Costa Mar, Oriente Moderno reach shipping accord

The Federal Hydro Authority announced the accord on Saturday morning. Costa Mar and Oriente Moderno, whose container lanes have collided with reef-protection zones for two years, have agreed on new shipping corridors that move heavy traffic further from the monitored reef boundary and impose speed restrictions during breeding seasons. The agreement takes effect Friday at 06:00 UTC.

The accord emerged from a Federal Assembly working group convened after a 2024 grounding that spilled bunker fuel across a protected mangrove nursery. Costa Mar's Marine Ministry had requested a full rerouting; Oriente Moderno's port operators resisted the cost and delay. The compromise shifts three major lanes eastward and requires container vessels to reduce speed to twelve knots within fifty kilometres of the reef monitoring stations between June and September.

The Costa Mar Reef Monitoring Network will publish real-time transit data, and a joint inspection team will monitor compliance. Port officials in Nueva Singapur said the accord preserves throughput while addressing the reef's vulnerability. Costa Mar's Governor Solomon Adeyemi called the agreement "a recognition that shipping and conservation can coexist if both sides commit to the details."