered the first Malta-Italy interconnector in 2015,is manufacturing the high-voltage subsea cable systemfor this second interconnector. The overall interconnector cable link will be composed of a land cable in Sicily, approximately 21 kilometers long, a three-core submarine cable approximately 99 kilometers long, and a 2-kilometer land cable in Malta. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

By Vasilis Kikilias, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Over time, the shipping industry has developed as one of the most thriving sectors of the country’s economy. Shipping boosts the country’s reputation while it contributes decisively to growth, advances the welfare of citizens, and ensures territorial and social cohesion. In fact, shipping is at the forefront during this era of great upheavals, as supply chains are tested, energy security gains attention, and the green transition alters the conditions of the global economy. And this means that Greece, being the leading shipping power in the world, must be at the forefront of decisions. The huge Greek-owned fleet does not merely move goods; it transports energy, food, raw materials, and other goods that millions of people around the world need on a daily basis. It supports the European economy while solidifying Greece’s position in a world where the strategic significance of maritime transportation is once again being recognized. Shipping remains the backbone of international trade and global prosperity, despite the challenges it faces. The unprecedented worldwide pandemic, followed by a succession of geopolitical conflicts and reshuffles, as well as an impending energy crisis, have all had an impact on international shipping activities. Nonetheless, Greek shipping has demonstrated its resilience and capacity to adapt, endure, and lead while still serving the needs of the global community. It has done so in times of crisis, war, economic turmoil, pandemics, and energy uncertainty. And such success did not occur by chance. It happened because the Greek fleet’s power is based on expertise, experience, seamanship, entrepreneurial courage, excellent insight, and global perception. Today, however, challenges are complex. Competition is intensifying, and costs associated with financing and compliance are increasing. Maritime transportation is facing additional hazards as a result of geopolitical tensions. The debate on new fuels, zero- or low-emissions technologies, and refueling infrastructure remains ongoing. At the same time, the shipping industry is being urged to invest now despite the unclear technology landscape. As the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, we have a clear stance: the green transition of shipping is essential, of course, but it must be carried out realistically and in accordance with international regulations. It must be technologically neutral, economically viable, and socially fair. Therefore, fragmented regulations that generate unequal circumstances of competition benefit neither the environment nor the economy. In this context, Greece firmly supports a transition based on workable solutions: safe and competitive alternative fuels, modern port infrastructure, access to finance, innovation, education, and human resources. Setting lofty objectives is insufficient. We also need to ensure that we have the tools to accomplish them. Europe now has to make a crucial decision. It must treat European shipping as a strategic industry and boost its competitiveness if it hopes to maintain its position as a powerful maritime power. It must also protect European know-how, provide incentives for fleet renewals and green investments, and facilitate the connection between shipping, energy, ports, shipyards, and fuel producers. Above all, Europe must realize that shipping is not a regional policy sector but a key pillar of strategic autonomy. For Greece, the specific discussion is even more important: our country is located in a geographical point of particular significance, as it is a key hub of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Upgrading our ports, enhancing infrastructure, developing the supply chain and energy interconnection, and reviving shipbuilding and repair activity can create a new, strong, and productive model. Insularity occupies a special place in this model. For Greece, the sea represents more than just a field of economic activity; it is the way in which the country is connected. The sea is the islanders’ everyday life, their access to health, education, work, tourism, and growth. This is exactly why coastal shipping must be supported on its path towards the green transition without the cost of such a transition being passed on to citizens and island societies. In this context, the organization of the International Shipping Exhibition “Posidonia 2026”, which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and the entire Greek maritime community, serves as further evidence of our nation’s unwavering connection to the sea and shipping. In the wake of today’s challenges, “Posidonia 2026” is seen as a major international gathering for the shipping of the future. But it means much more for Greece. It provides an opportunity to highlight the power, dependability, and strategic importance of Greek shipping. This event provides an opportunity for us to present our positions, advocate for realistic solutions, and integrate tradition with innovation. At the same time, the massive participation of major exhibitors and attendance of high-ranking visitors from all over the world will, in turn, highlight the importance and the leading, long-standing role that Greece plays in global shipping. In summary, Greek shipping is global but has deep Greek roots. Although it is an extroverted industry, it is intrinsically and timelessly connected to the nation’s national economy and evolution. It may be competitive, but it is based on people, expertise, and values, to the advantage and benefit of Greece, of course. And it is our responsibility to safeguard, bolster, and pass this very edge on to future generations. Για να εμφανίζονται περισσότερα άρθρα τηςΝαυτεμπορικήςστις αναζητήσεις σας εύκολα και γρήγορα, πρέπει να προσθέσετε το site στις προτιμώμενες πηγές σας. Μπορείτε να το κάνετε πηγαίνονταςεδώ.

Entro la prima metà di giugno 10 nuovi mezzi di ultima generazione entreranno in servizio nella flotta Drivemybox, portando così a 70 il numero di trattori di proprietà della società del Gruppo Contship. “L’investimento intende rafforzare la capacità di trasporto su gomma lungo le principali direttrici nazionali che collegano i porti italiani agli inland hub del Nord Italia, supportando le attività di terminalizzazione integrate nella rete intermodale del Gruppo” ha spiegato una nota. I nuovi veicoli Euro VI integrano tecnologie avanzate per migliorare efficienza operativa, sostenibilità e sicurezza: i sistemi di bordo di ottimizzazione consumi, il cambio automatizzato evoluto e i dispositivi di assistenza alla guida contribuiscono infatti a ridurre consumi ed emissioni, migliorando al tempo stesso le performance operative. Sul fronte sicurezza, invece, i mezzi sono dotati di sistemi Adas avanzati conformi alla normativa europea Gsr, tra cui l’Intelligent Speed Assistance (Isa) per il controllo dei limiti di velocità, radar frontale e telecamere perimetrali per supportare il conducente nelle fasi operative. “L’investimento nei nuovi mezzi rappresenta un ulteriore passo nello sviluppo delle attività di trucking, componente strategica dell’offerta integrata del Gruppo e strettamente connessa alle attività terminalistiche e intermodali del Gruppo. Rafforzare la capacità di trasporto significa poter rispondere con maggiore flessibilità alle esigenze del mercato, mantenendo al centro sicurezza, sostenibilità e qualità del lavoro per i nostri autisti grazie all’impiego di mezzi dotati delle più avanzate tecnologie di guida” ha commentato Tommaso Ferrario, general manager di Drivemybox. “Il modello Drivemybox combina una flotta proprietaria con una rete consolidata di partner attivi nell’area del Nord e Centro Italia, per un totale di circa 350 mezzi coordinati. Questo network ci consente di garantire continuità operativa, flessibilità nella gestione dei flussi e una risposta più efficiente ai picchi di domanda, mantenendo al tempo stesso un presidio diretto sulla qualità del servizio”, ha aggiunto Cristiano Pieragnolo, chief commercial officer di Contship. “Da maggio abbiamo inoltre avviato un percorso di integrazione organizzativa che ha portato all’unificazione del Team Operations Truck all’interno di un’unica struttura dedicata. Un assetto pensato per migliorare coordinamento, pianificazione e rapidità di risposta alle esigenze del mercato e dei nostri clienti”. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI