A Palau-flagged tanker, the Elbus, was hit by a drone in the Black Sea north of Turkey on January 7, 2026. The vessel was forced to seek Turkish Coast Guard help. Reports say the vessel was an oil tanker bound for Russia.
This incident adds to ongoing drone attacks targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers to disrupt oil exports, with Ukraine increasingly using marine drones, though Kyiv denies involvement in every specific attack, and responsibility for such incidents often remains unclear, creating tensions in the vital shipping lane.
Ipsotek, an Eviden business, today announced the launch of VISuite Core, a new AI-Video Analytics solution built around a carefully curated set of pre-built capabilities designed to address high-value use cases across large-scale deployments. Informed by extensive analysis of real-world operational environments, the solution is engineered to deliver measurable return on investment, regulatory compliance, and cost reductions.
Developed to overcome the barriers that have traditionally limited analytics adoption at scale, VISuite Core removes configuration layers and costs associated with large video analytics deployments. By prioritizing a proven, standardized capability set over bespoke implementations, organizations can unlock value from existing video infrastructure through a repeatable, plug-and-play deployment model suited to distributed estates and partner-led rollouts.
Building on Ipsotek’s innovations in applying Generative AI to video analytics, the solution extends these capabilities to large-scale deployments through VISuite Core’s model. Generative AI, combined with streamlined workflows and pre-built, sector-specific use cases, will enable reliable and consistent rollouts without consultative tuning. This approach lowers barriers to adoption and provides organisations with a value-driven foundation focused on ROI, efficiency, and compliance, supporting confident and scalable adoption.
Key Features & Capabilities
Curated set of sector-focused use cases, designed to deliver actionable alerts and operational insights that have true return on investment.
Generative AI–powered automatic configuration, enabling fast, repeatable deployment at scale.
Streamlined, intuitive UI, reducing training time and simplifying day-to-day operation.
Purpose-built dashboards and reporting, providing clear visibility into trends, performance, and compliance metrics.
Primary Benefits
Rapid deployment: Plug-and-play style format minimises installation effort and eliminates the need for complex integration.
Immediate ROI: Workflows are built around operational outcomes that drive the greatest financial, compliance, and safety impact.
Scalable channel distribution: Automated configuration supports partner-driven deployments across wide networks of sites.
VISuite Core is being introduced with an initial focus on sectors where operational oversight, regulatory compliance, and consistency across multiple locations are essential. These include petrol filling stations, where reliable monitoring is central to safety and compliance; schools and educational institutions, where enhancing situational awareness and safeguarding measures is increasingly important; and energy and utilities, where securing dispersed, high-risk infrastructure is critical. Following this initial release, Ipsotek will broaden VISuite Core’s sector coverage through a modular development roadmap that allows new vertical applications to be added efficiently as market needs evolve.
Dr. Boghos Boghossian, CEO & CTO at Ipsotek, commented: ‘’VISuite Core marks a significant evolution in how AI-Video Analytics can be delivered. By using Generative AI to automate configuration and augment the traditions by focusing on the most impactful industry workflows, we are enabling our customers and partners to deploy analytics at a scale that was previously impractical.”
Ipsotek will showcase VISuite Core throughout Intersec UAE in Dubai January 12 – 14, 2026, with demonstrations available for attendees interested in seeing VISuite Core in action and learning more about the evolving VISuite product family.
A state of emergency was declared in Yemen after Saudi Arabia bombed the port of Mukalla on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. The Saudi military claimed the UAE was sending weapons to separatist fighters in the area. The attack shows that tensions are growing between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who used to be allies.
The bombing followed tensions over the advance of Emirates-backed separatist forces known as the Southern Transitional Council. That council and its allies issued a statement supporting the UAE’s presence, even as others allied with Saudi Arabia demanded that Emirati forces withdraw from Yemen in 24 hours’ time.
