OCEAN: A U.S. Military Strike & more – 4th Nov 2025

th of November: 2025

Kicking off this edition, some news on power transition. On Tuesday, the 28th of October the Philippines took over the annual chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, for twenty twenty-six, taking on responsibility for navigating regional diplomacy and policy.

The Philippines’ main issue is the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The Philippines is committed to advancing a Code of Conduct to manage maritime behavior among member states.

However, Manila-based geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill noted that while the Philippines may emphasize cooperation and dialogue with China, any agreement risks being ineffective without strong enforcement mechanisms.

Alongside maritime security, the Philippines will balance its focus with other ASEAN priorities while leading regional coordination.

In some news about Russian deep-sea weapons, on Wednesday, the 29th, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had successfully tested its Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone, marking the first time its nuclear power reactor has been activated after a submarine launch.

Putin said the weapon was impossible to intercept, capable of high speeds and deep diving, describing it as a symbol of Russia’s unmatched capabilities at sea.

The test comes amid Russia’s broader push to showcase advanced strategic weapons in the face of Western pressure and arms competition. U.S. President Donald Trump described the test as irresponsible and called on Russia to stop the Russo-Ukrainian war instead of introducing new nuclear systems.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a U.S. military strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean targeted a vessel suspected of drug-smuggling activity, killing four people aboard.

The Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the vessel was operating along known narco-trafficking routes and carrying illegal narcotics. The action is part of a larger campaign by the U.S. against narco-terrorism, which has seen at least fourteen strikes and resulted in over sixty deaths since September.

The strikes were carried out in international waters outside a declared armed conflict, raising serious concerns about legality and human rights.

In more US maritime updates, on Thursday, the 30th, the U.S. and China agreed to suspend reciprocal port fees for one year, which had strained maritime trade.

The pause covers an estimated 3.2 billion dollars annually in fees and halts both sides’ new maritime levies through late twenty twenty-six.

Early this year, the U.S. imposed fees on Chinese-built or owned vessels entering U.S. ports, prompting China to respond with retaliatory charges.

Industry players welcomed the move as easing immediate financial pressure, though uncertainty over future policy remains.

In terms of boundary disputes, on Monday, the 3rd of November, the Sri Lankan Navy detained thirty-five Indian fishermen near Kodiyakarai for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

The fishermen were transported to Kankesanthurai port in Jaffna, then placed in judicial custody after a court appearance in Point Pedro. The Indian Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu urged the federal government to take immediate diplomatic action for the release of all detained fishermen and their boats.

The boundary between India and Pakistan is not peaceful, either. Both India and Pakistan have escalated tensions near the Sir Creek region by issuing overlapping Notices to Airmen or NOTAMs and conducting simultaneous live-fire military drills.

India’s NOTAMs from Sunday, the 2nd, to Wednesday, the 5th, cover the western Gujarat coast, while Pakistan’s cover its Sindh coastline during the same period.

The situation has raised concerns about the interpretation of maritime boundaries, the ecological impact on mangroves, and the potential for miscalculation in this disputed waterway.

Meanwhile, the Japanese non-profit ship classification society ClassNK has released new guidelines to improve the safety and loading capacity of container ships. These guidelines introduce rules that use weather-forecast data and anti-rolling devices to optimize container stowage.

The updated guidelines link forecasting uncertainty to loading factors and anti-rolling-device standards to reduce ship roll motion during trips. These changes allow safer, higher-capacity container shipments, especially on short-term routes.

In more news from Japan, on Thursday, the 30th, the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science published the discovery of a new species of the venomous Physalia off northeastern Japan, which was named Physalia Mikazuki. The name means crescent helmet man-o-war in Japanese, a reference to a samurai warrior known for the crescent moon adorning his helmet.

Physalia Mikazuki is different from its tropical relatives in DNA and morphological analysis and has appeared far north, which may be linked to warming ocean currents and shifting water temperatures.

The discovery provides evidence of marine species distributions shifting in response to climate change and highlights the importance of coastal observation and monitoring.

Still in research, scientists from Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies have identified numerous coastal villages around Central Vembanad Lake in India as marine plastic pollution hotspots.

Using drone photography and AI, the researchers surveyed fifty-nine sites and found seventeen major accumulation areas.

Sediment samples revealed extremely high microplastic loads, which is one of the highest levels recorded in estuary systems.

The study’s methodology offers a scalable way to monitor pollution and inform targeted cleanup and conservation policy.

On the other side of the Arabian Sea, New York University Abu Dhabi and the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi conducted a forty-six-day survey spanning over 2,600 nautical miles (4,815 kilometres) through the southern Arabian Gulf.

The researchers found some specialized microorganisms in the southern Arabian Gulf that can adapt to the low-nutrient environment. These microorganisms efficiently break down dissolved organic matter and convert it into nutrients that phytoplankton can absorb. This process supports primary productivity and helps sustain marine life.

Some deeper offshore zones showed seasonal low-oxygen conditions, underscoring the need for ongoing monitoring under climate stress.

Meanwhile, researchers from the UK published a recent study that found plastic pollution on the ocean's surface can last over a century.

HR Wallingford and Queen Mary University developed a model to simulate plastic degradation and estimate that it takes more than a century for plastic to reach the deep sea.

The report indicates that existing surface pollution could persist for more than 100 years, even if no more plastic is dumped in the ocean.

The research provides critical insights into the challenges of removing plastic from marine environments.

Australian specialists bring a sad report. Researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast warn that Australia’s marine climate is heading toward a climate horizon by mid-century, as ocean conditions will shift beyond the range of variability observed from nineteen ninety-five to twenty fourteen.

Areas that naturally buffer organisms from change may disappear, leaving ecosystems vulnerable to unprecedented levels of temperature, acidity, and oxygen stress. As a result, species that currently find refuge in cooler areas could face new dangers, rendering conservation strategies based on past climate conditions ineffective.

The authors suggest that adaptive management and dynamic marine protected areas are needed to address emergent ocean conditions that fall outside historical experience.

Closing this edition with some comments on the Net-Zero Framework. Regina Lam, an ocean and special projects assistant editor at Dialogue Earth, said that many nations convened at the International Maritime Organization in London in mid-October to push forward a Net-Zero Framework for shipping emissions, but discussions broke down amid political tensions and pressure, especially from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Most member countries had approved the framework, including a carbon levy on high-emitting vessels, in April. However, the October meeting postponed the adoption by a year due to concerns over cost, fairness, and uncertainty about how funds would support developing countries.

Critics argue that the delay weakens momentum towards decarbonizing shipping, which accounts for over 80% of global trade but emits about 3% of human-caused greenhouse gases.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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See you next week!