Asia Europe Spot Rebound Lifts Global Container Index
Drewry’s World Container Index has inched up for a second week, rising about 2 percent to 1,957 dollars per 40 foot box as stronger Asia Europe spot rates offset renewed weakness on the Transpacific....
VLCC Shortage Sends Newbuild Supertankers Sprinting Empty for Crude
Refinery-fresh VLCCs that would normally start life carrying refined products out of Asia are now sailing in ballast straight to crude loading areas, as owners chase tight slots in an overheated crude market. The...
BIMCO hard wires FuelEU and ETS risk into ship sale deals
BIMCO has adopted new FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS clauses for ship sale and purchase Memoranda of Agreement, spelling out exactly how emissions compliance obligations, costs and data are split between seller and buyer....
Seized VLCC off Venezuela puts hard edge on sanctions risk for tankers
U.S. forces have boarded and seized the VLCC Skipper in international waters off Venezuela, taking control of a tanker carrying sanctioned crude after a helicopter-led operation from the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The...
Third Shadow Fleet Tanker Hit: Drone War Rewrites Black Sea Risk
Ukrainian sea drones have now disabled a third Russia-linked “shadow fleet” tanker in the Black Sea, following earlier strikes on the sanctioned tankers Kairos and Virat near Turkey and the latest hit on the...
Brussels tests how much terminal power MSC and BlackRock can hold in Barcelona
EU regulators have opened a full antitrust investigation into MSC’s terminal arm and BlackRock taking joint control of CK Hutchison’s deep sea container terminal in Barcelona. The Commission is worried the deal could push...
Global Trade Passes the 35 trillion dollar mark, with most of the value still moving by sea
Global trade in goods and services is on track to exceed 35 trillion dollars in 2025, around 7 percent higher than 2024 according to UNCTAD’s latest Global Trade Update. This new high comes even...
Ammonia Gets Bigger Tanks: China’s Gas Owners Line Up VLAC-Scale Bets
Chinese gas owner Tianjin Southwest Maritime is moving deeper into ammonia transportation with ammonia dual-fuel LPG carriers on order and a new cooperation on very large ammonia carrier designs, while Jiangnan Shipyard builds 90k-class...
Canada’s Pacific LNG Era Locks In With Kitimat Phase One Complete
LNG Canada’s first phase at Kitimat has now reached full construction handover, with both liquefaction trains delivered and the plant already exporting cargoes from Canada’s west coast. That makes Canada a long term LNG...
China One Trillion Dollar Trade Surplus Reshapes Global Container Flows
China’s trade surplus hitting the one trillion dollar mark in 2025 is not just a macro headline. It reflects a shift in where Chinese exports are going, with softer volumes to the United States...
COSCO’s $7bn, 87-ship Megaprogram Rewires Future Capacity across Tankers, Bulk and Boxes
China COSCO Shipping has signed a framework with China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) for 87 new vessels worth more than RMB 50 billion, or a little over $7 billion. The program spans ultra large...
Red Sea Lane Back In Play as CMA CGM Tests Suez Return
After almost a year of widespread container diversions around the Cape of Good Hope, CMA CGM is starting to route its INDAMEX service back through the Red Sea and Suez Canal on both headhaul...
FSB Security Checks and Hull Dives Slow Foreign calls at Russian Ports
Russia has tightened control of foreign ships calling at its ports, with new rules that require Federal Security Service (FSB) clearance for every arrival from a foreign port and allow for mandatory underwater hull...
HD Hyundai’s $2bn India Mega-Yard Aims to Reset Global Newbuild Map
HD Hyundai is reported to be preparing a multibillion-dollar greenfield shipyard project in southern India, with planned investment around $2bn. For owners and financiers, the significance is less about one site and more about...
Liner Heavyweights Circle ZIM as Takeover Battle Heats Up
Reports that Hapag-Lloyd has submitted a bid for ZIM, with MSC and Maersk also linked to possible offers, have pushed the Israeli carrier into the center of a major consolidation story. Any deal would...
Exchange Of Fire Off Yemen Puts Bab el Mandeb Back In The Spotlight
A bulk carrier transiting close to the Bab el Mandeb has reported an exchange of fire with around fifteen small boats about 15 nautical miles west of Yemen. According to UKMTO and security sources,...
Bulker Newbuild Tap Runs dry as orders sink to five-year low
Global contracting for new dry bulk carriers has dropped sharply in 2025, with just about 25 million dwt of bulker newbuildings ordered between January and November, a 54% year-on-year fall and the lowest level...
China Container Volumes Reset the Bar as Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan pass 90M TEU
Despite trade tensions and policy noise, China’s box volumes are still climbing. Shanghai has crossed the 50 million TEU mark for 2025 a month earlier than last year, while Ningbo-Zhoushan has passed 40 million...
Capesize Earnings Break $45,000 As Year-End Tightness Bites
Capesize earnings have surged to their strongest levels in roughly two years, with the Baltic C5TC benchmark jumping around 16% in a single day to just under $45,000 per day and more than triple...
Zodiac Maritime lines up $1.6bn VLCC and Boxship Wave at Jiangsu New Hantong
Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime has committed to a multi segment newbuilding program of about $1.6 billion at China’s Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry, covering crude and container capacity for delivery from the second...