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Iran must not charge tolls...
Iran’s bid to charge ships tolls to transit the Strait of Hormuz is illegal and should be rejected by...
Australia Bans Bulk Carrier After...
Australia’s maritime regulator has issued a stark warning to shipowners after banning a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier for six months...
Safety without compromise: Inmarsat’s commitment...
When a distress alert is triggered at sea, there is no room for uncertainty. For tens of thousands of...
Divers try to solve mystery...
A diving operation is under way to find out the identity of a ship that sank 100 years ago....
Shipping Avoids Hormuz Lanes as Iran Pushes Vessels Toward Controlled Corridors...
posted on: Apr 12, 2026
The Trump administration has insisted the Strait of Hormuz is open following the ceasefire, but early shipping data suggests otherwise. Vessel movements remain extremely limited, with no meaningful return to normal traffic and energy shipments notably absent as shipowners await clarity on how transits will be conducted. Analysis from EOS Risk Group’s Head of Advisory, Martin Kelly, indicates that Iran’s latest directives—issued hours after a U.S.–Iran ceasefire—are already reshaping how vessels transit one of the world’s most critical chokepoints. According to Kelly, Iranian authorities have instructed commercial vessels to avoid traditional Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) lanes and instead use alternative corridors near Larak Island that have become a hallmark of the crisis so far, citing the risk of sea mines deployed during the conflict. Inbound traffic is reportedly being routed north of the island, with outbound vessels directed south, effectively shifting traffic closer to Iranian territorial waters. While the presence and...
Ozellar Marine, Navarino advance hybrid fleet connectivity...
posted on: Apr 12, 2026
Ozellar Marine is advancing its digital fleet strategy through a hybrid connectivity model managed on a single platform. Working with Navarino, the ship manager is combining multiple satellite services to improve control, performance and crew welfare. Ozellar Marine is pushing how it manages connectivity across its fleet by adopting a hybrid, multi-band approach supported by Navarino’s Infinity platform. The company, which oversees around 15 vessels, has deployed a mix of Fleet Xpress, Ku-band and Starlink services, all centrally managed to give greater operational control. “At the core of our setup is the ability to manage everything independently,” said Murtuza Shabbir, Assistant Technical Manager at Ozellar Marine. “With Infinity, we can monitor traffic, adjust policies, and roll out changes across the fleet quickly, without relying on external support.” The setup has allowed Ozellar Marine to refine onboard connectivity in response to crew feedback. The company recently introduced structured data allowances...
Australia Bans Chinese-Owned Bulker for Unpaid Crew Wages...
posted on: Apr 12, 2026
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, well-known for its strict enforcement actions, announced it has issued a six-month ban against a Chinese-owned bulker for unpaid crew wages and other violations. It is the second ban the authority has issued in a little over a month, with it saying it should serve as a reminder to employers of their obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention. The Liberia-flagged bulker BBG Wuzhou (81,895 dwt) recently arrived in the port of Newcastle, where AMSA reports it conducted a comprehensive inspection. Built in 2016, the vessel is owned and managed by companies in China. AMSA reports it found that the crew had not been paid for seven months, with unpaid wages totaling nearly A$69,000 (US$49,000). In addition, AMSA says it identified multiple issues, including insufficient food and not providing free drinking water. It also reports the ship was detained for unseaworthiness and “being substandard.” The bulker departed...
Shipbuilding Orderbook Hits 17-Year High Driven by Tankers Reports BIMCO...
posted on: Apr 12, 2026
The boom in shipbuilding orders is continuing, reaching a 17-year high, reports industry group BIMCO. While it sees a slowing in some sectors, it points to a recent surge in crude oil tanker orders coming after the container segment was already driven to new highs. During the first quarter of 2026, newbuilding contracting has risen 40 percent year-over-year to 17.6 million Compensated Gross Tonnes (CGT). In total, it calculates the global shipping orderbook reached 191 million Compensated Gross Tonnes (CGT). BIMCO reports that this is equivalent to 17 percent of the global fleet, the highest ratio since 2011. “So far during the 2020s, newbuilding contracting has been 47 percent higher than the average during the 2010s, driven by stronger market conditions in the larger sectors, an overall larger fleet, and an increased need for fleet renewal,” explains Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO. “This has contributed to an...
Hormuz, Shipping Unions & Sailors
posted on: Apr 12, 2026
Corporate media prefer to talk about Donald Trump at a daily rate that has long surpassed other entertainers: the war of the USA and Israel against Iran, oil – where those who helped put Trump into the White House receive a handsome return on their investment – global shipping, and the Strait of Hormuz. Yet next to nobody mentions those who work on all those commercial ships waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. When looking at the world’s largest shipping nations, funny countries turn up: Liberia (a country with next to nothing to export), and the same goes for number two: Panama. Even more Mickey Mouse: the Marshall Islands (42,000 people). Maybe it needs so many container ships to export coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits, pigs, and chickens. Next on the list is a city: Hong Kong, followed by another city: Singapore. China is the first on the list with a serious...
