dChan
Anonymous ID: 84b08c Sept. 20, 2025, 1:41 p.m. No.23629243   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Crisis At NATO Shipbuilder Unsettles Europe’s Defense Plans

By Charlotte Hughes-Morgan Bloomberg September 20, 2025

 

Sep 19, 2025 (Bloomberg) –On a chilly day this February, Dutch Crown Princess Amalia smashed a champagne bottle against the hull of the combat support ship Den Helder as dignitaries — including executives from the shipbuilder, Damen Shipyards NV — cheered the christening.

 

Since then, the outlook for Damen has become less celebratory: Prosecutors have charged the company with corruption and sanctions violations, a major customer froze payments, and an acute cash shortage led the Dutch government to step in with an emergency support package in July.

 

The setbacks have rattled the firm’s NATO customers just as Europe has begun pouring billions of dollars into defense to confront an increasingly belligerent Russia. Legal proceedings will start by the end of the year, and convictions — with penalties that include fines and being barred from tenders — could cripple Damen and Dutch industry, and complicate the continent’s ambitions of rearming.

 

“It would be a huge blow for Dutch shipbuilding” if Damen were convicted, said Sebastiaan Bennink, partner at Amsterdam law firm Bennink Dunin-Wasowicz. Damen is “instrumental” for Europe’s military capacity, he added.

 

A sprawling group of 55 companies around the world, the Gorinchem-headquartered company employs about 12,000 people globally and reported over €3 billion ($3.6 billion) in revenue in 2023, according to accounts filed with the Dutch chamber of commerce.

 

The shipbuilder is led by Arnout Damen, whose father, Kommer Damen, restructured the family business in 1969 and now chairs its supervisory board.

 

Damen is building two anti-submarine warfare frigates for the Netherlands, two frigates for the Belgian navy, Germany’s F126 frigates — the largest ships in their fleet — and designing the Dutch navy’s new air defense and command frigates and amphibious transport ships.

 

If it can’t deliver on those projects, it will be tough for friendly nations to pick up the pieces at a critical time, said Nick Childs, senior fellow for naval forces and maritime security at The International Institute for Strategic Studies.

 

“There are only limited numbers of shipbuilders in Europe that can deliver high-end complex warships,” Childs said.

 

The Dutch prosecution service said in April that it would take Damen to court after separate criminal investigations into suspected bribery, forgery and money laundering between 2006 and 2017, and over violating sanctions imposed on Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

 

The sanctions violation charge concerns “goods and technology that could contribute to Russia’s military and technological strengthening and/or the development of its defense and security sector,” prosecutors said in a statement in April.

 

Intentional violations of sanctions or export controls are criminal in the Netherlands. Judges can impose a fine of up to 10% of the company’s annual sales if they deem the standard penalty of just over €1 million too low. A criminal conviction can also block a company from participating in tenders for European contracts, Bennink said.

 

The sanctions case involves “the supply of a very limited number of civilian cranes to Russia. This delivery took place within the sanctions legislation in force at the time,” Damen said in a statement in April. The company said it has “always acted in accordance with the applicable sanctions packages and that full transparency has been exercised about its activities.” Officials at Damen declined to comment on the case beyond the statement.

 

The separate allegations of using bribes to secure foreign contracts have plagued the group for years. In 2016, the World Bank barred Damen from its projects for 18 months, saying the company had committed fraud by failing to disclose an agent and commissions under the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program. In 2017, local media reported that the Dutch tax investigation services had raided Damen’s Gorinchem headquarters in relation to foreign corruption.

 

The corruption trial against Damen Shipyards is set to start on Nov. 24, and includes prosecution of former and current company directors. The trial over sanctions violations will begin before the end of the year, but dates have not yet been confirmed.

 

German lawmakers recently froze a €671 million payment to Damen for six F126 ships after the company missed a delivery target. Germany says it is paying a total of about €9 billion for the frigates.

 

The move left the firm with what it calls a “temporary cash flow problem.” In a sign of the shipmaker’s importance, when Dutch parliament returned from its summer recess in July, it approved €270 million in support for Damen. The company says it has no financial issues as a whole, and the German defense ministry has said the project will continue.

 

In June, North Atlantic Treaty Organization members agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product from 2%, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly lambasted his European allies for underspending on security.

 

European countries have been reviewing their naval capabilities given the heightened military threat from Russia and growing concern about the need to secure vulnerable undersea infrastructure. Norway recently picked the UK for a £10 billion frigate contract — the biggest—ever investment in the Nordic country’s defense.

 

In wartime, when enemy submarines are prowling, NATO’s ability to detect and destroy them will be crucial, said Sidharth Kaushal, senior research fellow in seapower at the Royal United Services Institute in London. Damen builds the type of warships needed for that mission.

 

“If a shipbuilder like Damen were to have issues, that would have pretty significant ramifications, and not just for the Netherlands,” he said.