The military issued a statement saying the attack came after ships arrived there from Fujairah in the UAE. “The ships’ crew had disabled tracking devices aboard the vessels, and unloaded a large amount of weapons and combat vehicles in support of the Southern Transitional Council’s forces,” the statement said.
“Considering that the aforementioned weapons constitute an imminent threat, and an escalation that threatens peace and stability, the Coalition Air Force has conducted this morning a limited airstrike that targeted weapons and military vehicles offloaded from the two vessels in Mukalla,” it added.
“I expect a calibrated escalation from both sides. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council is likely to respond by consolidating control,” said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert and founder of risk advisory firm, the Basha Report. “At the same time, the flow of weapons from the UAE to the STC is set to be curtailed following the port attack, particularly as Saudi Arabia controls the airspace.”
The importance of early-stage security design, multi-stakeholder coordination, and alignment between technology, people and processes to be highlighted
The Intersec 2026 International Security Leaders’ Summit will bring together global leaders to share best practices, benchmark innovations, and shape the next generation of integrated security strategies worldwide
Intersec 2026 takes place from 12-14 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre
Dubai, UAE: Intersec 2026 will demonstrate how integrating security from the outset can serve as a strategic enabler for the Gulf’s rapidly growing giga-developments during the International Security Leaders’ Summit, which takes place from 12-14 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Speaking ahead of his participation in a panel titled Regional Vision, Global Solutions: Embedding Security Innovation into Megaprojects, Malcolm Smith, Public Safety Excellence Director, Royal Commission of AlUla, has outlined how giga-project environments such as AlUla, NEOM, and Diriyah are reshaping the intersection of public safety and urban development by utilising the expertise of security professionals from the onset of initiating giga-projects and throughout the project development.
“Security is now embedded as a core pillar of the master planning process rather than a late-stage operational consideration. Integrating security professionals from concept design through to construction and operations ensures people, process, and technology are aligned with urban design, tourism flow, operational resilience and project objectives,” said Smith.
Covering sectors like tourism, heritage, energy, transport, and residential development, regional giga-projects feature varied risk
profiles and operational needs. Ensuring unified security across these complex sectors requires a coordinated approach to planning, governance, and technology integration.
Discussing the complexities of driving security innovation at the scale of the region’s giga-projects, Smith noted that their vast scale, wide scope, and multi-sector nature present unique integration challenges.
“Integrating systems that serve both public and private domains is challenging. Security solutions must balance high visitor experience expectations with strong resilience and compliance standards. This requires cross-stakeholder management and coordination between architects, technologists, security regulators, and end-users to ensure scalability,” he said.
Adding a technology perspective, Jake Phillips, Group Security Director at IHS Towers, one of the largest independent owners of shared communications infrastructure, emphasised that security innovation is equally critical to the resilience of communications infrastructure.
“We’re seeing a very proactive approach to reorganising security and adopting or integrating newer methods of providing security. There has been a lot of negative press and concerns surrounding AI. The hope is that when people look at what is available, rather than seeing a dark dystopian future, they see the entryway to a more secure reality.”
The panel, which takes place on the opening day of Intersec 2026, will also feature Abu Ahmed, Deputy Director, Head of Joint Security & Resilience Centre – Homeland Security, UK Home Office; Scott Paterson, Director of Security Operations – EMEA at The Walt Disney Company; and Eddie Reyes, Senior Vice President & Founder, RTSG.
In addition to addressing how security is integrated into multi-billion-dollar developments and outlining regional procurement practices and challenges for new technologies, the session will also examine lessons learned from recent megaprojects in the region and worldwide.
Dishan Isaac, Show Director of Intersec at Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said the summit continues to evolve as a platform for strategic dialogue and actionable insight.
“Intersec’s conference programme is designed for senior professionals tasked with securing national assets, critical infrastructure, and emerging smart environments. The 2026 edition will explore how governance, technology, and leadership combine to create more resilient and adaptive security ecosystems across the public and private sectors.”
