Global Trade News

From Canada to Argentina, oil producers across the Americas have enjoyed a windfall during the Iran war by capturing market share lost by Middle Eastern exporters. The renewed focus on energy security globally could transform this emergency response into a lasting structural change.Oil production in the Americas has become a viable alternative to the Middle East's vast hydrocarbon resources since the outbreak of the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz six months ago, which disrupted roughly a fifth of global oil supplies.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. has announced the achievement of two significant milestones: the substantial completion of the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage 3 Project (CCL Stage 3) in Texas, and the production and export of its 5,000th cargo of LNG from its U.S. Gulf Coast operations. Cheniere has reached the 5,000th cargo milestone faster than any other LNG producer worldwide.CCL Stage 3 achieved substantial completion on August 28, when Bechtel Energy, Cheniere’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor…

Just two years after the worst drought in the Panama Canal's history forced ships to wait weeks for passage and triggered multi-million-dollar bidding wars for transit slots, El Niño is again threatening the rainfall that feeds the waterway.With El Niño strengthening and reservoirs shrinking, the industry is bracing for a repeat of the disruption at one of the world's most important waterways — and some ships are already taking long detours via Africa.Earlier in August, the Panama…

Seven commodity ships sailed along the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, just half the previous day's tally, showed data from shiptracker Kpler, amid concern over risk to Middle East shipping as U.S.-Iran peace talks remain in limbo.Of the total, four ships entered and three exited the waterway, which was used by nearly a fifth of global shipments of crude oil and liquefied natural gas before war began in February.The seven did not include any very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers.However, one very large gas carrier - carrying propane and butane - did transit out of Hormuz via

The Panama Canal Authority will cap daily transits as of early September as it gears up for a longer-than-usual El Niño season expected to reduce water levels, it said on Thursday, walking back a previous pledge to not limit vessel passage.Under the new measures, the canal will limit daily transits as of September 4 to 34 vessels, and reduce the number to 32 as of September 15.The canal had registered an average of 35 daily transits through June 2026, corresponding to vessel demand…

Over the last five weeks (week 29-33) global grain shipments have fallen 8% y/y, fuelled by a 26% y/y drop in grain exports from the Black Sea as Russian and Ukrainian attacks on ships and port infrastructure have intensified.“A recent proposal by Ukraine to halt attacks on shipping in the Black Sea has been rejected by Russia, reducing hopes for a near-term recovery in exports. In addition, weaker maize shipments from Brazil due to delayed harvest have weighed on global grain volumes…

Supply disruptions linked to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran could delay construction of liquefied natural gas projects slated for development in the U.S., Freeport LNG CEO Michael Smith said on Wednesday at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.The U.S. is the world’s largest LNG exporter and has more new capacity under construction than any other country.Smith said the conflict’s impact could extend beyond oil and gas supply chains, affecting key materials such as steel and…

At first glance, the Iran war appears to be hitting oil and gas with equal force, as missiles, drone strikes and shipping disruptions choke flows through the Strait of Hormuz.But beneath that surface symmetry lies a critical imbalance. The global gas supply chain has fewer rerouting options and less storage capacity than the oil market - making the fallout for gas consumers considerably more acute.Key gas infrastructure - liquefaction plants in particular - is more complex and expensive to build and repair than the oil equivalent.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted oil and natural gas exports from the Middle East and forced production stoppages from Qatar to Iraq, with Kuwait announcing cuts over the weekend.Analysts predict that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will also have to cut output soon as they run out of oil storage.Below are the main energy disruptions so far:PRODUCTION SHUTDOWNSIraqi output collapses: the country's oil production from its main southern oilfields has fallen by 70% to just 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) from 4.3 million barrels per day (bpd) before the war…

OPEC+ has decided to increase its crude oil production target by 206,000 barrels per day (bpd) for April against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical risk as conflict in the Middle East escalated rapidly over the weekend.Oil markets will enter the new week facing a materially higher risk of supply disruption, as approximately 15 million bpd of crude oil transits the Strait of Hormuz, representing close to 30% of global seaborne crude trade.This makes it the world's most critical oil chokepoint.Any sustained disruption…

McQuilling Services has released its 29th anniversary edition, 2026-2030 Tanker Market Outlook with the theme: “You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees.”The report frames the outlook for crude tankers over the next five years. Structural forces (the “forest”) including: 1) macroeconomic conditions, 2) a weakening US dollar, 3) a commodity price super cycle, 4) emerging market oil demand, and 5) global shipyard capacity constraints are expected to dominate market direction. Geopolitical…

BIMCO estimates that the dry bulk supply/demand balance will remain stable in 2026 and weaken in 2027.“An improvement in the economic and demand outlook has led us to revise our demand forecast for 2026 up by 0.5 percentage points,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised global economic growth projections for 2026 up 0.2 percentage points amid stimulus policies and strong investment in technology and AI. Consequently, the global economy is now forecast to grow 3.3% in 2026, the same as in 2025, and by 3.2% in 2027.