 

https://gcaptain.com/crisis-at-nato-shipbuilder-unsettles-europes-defense-plans

Anonymous ID: 84b08c Sept. 20, 2025, 2:02 p.m. No.23629351   🗄️.is 🔗kun

They seem concerned their net-zero won't fly

 

Port Industry Warns of ‘Disaster’ if IMO Net Zero Framework Fails October Vote

Mike Schuler September 17, 2025

 

The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has issued an urgent call for IMO Member States to adopt the Net Zero Framework (NZF) at the upcoming extraordinary MEPC meeting in mid-October, warning that failure could derail the maritime industry’s energy transition and leave developing nations behind.

 

Speaking at a decarbonization event during London International Shipping Week, IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven delivered a stark message about the consequences of rejecting the framework: “A failure to adopt the Framework would create absolute investment uncertainty, both for shipping companies and ports, and with that significantly delay the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. Achieving IMO’s net zero targets would become impossible.”

 

The IMO Net Zero Framework, which was agreed upon last April, combines mandatory emissions limits with a global economic measure consisting of a pricing mechanism and credit trading scheme to drive down emissions and fund the transition to zero and low carbon fuels. The framework aims for net-zero emissions by or around 2050.

 

Verhoeven emphasized that the economic measure is particularly crucial for developing nations: “IAPH supports the economic measure as it will also provide vital funding for infrastructure investments in ports of developing countries, in order for them not to be left behind in the energy transition.”

 

A study commissioned by IAPH from Maritime & Transport Business Solutions (MTBS) estimates that the total investment needs for port adaptation and mitigation in developing countries amounts to between 55 and 83 billion USD. The report highlights how the proposed IMO Net Zero Fund could help developing countries invest in necessary adaptation and mitigation measures.

 

The IAPH has consistently backed the introduction of a global fuel standard for shipping and an economic measure since before MEPC80 in July 2023, when it submitted a call with others for an economic measure to close the price gap between hydrocarbon and low/zero carbon fuels.

 

Verhoeven warned that without a unified global approach, the industry risks a patchwork of regional regulations that would complicate compliance and potentially undermine decarbonization efforts: “It would most likely lead to more regional decarbonisation measures for shipping, adding to those already introduced through the Emission Trading Scheme by the EU. This will result in a complex regulatory patchwork which will be extremely challenging for ship owners and operators to comply with and which will have unintended consequences like we have already seen in the case of Europe. A mixture of national and regional measures could spell a disaster for the maritime energy transition.”

 

The vote comes at a time of conflicting industry positions. While the International Chamber of Shipping, representing over 80% of the world merchant fleet, has formally backed the IMO’s Net Zero Framework and called for its adoption to provide industry clarity, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has urged the IMO to “pause and rethink” the framework.

 

ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki has argued that shipping and the IMO are on “different trajectories” with no clear pathway for green fuel availability and infrastructure support. The ABS position maintains that LNG and biofuels are “mission critical” and should not be overlooked, while also calling for greater recognition of nuclear propulsion as a strategic option.

 

Adding to the complexity is opposition from the Trump Administration, which has characterized the framework as “effectively a global carbon tax on Americans levied by an unaccountable UN organization.” The administration has threatened retaliatory measures against countries supporting the framework and has actively approached other IMO member countries warning them not to adopt it.

 

Meanwhile, a new report indicates the shipping industry is already off track to meet its 2030 climate target. According to the fourth annual “Progress towards shipping’s 2030 breakthrough” report, developed by UCL Energy Institute, the Global Maritime Forum’s Getting to Zero Coalition, and the Climate High-Level Champions, the sector is not on pace to achieve its goal of having 5-10% of international shipping fuels come from scalable zero-emission sources by 2030.

 

The report reveals a concerning disconnect between technological readiness and market implementation. While technologies for scalable zero-emission fuels (SZEF) have advanced significantly—with methanol engines now commercially available and ammonia engines in final testing stages—demand and finance trends show critical gaps that threaten the industry’s decarbonization timeline.

 

“The agreement of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework was a significant feat of multi-lateral diplomacy, but we are not yet seeing the level of momentum the industry needs,” states Jesse Fahnestock, Director of Decarbonisation at the Global Maritime Forum.

 

Current projections indicate that only about one-third of the demand needed to meet the 5% target would materialize by 2030 without accelerated action—a shortfall representing approximately 9 million tonnes of fuel oil equivalent, or roughly 400 large container ships worth of capacity.

 

With the vote scheduled for the week of October 13, the outcome will have significant implications for the future of maritime decarbonization and global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions in the shipping sector.

 

https://gcaptain.com/port-industry-warns-of-disaster-if-imo-net-zero-framework-fails-october-vote

Anonymous ID: 84b08c Sept. 20, 2025, 2:25 p.m. No.23629464   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>23629413

How about them wanting people to forget being directed to harass Momma Bears at PTA meetings instead of doing something to the actual criminals?

Simply must keep the 4th & 5th Graders able to get the porn in their libraries since the fentanyl dealers might shoot

Anonymous ID: 84b08c Sept. 20, 2025, 3:29 p.m. No.23629759   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Day of delays at Heathrow after cyber-attack brings disruption

Maia Davies,Rachel Muller Heyndyk, and Joe Tidy 3 hours ago

 

Heathrow was among several European airports hit by delays on Saturday after a cyber-attack affecting an electronic check-in and baggage system.

