New Year, New Gear: Threats, Modularity, and Agility to Drive Subsea Defense in 2026
Annapolis-based Oceanetics.Critical Underwater Infrastructure DefenseRecent subsea incidents continue to underscore the vulnerability of critical underwater infrastructure (CUI) and the growing need for systematic protection. Repeated disruptions to submarine cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea, South China Sea, and Red Sea have exposed how contested the seabed has become. In response, NATO announced Operation Baltic Sentry in January, 2025 to enhance vigilance and deterrence in the Baltic Sea. Similarly, in December 2025 the United Kingdom launched Atlantic Bastion, a broad initiative aimed at strengthen
Study: Low Sulfur Fuel Reduces Lightning, May Increase Temperatures
Cuts in sulfur emissions from oceangoing vessels have been tied to a reduction in lightning stroke density along heavily trafficked shipping routes in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea, according to new research from the University of Kansas (KU).Previous studies had found frequent lightning along shipping routes over the Bay of Bengal before a 2020 IMO rule capped sulfur in fuel used by oceangoing ships, leading to a roughly 70% drop in sulfate emissions in the Bay of Bengal.“I think there are two reasons for this,” said lead author Qinjian Jin, assistant teaching professor of
Phoenix Assists US Navy with Aircraft Recovery in the South China Sea
Naval Sea System Command (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) with the successful recovery of an MH-60R helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. The two aircraft went down within 30 minutes of each other during routine flight operations off the USS NIMITZ (CVN-68) in the South China Sea on October 26, 2025. All crew members survived and were rescued.Phoenix personnel traveled to Singapore and mobilized search assets aboard Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel of opportunity (VOO) and recovery assets aboard Construction Support Vessel (CSV) VOO. Once on site in the South
China’s Ming Yang Unveils Plans for 50MW Ultra-Large Floating Wind Turbine
ever greater Ming Yang strength to a zero-carbon future,” the company said in a statement.To remind, in 2024, Mingyang Smart Energy put into operation what’s said to be the world’s largest single capacity floating wind platform, rated at 16.6 MW, at Qingzhou IV offshore wind farm in South China Sea.Mingyang’s Giant 16.6MW Floating Wind Platform Starts Operating in China (Photos
US Sides with Philippines Against South China Sea Nature Preserve
the U.S. stood with Philippines and rejected what he described as China's "destabilizing plans" involving Scarborough Reef."Beijing claiming Scarborough Reef as a nature preserve is yet another coercive attempt to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors," Rubio said in a statement.China's plan to establish a nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal has raised fear among Filipino fishermen, who fear that it could make it harder for them to operate in the disputed South China Sea atoll, which is under
China Approves to Establish Nature Reserve in South China Sea
China has approved the creation of a national nature reserve at thedisputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the government said on Wednesday, as Beijing moves to reinforce its territorial claims and maritime rights in the contested region.Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and which is known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal, has long been a flashpoint in the dispute between Beijing and Manila over sovereignty over and fishing access to a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.The Philippine embassy in Beijing
Quantum Sensing Beats GPS-Denied Navigational Challenges
a fake GPS signal is used to confuse or disrupt operations. The intent can vary and has been suggested to relate to preventing the monitoring of infrastructure. This is a major concern for the commercial shipping industry, as it has occurred in many locations, including the Port of Shanghai and the South China Sea,” says Michael J. Biercuk, CEO and Founder of Q-CTRL.Additionally, the adoption of autonomous systems and vessels is hampered by the unreliability of GPS.Standard navigation systems rely on GPS, with mission-critical systems using the dead reckoning provided by inertial navigation systems
Building AI’s Subsea Cable Infrastructure
and other hazards.In the Jan/Feb issue of Marine Technology Reporter, Alisa Reiner explains why risk mitigation is so important: “Subsea infrastructure is increasingly threatened by activities that fall within the realm of plausibly deniable, sub-threshold operations.”She notes that the South China Sea and the Red Sea have been identified as chokepoints for undersea cables. In March 2024, several major cables in the Red Sea were cut, impacting 25% of data traffic between Asia and Europe.“These threats are not just isolated incidents but may form part of broader strategic maneuvers
China Seizes Underwater “Lighthouses”
.The ministry said it had uncovered devices that had been hidden on the ocean floor and were sending back information that could "pre-set the field for battle," in an article on its official WeChat account, China's most popular social media app.Recent sea and air confrontations in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines over competing territorial claims in the highly strategic waterway have raised the risk of an escalation that could eventually involve the U.S., which is treaty-bound to defend the Philippines if it is attacked.China has also recently staged war games around
February 2026
