Tanker Bound for Cuba with Fuel Cargo Diverts to Trinidad
A tanker carrying fuel originally bound for Cuba on Friday changed its destination to Trinidad and Tobago, according to LSEG ship-tracking data, a blow for the island amid a severe fuel scarcity that has triggered power blackouts.The Hong Kong-flagged vessel Sea Horse loaded a diesel cargo earlier this year through a ship-to-ship transfer in the Mediterranean before setting sail to the Caribbean.The Russian-origin cargo was bound for Cuba, according to several maritime intelligence firms…
US Crude Being Shipped to Asia Via Panama Canal
Asian refiners are increasingly sending medium-sized crude cargoes from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Asia through the Panama Canal as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupts trade flows, raises shipping costs and forces Asian refiners to hunt for alternative supplies.The use of medium-sized tankers that typically cost more per barrel to transport crude, coupled with Asian companies' willingness to pay additional fees to move oil through the Panama Canal, underscores their urgent need…
Northwest Seaport Alliance Full Exports Up 2.2% YTD
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) reports that February 2026 total container volume (international and domestic) reached 207,725 TEUs, down 19.4% compared to February 2025, when shippers were frontloading cargo ahead of expected tariffs.While full imports decreased 29.5%, full exports were up 4.9%. YTD volumes at 435,890 TEUs are down 16.6%, with full imports declining 22.6% and full exports increasing 2.2%.Alongside terminal operator partner SSA Terminals, the NWSA has celebrated…
Iran Fires Missiles at Qatar Energy Hub
Iran accused Israel of striking its facilities in the huge South Pars gas field on Wednesday in a major escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war that sent oil prices shooting higher, and retaliated by vowing attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf, firing missiles at Qatar and Saudi Arabia.Qatar's state oil giant QatarEnergy reported "extensive damage" after the Ras Laffan Industrial City, an energy-industry hub, was hit by Iranian missiles. Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted…
Industry Bodies Raise Concerns about Jones Act Waiver
Major US maritime organizations have issued statements voicing their concern over the Trump Administration’s decision to issue a sweeping 60-day waiver of the Jones Act.Under the Jones Act, goods shipped between U.S. ports must be carried on vessels that are U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged and mostly U.S.-owned. A coalition of U.S. maritime labor organizations, including the American Maritime Officers; American Radio Association; International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots…
US Government Waives Regulations to Ease Deliveries of Fuel, Fertilizer
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act shipping law, temporarily allowing foreign-flagged vessels to move fuel, fertilizer and other goods between U.S. ports as soaring energy and agricultural prices strain supply chains amid the ongoing conflict in and around Iran.White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the waiver represents "another step to mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market as the U.S. military continues meeting the objectives of Operation Epic Fury."The waiver…
Energy Flow Stressed with Fujairah Port, Shah Gas Field Attacks
Oil loading at the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah was at least partly halted after a third attack in four days caused a fire at the export terminal, while operations at the Shah gas field remained suspended after an earlier attack.The cascading disruptions threaten to completely sever the OPEC producer's remaining crude export outlet from global markets, potentially deepening a crisis that has sent energy prices surging.The UAE's other export hubs are located within the Gulf…
Bauxite Shipments up 16% but Outlook Uncertain
"During the first 11 weeks of 2026, bauxite shipments have surged 16% y/y, driven by strong Chinese demand for Guinean cargoes. Guinean bauxite has remained highly competitive, accounting for 79% of shipments and pushing non-Guinean bauxite shipments down 3% y/y. Bauxite has been one of the fastest growing dry bulk commodities, growing 10% on average between 2021 and 2025,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Rising bauxite shipments are driven by China’s need…
Port Houston Sees February Volume Increased by 4%
Cargo volumes continued strong at Port Houston in February, up 4% with 4,380,996 short tons handled across the Port’s eight public terminals. That brings the year-to-date total to 8,927,585 short tons, a 5% increase year-to-date.Container activity remained flat this month, with Port Houston handling 326,799 TEUs in February, bringing year-to-date container volumes to 696,833 TEUs, a 2% increase compared with the same period last year. In the first two months of the year, loaded exports increased 5%…
Additional LNG Exports from Plaquemines LNG Approved
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has authorized an immediate 13% increase in exports at Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG Terminal in Louisiana.The authorization allows additional exports of up to 0.45 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of U.S. natural gas as LNG to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries from the Plaquemines LNG Terminal.Plaquemines LNG is now authorized to immediately export a total of 3.85 Bcf/d to both FTA and non-FTA countries.“At a time when Iran and its terrorist proxies attempt to disrupt the global energy supply…
EU Doesn’t See Risks to Oil and Gas Supply Yet
In separate ad hoc meetings of the Gas Coordination Group and the Oil Coordination Group held on March 12, the Commission and EU countries assessed the situation concerning the EU’s gas and oil security of supply in view of the continued disruptions in the Middle East. During the exchange, EU countries confirmed that they do not observe any security of supply risks at the moment. Oil stocks remain at a high level, gas storage filling levels in the EU remain stable.EU countries…
US Officials Predict Quick End to Iran War
U.S. officials responding to economic uncertainty over high oil prices predicted on Sunday that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran would end within weeks and that a drop in energy costs would follow, despite Iran's assertion that it remains "stable and strong" and ready to defend itself.U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more strikes on Iran's main oil export hub Kharg Island over the weekend and said he was not ready to reach a deal to end the war which has shut off the vital Strait of Hormuz and shaken up global energy markets.Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate…
Built on the Rivers: Aimee Andres and the Expanding Role of America’s Inland Ports
For Aimee Andres, the nation’s inland rivers are not an abstract transportation network or a policy talking point. They are personal. Growing up, she spent her formative years around ports, terminals and railroads, watching firsthand how freight moved and how quietly essential inland infrastructure is to the country’s economic engine. That upbringing ultimately led her to a role she has now held for more than a decade: Executive Director of Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals (IRPT).