 

The airport said a number of flights were delayed as a "technical issue" impacted software provided to several airlines.

 

Brussels Airport said a cyber-attack on Friday night meant passengers were being checked in and boarded manually, and Berlin's Brandenburg Airport reported longer waiting times due to the problem.

 

RTX, which owns software provider Collins Aerospace, said it was "aware of a cyber-related disruption" to its system in "select airports" and that it was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

 

The company added: "The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations."

 

It said its Muse software - which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates at an airport, rather than requiring their own - had been affected.

 

The BBC understands that British Airways is operating as normal using a back-up system, but that most other airlines operating from Heathrow have been affected.

 

A National Cyber Security Centre spokesperson said: "We are working with Collins Aerospace and affected UK airports, alongside Department for Transport and law enforcement colleagues, to fully understand the impact of an incident."

 

The European Commission, which has a role in managing airspace across Europe, said it was "closely monitoring the cyber attack".

 

A spokesperson added there was no indication of a "widespread or severe" attack and that it was working with airlines and airports to "restore operations and support passengers".

 

Hundreds of flights have been delayed at the airports throughout Saturday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

 

Dublin Airport said it and Cork Airport had experienced a "minor impact" from the cyber-attack, with some airlines implementing manual check-in processes.

 

Lucy Spencer said she had been queuing to check in for a Malaysia Airlines flight for more than two hours, and that staff were manually tagging luggage and checking passengers in over the phone.

 

"They told us to use the boarding passes on our phone, but when we got to the gates they weren't working - they've now sent us back to the check-in gate," she told the BBC from Heathrow's Terminal 4, adding that she could see hundreds of people queuing up.

 

Another passenger, Monazza Aslam, said she had been sitting on the tarmac for over an hour "with no idea when we will fly", and had already missed her onward connection at Doha.

 

"I've been at Heathrow with my elderly parents since 05:00," she said, adding: "We are hungry and tired."

 

Johnny Lal, who was due to fly to Bombay for his mother-in-law's funeral on Saturday, said he and his family will now miss their flight.

 

He told the BBC his mother "can't walk one step without her [mobility] scooter" but that Heathrow staff had been unable to provide her with one. "They keep just telling us the systems are down."

 

Luke Agger-Joynes said that, while queues in Terminal 3 were "much larger than normal", the airline for his US flight and the airport "seem to be prepared and the queues are moving much faster than I feared".

 

He added: "They are also calling out specific flights and picking people out of the queue to ensure they don't miss their flights."

 

Heathrow said additional staff were at hand in check-in areas to help minimise disruption.

 

"We advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport and arrive no earlier than three hours before a long haul flight or two hours for a domestic flight."

 

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was aware of the incident and was "getting regular updates and monitoring the situation".

 

EasyJet and Ryanair, which do not operate out of Heathrow but are among Europe's biggest airlines, said they were operating as normal.

 

Brussels Airport said there would be a "large impact on the flight schedule", including cancellations and delays.

 

Europe's combined aviation safety organisation, Eurocontrol, said airline operators had been asked to cancel half their flight schedules to and from the airport between 04:00 GMT on Saturday and 02:00 on Monday due to the disruption.

 

In a separate incident, Dublin's Airport 2 terminal has reopened following a security alert. Suspicious luggage was flagged to Gardaí (Irish police) on Saturday, who evacuated the terminal as a "precautionary measure".

 

Travel journalist Simon Calder said that "any disruption is potentially serious" at Heathrow, given it is Europe's busiest airport, and that "departure control is a really complex business".

 

He told the BBC: "These things are all interconnected, so a little bit of a problem in Brussels, in Berlin… people start missing connections, planes and passengers and pilots are not where they are meant to be, and things can get quite a lot worse before they get better."

 

It was only last July that a global IT crash due to a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike caused disruption to aviation, grounding flights across the US.

 

Analysts said at the time that the incident highlighted how the industry could be vulnerable to issues with digital systems.

 

While there are unfounded accusations circulating that this cyber-attack was carried out by Kremlin-sponsored hackers, all major hacks in the past few years have been carried out by criminal gangs more interested in extracting money from their victims.

 

Extortion gangs have made hundreds of millions of dollars a year by stealing data or using ransomware to cause chaos and extract ransoms in bitcoin from their victims.

 

It is far too early to know who is behind this attack. Some cyber-security experts suggested this could be a ransomware attack, but note that these can be perpetrated by state-sponsored actors as well.

 

Collins Aerospace has yet to comment publicly about the nature or origin of the hack.

 

Many hacking gangs are headquartered in Russia or other former Soviet countries, some of which are thought to have ties to the Russian state.

 

But there have been plenty of arrests elsewhere, while British and American teenagers are accused of carrying out some recent large cyber-attacks against Las Vegas casinos, M&S, Co-op and Transport for London.

 

Liberal Democrats MP Calum Miller said the government must make a statement on whether they think the Kremlin is to blame.

 

He referred to Russian warplanes entering Estonian airspace on Friday, adding "the government needs to urgently establish if Vladimir Putin is now attacking our cyber systems".

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3drpgv33pxo