Signed, Not Priced: China–Russia’s Power-of-Siberia-2 Move
Russia’s Gazprom and China’s CNPC announced a legally binding memorandum to build the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline via Mongolia (often called the Soyuz Vostok transit). Headline capacity is ~50 bcm/year. Crucially, price and...
Maritime Bottom-line News (9/3/25): Where Sanctions, Orders, and Energy Flows Collide
A burst of energy, trade, and fleet developments is re-setting the near-term outlook for shipping earnings. Russia and China advanced a mega-pipeline that could siphon future gas away from LNG carriers, U.S. sanctions tightened...
Spare Parts: Stockpiling vs. Just-in-Time Procurement
Spare parts look small on the P&L until they do not. Longer lead times, price inflation on critical items, and surprise breakdowns can wipe out voyage profit. Cash trapped on shelves drags returns, while...
VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) Made Simple: 2025 Update
AIS is the continuous VHF broadcast that shares identity and position for safety and awareness. VDES is the wider VHF data system that keeps AIS, and adds additional managed data links so ships, shore,...
Frozen Gamble: Shadow Fleet LNG Carrier Stalls at Arctic Ice Edge
A Russian LNG carrier without ice classification halted and reversed near the sea-ice boundary on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), spotlighting the limits of running sanctioned Arctic LNG cargoes with non-ice-class tonnage, even in...
Suez Canal Alternatives: Exploring the Future Beyond the Big Toll
The Suez Canal is both a lifeline and a financial burden. A single transit for a fully laden ultra-large container ship can top $700,000, a figure that makes even the most seasoned operators wince....
Tariff Shock: Appeals Court Ruling Reprices U.S. Import Economics
The U.S. appeals court’s 7–4 decision finding that most of President Trump’s global tariffs are unlawful has thrown contract pricing, routing, and cost planning into flux. The court kept its ruling on hold so...
Maritime Bottom-line News (9/1/25): Court Tariff Shock, Turkey’s Port Ban, and Security Blasts Reprice Maritime Risk
A flurry of policy and security moves over the last 48 hours is reshaping cost curves and contract math across shipping. A U.S. appeals court ruling against most Trump-era tariffs could rewrite import bills...
Top Strategies Shipowners Can Use to Survive & Thrive in a World of Lower U.S. Imports
The U.S. has long been the beating heart of global container demand, but that rhythm is slowing. Imports into American ports have dipped sharply in recent months, with forecasts warning of deeper contractions ahead....
Global Import Shake-Up: From U.S. Crash Warnings to Asia’s Resilience
The container import equation is undergoing dramatic shifts. In the U.S., alarming signals suggest July’s modest growth may give way to a sharp decline. China, meanwhile, is showing new strength, while Germany, Japan, and...
Maritime Bottom Line News (8/29/2025): Tanker Megabuy, Sanctioned LNG, Import Crash Fears, and Sanctions Risk
A handful of current developments look set to move real money across shipyards, carriers, traders, and ports. A record-sized U.S. tanker order will lock in years of yard utilization and supply-chain spend; China’s acceptance...
Bulk Buying Tricks That Slash Ship Provisioning Costs
Ship provisioning has always been a balancing act between quality, cost, and logistics. But for shipowners and operators managing multiple vessels, small inefficiencies quickly add up to big money lost. The key is not...
Houston’s 21% Container Surge: Gulf Gateway Rewrites the U.S. Trade Map
Port Houston has just posted one of its most impressive monthly performances in history, moving 392,829 TEUs in July 2025, a 21% year-on-year increase that outpaced all other major U.S. ports. Loaded imports rose...
Maritime Bottom Line News (8/28/2025): Tariffs, LNG Flows, Port Growth & Shipyard Consolidation
The maritime industry is navigating a turbulent mix of geopolitical shocks, trade realignments, and major investment moves. Tariffs and sanctions are reshaping global cargo flows, while record-breaking port volumes, new shipyard consolidations, and green...
10 Value-Added Services Shippers Will Pay For
Shippers want certainty, visibility, and risk reduction. That is why the fastest path to revenue growth is not always more tonnage but better service layers on top of what you already sail. These value-adds...