Intersec 2026 will host over 1,200 exhibitors from more than 60 countries across five core sectors: Homeland Security & Policing,
Cybersecurity, Commercial & Perimeter Security, Fire & Rescue, and Health & Safety. With over 50,000 visitors expected across 65,000 gross square metres of exhibition space, it is set to be the largest edition in the event’s 27-year history.
In addition to the Security Leaders’ Summit, Intersec 2026 will also feature the Fire & Rescue Conference, Health & Safety Conference, Access Control Theatre, and the SIRA Forum, offering attendees a comprehensive programme of specialised content tailored to today’s evolving security, safety, and fire protection industries. The event is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and benefits from the strategic support of the General Command of Dubai Civil Defense (DCD) and the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA).
Trondheim’s fjords will soon be navigated by the world’s fastest electric passenger vessel, the Candela P-12 — saving commuters hours and bringing flying ships back to the city’s waterways. Starting on 17 December and stretching into January, the Candela P-12 — the world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry — will operate between Frosta Brygge and Trondheim as part of the Frostabåten project, a collaboration between real estate developers, Trondheim’s technical university NTNU, and the regional and municipal authorities.
With a cruise speed of 25 knots and an all-electric range of 40 nautical miles, the P-12 is the fastest and longest-range electric passenger vessel in the world. It offers a new solution to Trondheim’s — and Norway’s — commuting challenges. Fjords carve deep inlets into the landscape, making the shortest route directly across the water, but the high operating costs of ferries have meant that residents are often limited to land-based transport only.Today, residents of Frosta — a newly built seaside community with sweeping fjord views — must travel by car or bus into central Trondheim, a journey of roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes. With the P-12 crossing the fjord, the trip takes just 30 minutes, saving commuters around two hours per day.
The Frostabåten project thus revives a much missed ferry service on this route, which was discontinued in 1970 — and briefly operated with a diesel-powered PT-20 hydrofoil during its last year. That vessel offered fast travel times but proved too costly to run.“We’re bringing flying boats back to Trondheim — but this time they are electric, whisper quiet, and vastly more efficient,” says Alexander Sifvert, Head of Candela’s European operations.The P-12 is not only zero-emission; it is also far more cost-efficient to operate than traditional vessels. Its advantage lies in its efficient C-POD drivetrain and computer-controlled hydrofoils, which lift the boat above the surface, reducing energy consumption by a staggering 80% compared with conventional hulls. Electricity is also inexpensive in Trondheim, where hydropower dominates the energy mix. The result is a vessel with operating costs on par with land-based transport, such as buses.
The P-12’s efficiency also addresses the bottleneck that has slowed Norway’s otherwise ambitious electrification of its diesel ferry fleet. Despite national mandates for zero-emission fjords, strong political backing, electrifying high-speed routes has proven difficult: conventional hull electric fast ferries consume too much energy, require expensive megawatt-level charging systems, and offer limited range. The P-12, by contrast, charges from an inexpensive and mobile car-style DC charger.“Norway is a global front-runner in electrification. With nearly 100% adoption of electric cars, the waterways are the next frontier of disruption. With our technology, that shift can not only become far cheaper than operating diesel vessels but also make new routes viable — or, as in the case of Frosta, revive routes that were not commercially sustainable when competing with road traffic,” says Alexander Sifvert at Candela.The project is carried out in partnership with Frosta Brygge, Trondheim Port, the Ocean Autonomy Cluster, the NTNU Shore Control Lab, and others. Testing will continue from 15 January 2025 until January 2026 to evaluate the technology, operations, and potential for future routes.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and Aireon have announced a strategic collaboration to deploy Aireon’s space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data for air traffic surveillance across the oceanic sector of the Kuala Lumpur Flight Information Region (FIR). This initiative marks a major milestone in strengthening Malaysia’s air traffic management capabilities and enhancing operational safety and efficiency across one of the world’s busiest international air corridors.
