Smart Reefer Containers: Pros, Cons, and What Actually Works in 2026
Smart reefer containers in 2026 are not just “a reefer with GPS”. They are reefers with telemetry that can push temperature, humidity, ventilation settings, alarms, and sometimes controlled-atmosphere status into a platform so operators...
Cargo theft and freight fraud rising as IUMI and TAPA issue new 2026 warning
IUMI and TAPA EMEA are warning that cargo theft and freight fraud are climbing across supply chains, with criminals increasingly blending physical theft with digitally enabled deception (including bogus carrier identities and “phantom” pickup...
12 Cash-Flow “Leak Points” in Container Ownership That Kill Equity Returns
Container ownership rarely dies from one dramatic mistake. It usually bleeds out through small, repeatable cash drains that show up between fixtures, at redelivery, in the yard, or inside clauses that looked “standard” until...
Iranian Gunboats Challenge U.S.-Flagged Stena Imperative in Strait of Hormuz
A U.S.-flagged tanker, Stena Imperative, was approached by Iranian fast craft while transiting the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, according to maritime and security reporting. The encounter included demands to stop and the...
Chokepoint Enforcement Turns Operational (Malaysia STS Crackdown Shows Real Boarding and Delay Risk)
Malaysia’s maritime enforcement action off Penang shows how “illegal STS” scrutiny is functioning like an operational variable, not background noise. Two tankers were detained over a suspected unauthorized ship to ship crude transfer, crude...
U.S. Approves Texas GulfLink Deepwater Crude Export Port License, Up to 1 Million Barrels a Day
U.S. regulators have approved a deepwater port license for Sentinel Midstream’s Texas GulfLink project off the Texas coast, a step that moves another offshore crude-export outlet closer to construction and future operations. Reuters reporting...
Hecla Emissions Management Review: Turning EU ETS and FuelEU into a workflow
Hecla Emissions Management is trying to make EU ETS and FuelEU feel more like a managed workflow and less like a rolling crisis. Backed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management and Affinity Shipping, they combine registry...
Maritime Risk Symposium 2026 Review
Maritime Risk Symposium 2026 is a risk-first, operations-minded meet up for maritime transportation security. It brings together industry, government, and academic leaders to pressure-test real vulnerabilities, compare mitigation approaches, and share practical lessons from...
A Deep Dive into Modern Maritime Piracy: Impact & Solutions
The dangers posed by piracy cannot be understated, demanding global attention and strategic intervention. This article will delve further into the tools and tactics employed by ships to defend against these threats, emphasizing the...
Container Shipping 2026 Downcycle Warning: Newbuild Deliveries, Normalizing Demand, and Rate Pressure
Fresh 2026 market commentary is increasingly framing container shipping as a post-boom downcycle setup: an elevated orderbook and heavy delivery schedule colliding with more modest demand growth and softer benchmark pricing after the 2021...
US–India trade deal links tariff cuts to a Russian crude pullback and reshapes tanker route math
A newly announced trade arrangement between the United States and India cuts U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from higher levels, alongside commitments described by officials as India scaling back or halting purchases...
Starboard Maritime Intelligence Review: Turning ocean data into early warnings
Starboard Maritime Intelligence is building a kind of “pattern of life radar” for the ocean, fusing AIS, satellite imagery, RF data and contextual databases so governments and critical infrastructure operators can see which vessels...
The Pros and Cons of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Systems for Ships
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) on ships is a Tier III NOx compliance approach that tackles emissions inside the engine process, not by adding urea and a catalyst downstream. The practical appeal is simple: meet...
Red Sea Routing Splits Again (Maersk MECL Goes Trans-Suez, Others Stay Cautious)
Maersk published an operational update confirming a structural return to trans-Suez routing for its MECL service, with specific sailings called out including an eastbound departure planned for Feb 3, 2026. The signal is the...
AD Ports Group explores Matadi Port multipurpose terminal project in DR Congo
AD Ports Group has signed Heads of Terms with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Opening Up and the National Transport Office (ONATRA SA) to explore the development and...
