Earlier this month, sailor and artist Lia Ditton set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to row almost 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean with 44-year-old Mick Birchall of the Cambridgeshire Police.

EU Court: Island luxury tax illegalThe luxury tax that the Italian island of Sardinia imposed on visiting yachts and aircraft in 2006 has been ruled unfair in the European Court of Justice, according to news reports.An Italian court requested an opinion on the tax’s legality from the European Union after the local marine industry objected that the tax unfairly gave Italian vessels an economic advantage over fellow EU-registered vessels.

New USCG medical forms ready Sept. 1, to be used Oct. 1

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a new version of medical evaluation forms to aid the agency in obtaining objective medical information. That type of information will enable the agency to "make accurate and timely fit-for-duty determinations, which will reduce risk to maritime safety," according to a statement from USCG Capt. David C. Stalfort.

Chef’s killer gets 105 years in prison; captain out of Mexican jail

The man who kidnapped, raped and murdered yacht Chef Sara Kuszak in Puerto Rico in February was sentenced in June to 105 years in prison.

The man, Eliezer Marquez Navedo, 36, had pleaded guilty to the charges against him, according to a story in the Associated Press.

Broker arrested for tax evasion, USCG credential condensing

Broker Rob Moran, owner of Moran Yacht & Ship in Ft. Lauderdale, pleaded guilty in mid-April to filing a false tax return and failing to report more than $3 million in assets he kept with Swiss bank UBS, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Yacht captain, vessel detained in Mexico

A yacht captain was in a Mexican jail in February after officials seized his vessel, a 74-foot sportfish, for a firearms violation.

Despite presence of navies, another hijack off Somalia

Pirates hijacked a yacht in the Gulf of Aden on Dec. 16, the third ship to be taken within 24 hours off Somalia despite the presence of international navies.

Abu Dhabi MAR Shipyard debuts

The Abu Dhabi MAR Shipyard made its global debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September with details of the two gigayachts under construction at the new shipyard. At 141 and 135 metres, both yachts are based on the hulls of former Royal Dutch Navy frigates.

The Bahamian government has begun to apply a 10 percent or 45 percent tax to each part that boaters import while in the country, according to a story in the Nassau Guardian.

Tankers in Barcelona port bringing water to dry Spain

The worst drought in decades is impacting the northeastern region of Catalonia in Spain. As a result, the government has embarked upon a plan to supplement Barcelona’s drinking-water supply by bringing in drinking and potable water via marine tank vessels, according to a story in Maritime Executive magazine in late May.

France rescues hostages taken from aboard yacht near Somalia

Just days after the French Navy rescued a crew of 30 on April 11 aboard a luxury yacht which had been hijacked by Somali pirates demanding a $2 million ransom, another group of pirates attacked a Spanish fishing boat.