Aireon, in partnership with its local partner ClearWisdom, signed the agreement at this week’s Airspace Asia Pacific event in Hong Kong. The agreement includes Aireon’s EASA-certified space-based ADS-B data covering the oceanic service volume of the Kuala Lumpur FIR West Region. This includes a substantial portion of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, a critical corridor for flights connecting Asia and the Middle East.
Malaysia plays a pivotal role in the safe management of this region, surrounded by Jakarta FIR (Indonesia) to the south, Chennai FIR (India) to the west, and Singapore FIR to the east. Several regional air navigation service providers (ANSPs) including the Airports Authority of India and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines have already adopted Aireon’s data services, contributing to greater interoperability and regional cooperation.
“Thank you to CAAM for entrusting Aireon to bring space-based ADS-B data to Malaysia,” said Peter Cabooter, Aireon executive vice president of customer affairs. “Air traffic in the region is poised to grow strongly in the coming years, and Malaysia is responding strongly by investing in safety for the airspace.”
“The implementation of Aireon’s space-based ADS-B service represents a key milestone in strengthening Malaysia’s air traffic surveillance capabilities, particularly over the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. This enhancement will support safer, more efficient airspace operations and aligns with CAAM’s continuous efforts to modernize Malaysia’s air traffic management system and advance regional collaboration,” said Dato’ Captain Norazman Bin Mahmud, CEO of CAAM.
The integration of space-based ADS-B forms part of CAAM’s long-term plan to modernise surveillance infrastructure and improve situational awareness in remote and oceanic airspace where ground-based radar is limited. This collaboration will support Malaysia’s commitments under ICAO’s Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP), enabling enhanced safety, reduced separation standards, more efficient routing, and improved environmental outcomes.
By integrating their computed tomography (CT) and X-ray diffraction imaging (XRDI) systems into a new offering, Leidos and Quadridox are developing an advanced checked baggage screening technology aimed at increasing security while keeping luggage moving quickly during the screening process.
The new agreement combines Leidos’ Examiner 3DX CT with Quadridox’s DELPHI XRDI technology. By leveraging the companies’ expertise, airports can gain deeper insights into potential threats and be better positioned to keep pace with evolving regulatory requirements.
“Separately, these technologies provide high levels of threat detection,” said Nik Karnik, vice president and Global Security Products division manager within Leidos’ Commercial & International sector. “When integrated, we aim to deliver a powerful and more comprehensive security screening solution to help keep air travel safe.”
The technology integration is designed to help airport operations achieve higher detection rates for prohibited items concealed within baggage, along with fewer false positives. Such advancements will help airports keep up with increasing passenger volume, ensuring luggage can be efficiently screened and routed to flights, on time.
”By combining XRDI and CT technologies with state-of-the-art AI-based algorithms, it enables a new era of threat detection,” said Joel Greenberg, president and CEO of Quadridox. “This partnership is exciting and goes beyond enhancing the efficiency and automation of checked baggage screening today, we are looking ahead to ensure our systems are ready for next-generation standards.”
The integrated CT and XRDI system has undergone significant internal testing, achieving high performance results while maintaining baggage analysis speed. Data collection at internal and government sites, along with the development of new detection algorithms, are currently underway ahead of a planned airport trial in 2026.
Those prioritizing safety and security now have a cost-effective latching option. Southco’s E3 VISE ACTION Compression Latch with Visual Indicator is now available in zinc. The latch features red, reflective indicator wings that can be easily viewed when open, so users can tell if the latch is secure with a quick glance. This offering further expands the line of MAKE SAFETY VISIBLE BY SOUTHCO products, which provide visual indication for increased safety and monitoring in a wide range of applications.
When Southco’s E3 VISE ACTION Compression Latch with Visual Indicator is open, it displays reflective wings that can be seen from a minimum of five meters away, making it an ideal choice for rail, semiconductor, and industrial machinery enclosures where an unsecured door or panel could impact safety during operation. By allowing operators to easily see when a latch is open, the E3 VISE ACTION Compression Latch with Visual Indicator improves efficiency, enhances safety, and reduces maintenance errors.