The U.S. has become the first country to export 10 million metric tonnes (mmt) of liquefied natural gas in a single month, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG.The U.S. exported a record 10.1 mmt of the liquid fuel in October, up from a revised figure of 9.1 mmt in September, LSEG data showed.Already the world's largest LNG exporter, the U.S. has been ramping up sales with four record-setting months in 2025. The surge was led by the start-up of Venture Global's Plaquemines export plant and the ramp-up of Cheniere's Corpus Christi Stage 3 project…

Facing deepening fractures in the global trade order, Asia-Pacific leaders adopted a joint declaration that emphasized the need for resilience and shared benefits in trade at the end of the annual APEC summit on Saturday.The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, hosted by South Korea this year, unfolded under the shadow of rising geopolitical tensions and aggressive economic strategies - ranging from U.S. tariffs to China's export controls - that have pressured global trade.Ahead of the gathering, U.S.

Speakers at the 2025 WISTA AGM and Conference, held in Barcelona October 22-24, shared their thoughts on collaboration across maritime, trade, and logistics as a key to achieving goals on equality, gender diversity and decarbonization.The event, the largest staged by the association in its more than 50-year history, brought together over 400 maritime professionals and leaders from around the world.In her keynote speech, WISTA International President, Elpi Petraki stressed that…

A trade group representing the aluminum industry called on Tuesday for a ban on U.S. exports of used beverage cans to China to support American production of cars, fighter jets, tanks and satellites.The Aluminum Association said the United States consumes between 5 million to 6 million metric tons of aluminum scrap annually while exporting more than 2 million tons. The group called for an immediate ban on used beverage container exports outside of North America on national security grounds, saying much of U.S.

Global markets are getting too comfortable with risks like trade wars, geopolitical tensions and yawning government deficits, which, combined with already overpriced assets, increase the chance of a "disorderly" market correction, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.Underscoring the IMF's warning, President Donald Trump's revived threats on Friday to hike tariffs on China stoked investor fears of a major asset price correction. The comments sparked a sell-off in U.S.

Canada's merchandise trade deficit widened in August to C$6.32 billion ($4.53 billion), its second highest on record, as exports both to the U.S. and the rest of the world fell, data showed on Tuesday.The August data had been expected to show a more permanent impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, after exports increased earlier in the year to beat the tariffs and then dropped off sharply.Total exports dropped by 3% in August from July while imports increased 0.9%, Statistics Canada said.

U.S. LNG exports hit a record in September at 9.4 million metric tons, beating their previous record of 9.3 million MT in August, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG.The increase was fueled by strong sales to Europe and Asia, and came despite unplanned shutdowns at the country's largest facility, Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass plant in Texas, and a planned outage at Berkshire Hathaway's Cove Point plant, according to LSEG data.The U.S. is the world's largest LNG exporter and the level of its exports can influence global markets.Europe remains the favored destination for U.S.

The EU has proposed a new strategic agenda to raise bilateral relations with India.The European Commission and the High Representative adopted a Joint Communication outlining a ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda' marking a significant milestone in EU-India relations.This initiative, announced by President von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines for 2024-2029, aims to deepen, broaden, and better coordinate bilateral cooperation, enhance prosperity and security for both partners and…

Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, participated in the China–ASEAN Industry Ministerial Roundtable Meeting on the sidelines of the China–ASEAN Expo, on September 17 in China, highlighting ASEAN’s robust economic progress and changing trade patterns.He underscored the strategic role of the industrial sector in driving regional integration and growth and reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to advancing industrial cooperation through the ASEAN Industrial Project-Based Initiative (AIPBI).

Geopolitical conflicts and shifting trade patterns are redefining risks and opportunities for the marine insurance sector.Opening this year’s International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) conference in Singapore, IUMI President Frédéric Denèfle warned that marine insurers are facing significant change as the world approaches the end of an era of seamless globalisation.Denèfle reflected on the deepening shifts in global trade — a theme he has raised in previous IUMI conferences but says has now reached a critical turning point:“The end of globalisation is fast approaching,” he said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold their first summit meeting on August 25 in Washington to discuss strengthening the countries' alliance and economic security partnership, Lee's office said on Tuesday.Lee, who was elected president in a snap election in June, has made it a top priority to help his export-dependent country navigate the dramatic changes in the global trading environment triggered by Trump's tariff policies."The two leaders…