Shipping News

A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the U.S.-Iran war, LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data showed.The VLCC Yuan Hua Hu is now anchored off the Gulf of Oman, near where the U.S. Navy has set up a blockade on Iranian vessels, LSEG data showed.The crossing comes as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet over the next two days…

As European and international shipping emissions rules continue to expand, maritime technology companies Awake.Al and Tidalis have announced a partnership focused on emissions monitoring and reporting for ports and shipping companies. The collaboration links operational port-call data with existing maritime operational systems to support automated emissions reporting.Awake.Al's emissions monitoring software will be made available in combination with Tidalis' vessel traffic services and port management systems used by ports, coastguards and maritime authorities worldwide.

Anemoi Marine Technologies’ Rotor Sail wind-assisted propulsion system has completed more than eight years of continuous commercial operation after M/V Afros successfully passed its second intermediate dry dock survey.The survey, conducted by Lloyd’s Register in China in April, confirmed the structural integrity and operational condition of the vessel’s four Rotor Sails, Anemoi said.The 64,000-deadweight-tonne Ultramax bulk carrier Afros became the first bulk carrier fitted with Rotor Sails when the system was installed in 2018.According to Anemoi…

German shipping group Hapag-Lloyd on Wednesday reported a first-quarter loss, citing the impact of lower freight rates and operational disruptions stemming from severe weather conditions and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz on the back of the Iran war.The group posted a net loss of 219 million euros ($257.00 million) compared to a profit of 446 million euros in the first three months of 2025.Hundreds of commercial vessels and up to 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy-trade waterway that has been virtually closed since the U.S.

At a ceremony in Brussels, Danish shipping company Hafnia was selected as the recipient of the Diversity & Inclusion Honours in Maritime 2026.Hafnia won the award for their Hafnia Culture Lab research project conducted in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Maritime Fund.Initiated in 2023 with independent research by the University of Southern Denmark, the study examined seven Hafnia vessels with crews of at least 50% women and included interviews…

With demonstration projects now underway, including a nuclear-powered LNG tanker and an offshore vessel, the debate is shifting from whether nuclear shipping is possible to how it can be delivered. Jan Emblemsvåg, Professor at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU)'s Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering in Ålesund, argues that the key barriers are no longer technical, but regulatory, commercial and political.Nuclear propulsion is returning to the…

Eni and MSC Cruises have completed a test of Enilive’s HVO biofuel in maritime transport, confirming the technical feasibility of using the renewable diesel in pure form to power cruise ship engines.The trial involved powering one of the engines on the cruise ship MSC Opera for about 2,000 hours using pure HVO without modifications to the engine, while performance and emissions data were monitored.The companies said the test demonstrated that HVO can be used immediately in marine engines validated for its use without requiring technological upgrades…

Vesselindex has released its annual Performance Report, providing an independent assessment of how listed dry bulk companies perform relative to peers and the broader market in terms of Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) earnings.The report covers 19 publicly listed companies representing approximately 825 vessels across more than 150 vessel designs. It is based on a normalized benchmarking framework that enables comparisons across fleets with differing specifications.While industry performance is traditionally measured against Baltic Exchange indices…

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) said on Friday three of its vessels that transited the Strait of Hormuz and exited the Gulf in April did not pay transit fees, sticking to a principle of navigation under international law.Tehran has proposed fees or tolls on vessels passing through the Strait, in its proposals to end the war with Israel and the United States.The Strait is one of the world's most strategically vital maritime routes, with about a fifth of global seaborne crude oil and LNG flows passing through it in normal times.The company does not intend to pay such fees in future…

Coal shipments to Japan, South Korea and the European Union rose 27% year-on-year in April as tight gas supplies and disruption to LNG shipments prompted buyers to seek alternative fuel sources for electricity generation, shipping association BIMCO said.The increase came as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted LNG exports from the Persian Gulf and contributed to an 8% decline in global seaborne LNG shipments in April, BIMCO said.“In April 2026, coal shipments to Japan…

There was a fire and an explosion on a vessel operated by South Korean shipper HMM in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the foreign ministry in Seoul said.The government was checking intelligence that the vessel, HMM Namu, may have been attacked, Yonhap News reported citing government officials.There were no casualties reported and authorities were investigating what caused the blaze that, HMM said, broke out in the engine room of the Panama-flagged cargo ship.Twenty-four crew members, including six Korean nationals, were on board, the company told Reuters.The U.S. military said two U.S.

When Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, the Administration had a real problem on its hands. I understand why a White House would want to move fast, but moving fast and moving smart are not the same thing. This week the Administration extended the current Jones Act waiver for another 90 days. Washington needs to take an honest look at what this waiver has actually produced.The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), which oversees the nation’s merchant fleet, has data that tells the story.

Any shipper paying tolls to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organizations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, is at risk of punitive sanctions, the U.S. Treasury warned on Friday.The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime routes, with about 20% of the world’s seaborne crude oil and liquefied ⁠natural gas flows passing through it.Tehran has proposed fees or tolls on vessels passing through the Strait…

At least six ships - a fraction of the usual traffic - have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed on Wednesday, while the U.S. and Iran remain deadlocked over coming to terms that would re-open the crucial waterway.The vessel traffic was mainly through Iranian waters and included the Vast Plus chemical tanker, which is subject to US sanctions, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax.Most of the ships were dry bulk carriers…

"The Iran war and the resulting disruptions to ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz have increased uncertainty for both the global economy and the dry bulk market. Around 4% of dry bulk cargoes and tonne mile demand typically sail through the strait and at present, and around 210 ships, equivalent to roughly 1% of the dry bulk fleet, are currently trapped in the Persian Gulf,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Given the high uncertainty over when transits may resume, we present two forecast scenarios.

Six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the U.S. blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data shows, underscoring the impact the Iran war is having on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil export route.Between 125 and 140 ships usually crossed in and out of the strait daily before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, but only seven have done so in the past day, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax…

Suspected pirates have boarded a St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo vessel off Somalia's waters and were sailing it towards the Somali coastline, British maritime security groups Vanguard and Ambrey said.Somali pirates caused havoc in the waters off the Horn of Africa nation's long coastline between 2008 and 2018. After a lull, pirate activity started to pick up again in late 2023.Vanguard said in a note late on Sunday it was aware of reports that armed pirates had hijacked the vessel, Sward, in the vicinity of Godobjiran, Somalia.

South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean said in its first-quarter earnings presentation on Monday that uncertainty is rising over demand for commercial vessels due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.The market for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) has been hit hard by the Iran war, the company said, as shipping rates have soared with some crude carriers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.The demand for container vessels is forecast to decline as worries mount over inflation and the slow growth of the global economy amid the war, the company said.In the long term, demand for commercial vessels

Global orders to build liquefied natural gas carriers (LNGC) are set to rebound this year after a 2025 slump as growing LNG output and vessel fuel efficiency drive demand, industry executives and analysts say.The rise in orders is offsetting concerns that supply disruptions from the U.S.-Iran war may reduce near-term shipping demand and pressure freight rates.Since late last year, shipbuilders in South Korea and China have received more orders, with 35 new LNGC builds contracted in the first quarter…

European Union countries agreed on Friday to keep pushing for a global price on shipping's CO2 emissions in U.N. talks next week, setting up another potential clash with the United States over the proposal.Governments at the International Maritime Organization decided last year to postpone the climate plan by a year, after the Trump administration strongly opposed the measure and threatened to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on delegates who supported it.That has not stopped European countries attempting to revive the plan…

Wärtsilä has signed a long-term overhaul agreement with Sweden’s Erik Thun Group, covering maintenance and technical support across its fleet.The agreement, developed with fleet management partner MF Shipping Group, includes overhaul services, field and technical services, workshop support and spare parts supply.The work is aimed at supporting the performance and lifespan of engines, propulsion systems and shaft line equipment across the fleet.Wärtsilä will provide maintenance and field services to reduce downtime…

Safe and sustainable passage through the Strait of Hormuz is what top shipping companies require before the world's sees much oil or cargo leave or enter the Gulf, two top sector executives said on Wednesday."Two weeks ago when the ceasefire, said to be temporary, came into picture, we thought there was hope. But in reality, the agreement was not translated into the safety and passage (of the vessels)," Jotaro Tamura, chief executive of Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, told Reuters…

Wind propulsion company bound4blue has completed the installation of two suction sails on a newbuild vessel for Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC).The two 24-metre eSAILs were installed on the MV Baltazar at New Yangzi Shipbuilding in China, with the vessel expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2026.The project marks the company’s first installation of suction sails manufactured locally in China and is among the early applications of the technology on combination carriers.“This is a landmark project in many respects.