Jonathan Coulter, commercial product manager, adds, “The E3 VISE ACTION Compression Latch with Visual Indicator provides visual feedback of whether a panel is fully closed, semi-closed or not secured at all. Like Southco’s standard E3 line, the indicator version delivers vibration-resistant fastening and is available in a variety of grip lengths, providing a simple upgrade for enhancing enclosure safety and security.”
Investment firm KKR has announced the launch of Galaxy Container Solutions (Galaxy), a global marine container leasing and financing platform, in partnership with a team of industry veterans. Galaxy will be owned by KKR-managed credit funds and accounts, which are committing $500 million to the company via KKR’s Asset-Based Finance (ABF) strategy.
Galaxy will provide a full suite of container leasing and financing solutions to shipping companies around the world, enabling flexible, capital-efficient access to the container fleets that keep global trade moving. Supported by KKR’s stable capital base and a management team with decades of experience, the company is well positioned to meet customer needs for fleet growth and balance sheet optimization.
Galaxy is helmed by Jeffrey Gannon, CEO, and Adrian Dunner, COO, who have launched and scaled multiple container leasing companies. Most recently, Gannon and Dunner co-founded and led Global Container International (GCI), the seventh largest lessor of marine containers globally at the time of its sale to Triton International. They will be joined by former GCI Stephen Controulis, CFO, along with a team of specialists across container leasing management, operations, finance and sales functions.
“This is an ideal moment to launch Galaxy, as market dynamics like lessor consolidation and sustained demand are creating real opportunities for new entrants,” said Jeffrey Gannon, CEO of Galaxy Container Solutions. “With KKR’s support, we are excited to harness our proven approach to offer our customers reliable, flexible solutions for their fleet and capital needs.”
“Galaxy represents an exciting expansion of our Asset-Based Finance strategy into the container leasing sector, which offers attractive downside-protected investment opportunities backed by essential global trade infrastructure,” said Daniel Pietrzak, partner and global head of private credit at KKR. “The company is in great hands with the Galaxy team, and we’re confident they will deliver dynamic solutions that meet the evolving needs of the world’s leading shipping lines.”
Swiss marine power company WinGD has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qatar Shipyard Technology Solutions, a leading shipbuilder and repair yard, to expand engine aftercare and technical services in the Middle East. The partnership, agreed during Nor-Shipping in June, will strengthen delivery of WinGD’s new lifecycle services offer, Global Service by WinGD, to Middle Eastern ship operators by enhancing regional capabilities in engine maintenance, repair, overhaul, and retrofitting.
The collaboration will leverage Qatar Shipyard Technology Solutions’ strategic location and quality infrastructure, alongside WinGD’s deep expertise in engine design, to deliver efficient and high-quality engine aftercare and technical support for vessel operators in the region. Global Service by WinGD expands the company’s original in-service support and technical advisory —previously only delivered directly during the engine warranty period — across the entire vessel lifecycle.
WinGD director of global service Rudolf Holtbecker said: “Shipowners today are looking for trusted partners who can provide expert support at every stage of an engine’s life. This MoU establishes one footprint in the Middle East area as part of our commitment to delivering tailored, OEM-quality services worldwide — ensuring vessels remain efficient, compliant, and profitable over the long term.”
Qatar Shipyard Technology Solutions CEO, Jos J.A.A. Goris, added: “WinGD is the ideal partner to make sure our customers have access to the very best engine advice, remote support and retrofit solutions. This collaboration enhances our offer to shipowners and operators seeking to maintain and enhance operational efficiency across their fleets and extend vessel compliance.”
The company says it was “developed in collaboration with customers to meet real-world needs, and builds on more than 125 years of two-stroke engine design expertise. The service offer pairs
WinGD’s deep-rooted understanding of vessel energy systems with a global network delivering on-time and on-budget field service and technical support, well timed to support more than 100 LNG carriers powered by WinGD engines that will be operating on Qatar projects from 2026.