Offshore Technology Conference 2026
Houston is where offshore decision cycles get real. For four days, OTC pulls together operators, EPCs, OEMs, service providers, and the technical community into one floor at NRG Park. If your world touches subsea,...
APM Terminals Offers Interim Operation of Balboa and Cristóbal After Panama Annuls CK Hutchison Concessions
After Panama’s Supreme Court annulled the concession framework covering Port of Balboa and Port of Cristóbal, the country’s president said port operations will continue without disruption and disclosed that APM Terminals has expressed willingness...
Laytime & Demurrage: 7 Traps That Turn Profit Negative
Laytime and demurrage is where a voyage can look profitable on paper, then quietly bleed margin once the port timeline hits reality. The problem is rarely one big mistake. It is usually a small...
The Digital Ship Summit 2026 Review
The Digital Ship Summit is a one-day, industry-led forum built around what shipowners and operators are actually wrestling with right now. If you care about fleet connectivity, cyber resilience, data architecture, and what AI...
AI Helm Tools: Helm guidance, not Autopilot Magic
AI Helm Tools, in simple terms, are AI-assisted bridge and helm decision-support systems. They sit between what the sensors see (radar, AIS, cameras, GPS, wind and sea-state) and what the operator does (course, speed,...
MISC orders up to six 174,000 cbm LNG carriers at Hudong Zhonghua with Petronas charter cover
MISC has signed a shipbuilding contract in China for three firm 174,000 cbm LNG carriers plus options for three more, with the deal announced as signed on January 30. The shipbuilder said the vessels...
Chattogram Port Disruption Risk Jumps (NCT Leasing Dispute Turns Into Repeated Work Stoppages)
A multi-day work abstention linked to the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) leasing dispute has pushed Chattogram port operations close to standstill at times, with cargo handling and deliveries described as halted or severely...
India Budget 2026 funds ₹10,000 crore container manufacturing scheme
India’s Union Budget 2026-27 announced a new multi-year container manufacturing scheme, budgeting ₹10,000 crore (₹100 billion) over five years to build a globally competitive domestic container production ecosystem. The policy intent is to reduce...
IQAX Review: Digital trade rails for boxes, docs and banks
IQAX pitches itself as a digital trade intelligence layer for container shipping: a mix of shipment visibility (TrackIt), digital twin data, and blockchain-based eBL so shippers, forwarders, carriers, terminals, and banks are looking at...
Shadow Fleet Sanctions Red Flags: 15 Checks Before You Fix, Lift, or Pay
If you are fixing a fixture, lifting a cargo, or sending a payment, “shadow fleet” risk usually shows up in patterns that look small in isolation, but become hard to explain later if a...
Reducing Ship Emissions at Port in 2026
Reducing ship emissions at port in 2026 comes down to two levers: stop running auxiliary engines while alongside, and reduce time spent waiting at anchor. The biggest “hard tech” is still shore power (OPS...
Shandong Marine Orders Four 175,000 cbm LNG Carriers at Jiangnan With Shell Charter Cover
Shandong Marine has placed an order for four LNG carriers at Jiangnan Shipyard, with 175,000 cbm units slated for 2028 and 2029 delivery and linked to long term charter cover with Shell (Singapore) Trading....
Panama Supreme Court Voids CK Hutchison Panama Canal Port Concession
Panama’s Supreme Court has ruled the concession framework for Panama Ports Company (CK Hutchison) unconstitutional, throwing the long-running contracts for the Balboa (Pacific) and Cristóbal (Atlantic) container terminals into uncertainty. The decision lands while...
Drewry WCI Continues Slide (29 Jan 2026: Third Straight Weekly Drop)
Drewry’s World Container Index fell 5% to $2,107 per 40ft on 29 Jan 2026, extending the downtrend to a third week. The tone signal is not just lower spot prints. It is carriers leaning...
Sea-Air-Space 2026 Review
Sea-Air-Space is where naval and maritime defense priorities meet the supplier floor in one tight week. If you sell into the sea services, build maritime security tech, or want a reality check on near-term...