Splash Wrap: The Week in Shipping in 233 Words
•February 13, 2026
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Companies Mentioned
Why It Matters
These actions tighten regulatory oversight, curb illicit shipping, and accelerate digital transformation, reshaping global supply‑chain risk and efficiency.
Key Takeaways
- •Pentagon intercepted tanker targeting Venezuelan oil exports
- •Vanuatu flagged fraudulent registry site mimicking official domain
- •Cameroon halted new shadow‑fleet registrations, began deregistrations
- •WiseTech and Hapag‑Lloyd trial IoT for 2 million containers
- •Marcura CEO outlined winning strategies for ship‑tech firms
Pulse Analysis
The latest enforcement moves illustrate how geopolitics and compliance are converging on the high seas. Washington’s seizure of a tanker linked to Venezuela signals a broader U.S. effort to disrupt sanctioned oil flows, while Cameroon’s crackdown on shadow‑fleet registrations reflects growing regional pressure to eliminate opaque vessels that facilitate illicit trade. Together, these actions raise operational costs for non‑compliant operators and push the industry toward greater transparency.
Digital innovation is gaining momentum as WiseTech Global partners with Hapag‑Lloyd to embed Internet of Things sensors across a 2 million‑container fleet. The pilot promises end‑to‑end container tracking, turning raw sensor data into actionable logistics intelligence. By delivering real‑time location, temperature, and handling metrics, the collaboration aims to reduce dwell times, improve cargo integrity, and offer shippers predictive insights—key differentiators in an increasingly data‑driven market.
Amid these shifts, thought leaders like Marcura’s CEO are emphasizing the need for agility and scale in ship‑tech ventures. Success now hinges on integrating robust data platforms, securing regulatory compliance, and delivering clear ROI to carriers. The industry’s trajectory points toward a hybrid model where strict oversight coexists with advanced analytics, positioning digitally adept firms to capture market share while navigating tighter legal frameworks.
Splash Wrap: The week in shipping in 233 words
Pentagon
The US military chased a tanker across the world – from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean – intercepting it on Monday in Washington’s ongoing crackdown on Venezuelan oil exports.
Vanuatu warned of a fraudulent website impersonating its registry. The unauthorised website, operating under the domain registervu.com, copied content from Vanuatu’s own registry site. In related news, Cameroon’s government finally started to clamp down on shadow ships using its register. Cameroon has suspended new registrations of ships thought to be part of the shadow fleet, as well as setting out to deregister shadow ships that are already on its books.
In tech, Australian supply chain technology solutions provider WiseTech Global partnered with Hapag‑Lloyd to trial the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology across the German liner’s 2 m‑strong smart container fleet to create real‑time global container visibility, tracking and data collection, bridging the gap between raw IoT data and actionable supply chain intelligence.
Henrik Hyldahn, group CEO of Marcura, one of shipping’s top digital solutions providers, had some candid advice for those in the ship‑tech space, discussing with Maritime CEO in this week’s big interview what it takes to be a winner in this hugely competitive arena.
Splash has published many Contributions lately debating the PR surrounding a seafaring career, something that has engendered much reader feedback and forms the basis for this week’s Splash Wrap podcast, carried below.
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