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Pirates are stepping up attacks on ships in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, defying regional navies. On Saturday, pirates off Nigeria kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish container ship and killed one.Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea kidnapped 130 seafarers in 22 separate incidents last year, accounting for all but five of those seized at sea worldwide.Who are the pirates and why are the attacking?The pirates come from Nigeria’s turbulent Niger Delta, experts say. The region produces the bulk of the nation’s petroleum, but is woefully underdeveloped, scarred by pollution and has some of the highest unemployment in the country.

Joe Hudspeth is the Director of Business Development for Global Marine at BAE Systems in Endicott, N.Y. BAE Systems offers complete, efficient propulsion and auxiliary power systems utilizing electric technology. Hudspeth has been involved with maritime sales, marketing and product development since 2000. He currently serves as a regional co-chairman for the Passenger Vessel Association, is a judge for the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association student design competition, and frequently speaks and writes on maritime and ferry related issues. Hudspeth lives in Bellingham, Wash. and he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Western Washington University.

The newly commissioned Siem Aristotle joins sister ship Siem Confucius as the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) vessels.Operating exclusively for Volkswagen Group, the Siem Aristotle is the second in a series of two Super-Eco ships for the Siem Car Carriers fleet that run on cleaner burning LNG fuel to help reduce vessel emissions.The vessel's carbon dioxide emissions are slashed by up to 25%, nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 30%, particulate matter by up to 60% and sulphur oxide emissions by up to 100%, according to the shipowner.

An unmanned vessel is now surveying more than 3,500 nautical miles of the Western Galveston Bay, near the Houston Ship Channel.DEA Marine Services, a division of David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA), in Vancouver, Wash., equipped its survey boat Sigsbee with a Sea Machines Robotics SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm control system to fulfill a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contract.Sigsbee, which is serving as an autonomous daughter craft for the project, is effectively doubling coverage by operating without an onboard crew, while collaboratively following another DEA-staffed hydrographic survey vessel, which serves as the mothership.

It goes without saying that America’s vast network of ports and inland waterways are crucial to the flow of maritime commerce, but these vital parts of U.S. infrastructure also play a big role in driving the greater national economy, support quality of life and ensure public health and safety. Still, no matter how clear and obvious the benefits, U.S. infrastructure as a whole (including roads, energy grids and, yes, ports and waterways among others) has fallen victim to underinvestment. It’s been this way for decades. In 2019, the U.S. spent just 2.5% of its GDP on infrastructure, down from 4.2% in the 1930s, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).