Six Vessels Attacked as War Puts Merchant Ships on Front Lines
Explosive-laden Iranian boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member on Wednesday, after projectiles struck four vessels in Gulf waters, said port, maritime security and risk firms.The latest attacks on ships linked to the U.S. and Europe mark an escalation in the conflict between Iran and U.S.-Israeli forces, raising the number of ships struck in the region since fighting began to at least 16.Shipping in the Gulf and along the narrow Strait of Hormuz…
Chubb to Serve as Lead US Insurer for Gulf Shipping Amid Iran War
Insurance giant Chubb will be the lead partner on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's $20 billion Maritime Reinsurance Plan aimed at resuming commercial shipping in the Gulf, the agency said on Wednesday.The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has widened sharply in recent days and paralyzed shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global chokepoint in the Gulf.Iran said the world should be prepared for oil to hit $200 a barrel as its forces attacked merchant ships on Wednesday in the blockaded Gulf. Meanwhile, U.S.
Tankers Ablaze, Iranian Oil Still Shipping
Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire, Iraq's director general of the General Company for Ports Farhan al-Fartousi told Reuters on Wednesday.Iraq evacuated the 25 crew members from the two vessels and fire is still ablaze on both ships, he added.This follows news that three vessels had been hit by unknown projectiles, with one of the strikes leading to a fire onboard a ship which forced most of its crew to evacuate it.Meanwhile…
Container vessel Orderbook Hits Record High
"Despite increasing trade policy uncertainty and falling freight rates, the container ship order book has continued to expand. It now totals more than 1,350 ships with a combined capacity of 11.8m TEU,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.In 2025, global average container freight rates fell an estimated 13% year-on-year while US import tariff increases raised concerns about increasing trade protectionism. Despite this, global container volumes grew 4.7% year-on-year…
US Navy Says Escorts Not Possible but Destroys Mine-Layers
The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, according to sources familiar with the matter.The Navy's assessments spell continued disruption to Middle East oil exports and reflect a divergence from President Donald Trump’s statements that the U.S. is prepared to provide naval escorts whenever needed to restart regular…
'Quality' Coal Rallies as LNG Spikes
The surge in the spot price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has dragged seaborne thermal coal prices higher, but only for the higher quality grades that can substitute for natural gas in power generation.The spot price of LNG in Asia more than doubled last week as the market digested the loss of nearly 20% of the global supply of the super-chilled fuel after the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, shutting off Qatar's LNG.LNG for delivery to…
Trump Threatens to Escalate Iran War, But Says It Could End Soon
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to escalate the war with Iran if it blocked oil shipments from the Middle East, even as he predicted a quick end to the conflict.Trump's warning came at the end of a day that saw global financial markets seesawing on concerns that Iran's security establishment was rallying behind new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and was not prepared to back down any time soon.Trump said the United States had inflicted serious damage on Iran's air force and navy and predicted the conflict would end well before the initial four-week time frame he had laid out…
Trump Weighs Easing Russia Sanctions
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering easing oil sanctions on Russia and releasing emergency crude stockpiles as part of a package of options aimed at curbing spiking global oil prices amid the Iran conflict, according to multiple sources.The deliberations reflect White House worries that the surge in oil prices following more than a week of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran will hurt U.S. businesses and consumers ahead of the November midterm elections, when Trump's fellow…
Greek Vessel Laden with Saudi Oil Sails through Hormuz
A Greek‑operated oil tanker has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, ship tracking data showed on Monday, in a sign that some commercial vessels are still attempting to navigate the vital passage despite the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.The Shenlong Suezmax, with a capacity of 1 million barrels, is carrying Saudi Arabian crude loaded at the port of Ras Tanura and is listing its destination as the Indian port of Mumbai, according to analysis from maritime data platforms Kpler, Lloyd’s List Intelligence and MarineTraffic.The tanker last recorded its position inside the strait on March 8…
1M Barrels of Venezuelan Crude Headed to China
North American Blue Energy, a company backed by U.S. energy magnate Harry Sargeant III, has moved to export nearly 1 million barrels of Venezuelan crude for delivery into China, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing a document.The cargo may be the first delivery of Venezuelan oil to the Asian country since the US took control of the nation's oil sales earlier this year, the report said.U.S. President Donald Trump has been taking steps to ease sanctions against Venezuela following the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro and urging U.S.
