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The 'Alfa M' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.

English fisheries inspectors arrested and inspected five Belgian beam trawlers in the Bristol Channel. The trawlers had to stop fishing and procered to an English port. There, computers were confiscated. The crews were also arrested. A One of the trawlers inspected was the 'Z-26 Avanti' of Steve Depaepe from Damme. Skipper of the beam trawler is Clancy Snauwaert. The ship had to sail eight hours to Newlyn. The hard drives of the on-board computers were confiscated there. The fishermen were placed under arrest and considered suspicious, but they were not told what we were suspected of. Eventually, after a long wait, they were released again, but did not get the hard drives back. Without them, you cannot fish regularly. Because they did not have any spare drives on board, they had to return to Zeebrugge. All in all, there were three days of fishing loss which cost then at least 40,000 to 50,000 euros.’Minister Crevits took the matter very seriously and has visited the crew of the trawler in Zeebrugge.

The 'Toi Challenger', loaded with around 18,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat, has been held in the port of Al-Mukalla, where it arrived on March 11, 2025, for more than a month, with the situation having signs of commercial manipulation and a gross violation of international maritime law, according to the vessel's owner, Integrated Transport Management Group. The wheat was bound for Al Rayyan Salalah Mills and Arabian Sea Fisheries. The cargo was transported on the basis of ‘clean’ bills of lading, which certified the proper condition of the goods at the time of loading at the port of departure. Upon arrival, the consignees rejected the cargo without providing any legal grounds. Lawyers and experts were speculating that there may have been collusion between local authorities and commercial entities, leading to the actual detention of the vessel and crew in a regional commercial conflict. The shipowner's losses have already topped six figures in euros due to downtime costs, lost time charter contracts and reputational damage. The situation was further complicated by the fact that Yemen remained an area of active military conflict, which poses risks to the lives of the crew. Some of the sailors were aboard beyond the contractual timeframe and are unable to leave the vessel.

The Zr.Ms. 'Groningen' has intercepted three drug shipments in the Caribbean in one week. According to a report from Defense on April 23, 2025, hundreds of kilos of cocaine and marijuana were seized. The interceptions took place in the first week of April, but have only now been made public. A total of 1653 kilos of narcotics were seized, of which almost 600 kilos were hard drugs. Last week, the 'Groningen' left her temporary base in Curaçao. Although the Ministry of Defence no longer makes any statements about this ‘for security reasons’, the naval vessel has reportedly set course for its home port of Den Helder. It had served as a station ship in the Caribbean since Jan 23, 2025. Since then, it has intercepted almost 3,500 kilos of cocaine. The largest catch was made on Feb 2, when almost 2,820 kilos of cocaine were intercepted. The smugglers were forced to stop by targeted shots from an on-board helicopter that disabled the engine of their vessel. Five suspects were arrested and handed over to the American Coast Guard with the drugs. The Zr.Ms.' Friesland' will take the place of the Zr.Ms. 'Groningen'. Due to the same 'security considerations' it has not been announced when this sister ship will dock at the Parera naval base in the capital Willemstad.

Thousands of Moroccans took to the streets of Tangier and Casablanca on April 20, 2025, protesting the planned arrival of the 'Maersk Detroit', which was believed to be carrying US fighter jet parts to Israel. In Tangier, over 1,000 protesters gathered at various locations, starting their march around 4:30 p.m. LT from the Iberia Palace in the city center. Protesters held signs and chanted slogans like “The people want the ship banned” and “No genocidal weapons in Moroccan waters,” calling for the vessel to be denied entry. The activists said the boxship was carrying F-35 warplane parts from the USA to Israel. The cargo originated from the US Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth and was en route to the port of Haifa between April 5 and May 1. The shipment was expected to be transferred at Tangier Med port to another Maersk vessel, the 'Maersk Nexoe', before reaching its final destination. The 'Maersk Detroit' docked at the Tangier Med Port on April 21. Moroccan dockworkers and groups supporting the Palestinian cause released separate statements claiming the cargo included F-35 jet parts bound for Israel. A similar protest took place across the Strait of Gibraltar in Algeciras, Spain, organised by a group called Cádiz for Palestine. They condemned Maersk’s alleged involvement and called on Spanish authorities to block suspected weapons shipments to Israel at ports including Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Maersk has denied transporting weapons or ammunition to Israel. The company acknowledged it holds a contract with the US government and sometimes ships military-related equipment under US-Israeli security cooperation but insisted this specific shipment was not headed to Israel. Instead, Maersk said the cargo was destined for other members of the international F-35 fighter jet program. A statement from Morocco’s CGT General Union of Dock Workers and Port Personnel of the Gulf of Fos confirmed that all containers aboard the Maersk Nexoe had been inspected and showed no signs of carrying weapons or jet parts.