U.S. Hits Indian Imports Up to 50%, Putting Freight, Exports & Rates on the Line
U.S. tariff rates on Indian goods have just been doubled, now as high as 50%, across major export categories like apparel, footwear, jewelry, furniture and chemicals. That price shock threatens to shrink India→U.S. volumes,...
Maritime Bottom-Line News (8/27/2025): Shipyard Mergers, LNG Deals, Tanker Orders, and Trade Disruptions
Global shipping stakeholders are navigating a wave of developments with direct financial consequences. In South Korea, the merger of HD Hyundai Heavy and Hyundai Mipo promises to reshape yard competitiveness and pricing power, while...
Leaking Profits: 19 Fuel Losses Shipowners Can’t Afford to Ignore
Fuel is the single largest operating cost for most ships. It can take up half of a voyage’s expenses. Yet shipowners keep losing millions each year not because fuel is expensive, but because too...
Ports on the Move: Big Upgrades & Flashpoints
Over the last few days, port headlines have spanned everything from strategic “keep it open” battles in Sydney to heated public hearings in coastal Karnataka, emergency response in Baltimore, and major U.S.–India infrastructure steps...
Top Maritime News: Shipbuilding money moves, LNG megaprojects, and security frictions reshape the shipping map
The last forty-eight hours delivered a cluster of stories that actually move the maritime needle. New capital is lining up behind U.S. yards, LNG infrastructure is stepping up on two fronts, and South Asia’s...
The Silent Squeeze: 8 Pressures Behind Today’s Freight Rate Collapse
Freight rates are tumbling again, leaving shipowners, brokers, and cargo shippers asking the same question: why now? The easy answer is “demand is weak,” but the reality is more complicated. Global utilization numbers show...
Fuel Markets in Flux as Oil Forecasts Diverge
Oil prices ticked higher on fresh supply-risk news, yet the official outlook still points to a well-supplied market into 2026. Bunker prints show a mixed picture, with recent VLSFO moves not always tracking crude...
Top Maritime News: Policy Shifts, Port Funds, and Safety Flashpoints
The last few days have been unusually active for maritime shipping. Cross-border corridors are moving forward in South Asia, India is layering new governance tools on top of port reform, and U.S. regulators have...
11 Hidden Costs of Tariffs Every Shipowner Must Watch
Global tariffs are shockwaves that ripple through every shipping lane, port hub, and vessel type. When one government raises duties, it doesn’t just change the invoice value of goods; it can reroute entire trade...
Capital Currents Reshape Ship Finance And Fleet Strategy
Over the past few days, ship finance has been unusually active. Asian lessors are widening their reach, India is moving a large maritime fund toward launch, Flex LNG locked in fresh liquidity, lenders closed...
Top 10: Crosswinds In Shipping Reshape Routes Money And Fuel Choices
This morning’s maritime picture is dominated by trade restrictions, shifting cargo flows, and fast-moving finance and fuel decisions. Container prices are softening while sanction regimes keep redrawing tanker routes. Meanwhile, shipowners are securing new...
Breakbulk Americas 2025 Review
Houston’s project-cargo crossroads. For three days, EPCs, global shippers, carriers, ports, terminals, and heavy-lift specialists converge to price routes, firm charters, and align schedules across energy, renewables, and industrial builds. The 35th-anniversary edition promises...
The Digital Bunkering Era: 5 Key Ways Tech is Reshaping Fuel Supply
For more than a century, bunkering has been a business built on paperwork, manual checks, and trust at the dockside. Today, that picture is changing rapidly. Digital systems are transforming how fuel is bought,...
Top 10: Rising Currents in Global Shipping as Storms, Sanctions, and Sustainability Collide
The past 24 hours have brought a sharp reminder of how interconnected and fragile maritime shipping remains. Weather disruptions, sanctions-driven shadow fleets, and new Arctic routes are reshaping how cargo moves across the world’s...
Crew Provisioning Cost Calculator and the Top 10 Ways to Save
Crew provisioning is one of the few cost lines you can actively steer on every voyage. Small changes in planning, port choice, and menu design compound across a year of sailings. The goal of...