South Africa Bunkering Disruption Risk Is Back on the Radar
Astron Energy (Glencore unit) is deploying a new bunkering tanker, Pearl Kate, after its prior tanker Essien was seized by South Africa’s revenue service in a tax dispute. That matters because Cape of Good...
VLCC Earnings Leap to a Six-Year High: The Tape Is Back Above $130k per Day
VLCC earnings are not drifting. They are accelerating. Average VLCC spot earnings pushing past $130,000 per day, described as a six-year high, with specific fixtures cited in the mix. At the same time, the...
VLCC Spot Rates Jump Again: Big Daily Numbers Are Back, and Volatility Is Rising
This week’s fresh signal is the reappearance of very high VLCC spot earnings in reported fixtures and broker talk, including a widely cited deal around $166,000 per day, which is meaningfully above the already-firm...
LNG Freight Tone Softens Again as Newbuild Deliveries Keep the Market Heavy
This week’s fresh signal is the tone shift back toward caution even after brief Atlantic firmness. Recent spot market reporting shows Atlantic LNG carrier earnings ticking up on near term positioning, but the same...
White House Maritime Action Plan Turns Port Fee Idea Into a Written Cost Stack for US Calls
This story has been circulating for months, but the key new development this week is that the US administration has now put the concept into a formal, published Maritime Action Plan document. The plan...
VLCC and Suezmax Ordering Wave Builds Again as Owners Compete for 2028 to 2029 Slots
Recent market coverage and order counts point to an ordering wave that is broadening beyond single yard headlines. Large crude tankers are leading, with VLCC and Suezmax contracting rising sharply versus last year’s pace...
Sanctions Enforcement Turns Hands On: Boarding Actions Now Part of the Operating Risk Stack
In the past week, US forces have carried out multiple “right of visit” style boardings of Venezuela linked, sanctioned tankers far from the Caribbean, including in the Indian Ocean, after extended tracking. The operational...
Universal Port Fee Proposal Puts US Call Economics in Play for Most Foreign Built Tonnage
A new US Maritime Action Plan is floating a universal infrastructure or security fee on foreign built commercial vessels calling at US ports, assessed on the weight of imported tonnage. Even without a final...
Drewry WCI Slides for a Fifth Week: Spot Weakness Meets Heavy Blank Sailing Plans
The latest Drewry World Container Index reading extends a clear container signal: pricing is softening into the Lunar New Year period instead of firming. The composite index is down again, and the pressure is...
Cape Diversions Ease Slightly, But Europe-Asia Networks Are Still Built Around the Long Way
Drewry’s latest Red Sea Diversion Tracker shows a marginal easing in Cape routings, but not a return to normal Suez usage. In the most recent two-week measurement, Suez transits slipped from 61 to 60,...
VLCC Ordering Wave Builds Momentum as Owners Lock In 2028 Delivery Slots
The VLCC signal is broad-based ordering momentum, not one yard headline. Over the last few weeks, multiple owner groups have been committing to 306,000 dwt VLCC newbuildings with delivery largely clustered in 2028, including...
Recycling Activity Picks Up, But Candidate Supply Stays Tight
Cash buyer GMS reports ship recycling waterfront activity showing “faint signs of life” as sub-continent steel prices jumped, but they also flag a continuing shortage of recycling candidates. The mix matters: older handy bulkers...
Suezmax Values Stay Bid Even for Older Steel (NAT Sells 2003-Built Nordic Pollux for $25m
Nordic American Tankers agreed to sell its oldest Suezmax, the 2003-built Nordic Pollux, for $25 million (net to the company). For owners, this is a useful pricing tell: buyers are still paying up for...
Container Ordering Still Alive at the Very Top End
Maersk has confirmed an order for eight large container vessels at China’s New Times Shipbuilding, with delivery scheduled in 2029 and 2030. The ships are described as dual-fuel, able to run on conventional bunker...
Container Rate Tone Weakens Again (Drewry WCI Drops to $1,959, Blank Sailings Rise Into LNY)
Drewry’s World Container Index fell 7% to $1,959 per 40ft for 05 Feb 2026, marking a fourth straight weekly decline. Drewry also flagged softer pre Lunar New Year demand and a sharper use of...
Insurer Alert Turns Bangladesh Port Disruption Into a Formal Risk Workflow
NorthStandard issued a fresh advisory warning that Bangladesh port operations are being disrupted by an escalating labour strike, including a note that container vessels risk sailing without booked export cargo. When a P&I club...
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...
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...
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...
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...