Shipping 2026

INTRODUCTION Contributed by: Yoav Harris, John Harris (1940-2023) and Domiana Abboud, Harris & Co. Shipping & Maritime Law

USX-1 Defiant autonomous warship of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was completed in August 2025, with a length of 180 feet (55 metres) and a weight of about 240 tons. The vessel is unmanned, with self-fuelling capabilities, and is able to complete missions without humans. In the com - mercial sphere, an autonomous cargo vessel has been developed by the California-based company Clipper - ship, while Ocean Infinity has built a fleet of 14 robotic vessels known as the “Armada Fleet”. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) contin - ues to adapt its regulatory framework to technological developments in autonomous shipping. On 17 June 2025, a symposium titled “Maritime Autonomous Sur - face Ships as a reality: the need for the IMO MASS Code ” was held. During the 110th session, the com - mittee agreed on a revised roadmap for the MASS Code : adoption of a non-mandatory code by May 2026, development of an experience-building frame - work by December 2026 and the expected adoption of a mandatory code by July 2030, with entry into force anticipated in 2032. Sanctions Against Russia and Russia’s Sanction Evasion Attempts EU sanctions against Russia under Regulation No 833/2014 (particularly the port ban on Russian-flagged vessels (Article 3ea) and restrictions on navigation goods and technologies (Article 3f)) have significantly affected Russia’s fleet of approximately 3,300 vessels (by December 2025). As reported by Kpler, the “Shadow Fleet” transports around 3,733 million barrels of oil, representing rough - ly 6–7% of global crude oil trade. To counteract the sanctions imposed by EU countries and the USA, in December 2022 Russia adopted a legal mechanism, through Presidential Decree No 961 and Government Resolution No 118, prohibiting the sale of oil if a price cap is applied (within sanction regulations). Advocate Konstantin Krasnokutskiy advises that the Russian customs authorities demand proof of non-application of the price cap, which means that oil supply con - tracts cannot abide by the sanctions against Russia if they wish to buy Russian oil, thus forcing buyers to use the Russia fleet to bypass Western sanctions.

Nevertheless, strict Russian legislation does not appear to mitigate the effects of the sanctions; instead, reports indicate that Russian oil tankers have millions of barrels of oil without a buyer . The sanc - tions, combined with Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, have led to a sharp decline in oil production. Coupled with the inherent issues of the ageing, poorly maintained Russian Shadow Fleet vessels, it is unlikely that Russia’s oil issues will be resolved soon. The EU Deforestation Regulation The implementation of EU Regulation 2023/1115 (the “EU Deforestation Regulation”; EUDR) – which aims to minimise global deforestation and forest degrada - tion, thereby reducing the associated greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental effects – has been postponed for one more year, pushing the deadline to 30 December 2026. The EUDR cannot be discussed without consideration of the melting glaciers and sea ice, which led to a battle of control between Russia and China against the USA over a northern sea route (the Polar Silk route), which became available year- round due to climate change – and where it seems unlikely that the ice and glacier will return to their pre - vious form. This “battle” is accompanied by another struggle involving Russia, which continues to apply the meth - ods of catching and dragging (dropping anchor and dragging to cut undersea cables); on 25 December 2024, the Russian-linked Cook Island-flagged Eagle S vessel dropped its anchor and dragged it, cutting the undersea electricity cable Estlink 2 connecting Estonia and Finland. Recently (on 31 December 2025), Finland detained the vessel Fitburg, a vessel sailing from Russia, on suspicion that it had been “sabo - taging infrastructure” – ie, damaging an undersea telecoms cable running from Helsinki to Estonia. As well as deliberately damaging infrastructure using its shadow vessels, Russia also breaches Article 113 of the UNCLOS, which mandates that states pass laws to investigate and prosecute “breaking or injury” of undersea cables. M/V Fitburg was later released and continued its voyage and arrived at Israel.

7 CHAMBERS.COM