Bangladeshi ship denied passage through Hormuz despite reaching strait...
posted on: Apr 11, 2026
Bangladesh Shipping Corporation’s (BSC) vessel Banglar Joyjatra has failed to cross the Strait of Hormuz despite getting close as Iranian authorities refused to grant transit permission. After being stranded in the Persian Gulf for nearly 40 days due to the Iran war, the ship left the outer anchorage of the Saudi port of Dammam on Wednesday morning following the ceasefire. However it was denied permission when it contacted Iranian authorities after reaching near the strait on Thursday night, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek said. He said the ship would now wait in a safer location while the government attempts to secure safe passage through diplomatic channels and expressed hope that transit clearance could be obtained by Sunday or Monday. The vessel has 31 Bangladeshi crew members on board. It had travelled to the UAE on February 27 carrying steel coil from a Qatar port and remained stuck in the Gulf...
Shipping operators remain reluctant to transit Strait of Hormuz...
posted on: Apr 11, 2026
Ships in the Strait of Hormuz have been warned by Iran’s navy that any vessel attempting to pass without permission could be “targeted and destroyed,” BBC reports. Although a two-week ceasefire in the wider US-Israel war with Iran includes a condition for safe passage, very few ships have actually resumed transit so far. According to BBC, early data shows only three ships crossing shortly after the ceasefire, compared to about 138 per day before the conflict. Many vessels are still stuck in the Gulf, with estimates of nearly 800 awaiting movement. Analysts say it’s unclear whether crossings will increase soon, as crews remain cautious and risks, such as unclear permission processes, possible sea mines, and shifting routes closer to Iran’s coast, persist. Meanwhile, according to international news, on 9 April Iran announced new alternative shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz due to concerns about sea mines in the main channel,...
Qatar Begins Work to Resume LNG Production After Ceasefire...
posted on: Apr 11, 2026
By Stephen Stapczynski and Salma El Wardany Apr 8, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Qatar is mobilizing engineers and workers with the aim of resuming production at the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas export plant following a ceasefire in the war in the Middle East, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The improvement in security conditions is allowing limited activity, and the facility is undergoing necessary maintenance ahead of a planned restart, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they are not authorized to speak with the media. Some production could begin to resume over the coming days, though it’s not clear how quickly it could ramp up, and any return to significant output would require ships to be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Ras Laffan has been offline since early March, triggering a global gas supply crunch. While damage to the plant from a...
Moby Prince: Italy’s worst maritime disaster since World War II...
posted on: Apr 11, 2026
In April 1991, a fire onboard the Italian passenger ferry ‘Moby Prince’, Italy’s worst merchant marine disaster since the end of World War II, broke out. The incident, resulting in death of all but one person onboard, highlighted how miscommunication in emergency situations can be disastrous. The incident At 22:03 on 10 April 1991, the Moby Prince left Livorno, heading to Olbia with 65 crew and 75 passengers onboard. While taking the route out of the harbor, the ferry’s prow hit the anchored oil tanker Agip Abruzzo and sliced through its tank number 7. The tank was filled with 2,700 tons of Iranian light crude oil. Some oil spread on the surface of the sea and caught fire, but around 100 to 300 tons was sprayed on to the ferry by the impact. A fire quickly engulfed the ferry. At 22:25, the ferry’s radio operator sent a Mayday from...
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Pipeline Bypassing Hormuz Damaged in Iranian Attack, Source Says...
posted on: Apr 11, 2026
April 8 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s crucial East-West oil pipeline, currently its only outlet for crude exports, was hit in an Iranian attack and other facilities in the kingdom were also targeted, an industry source told Reuters on Wednesday. The pipeline was diverting around 7 million barrels per day (bpd) from the kingdom’s oil heartland in the east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu after Iran effectively shuttered the Strait of Hormuz, trapping huge volumes of oil and gas and sending world energy markets skyrocketing. Flows through the pipeline are expected to be affected, the source said, adding damage was being assessed. That could exacerbate what experts have called the world’s worst energy crisis. Aramco uses about 2 million bpd domestically, leaving roughly 5 million bpd for export. Yanbu loadings averaged a near-capacity 4.6 million bpd in the week starting March 23, shipping data shows, despite attacks targeting the hub on March 19. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary...
Hapag-Lloyd CEO: Middle East crisis has added $50–60 million in weekly costs...
posted on: Apr 10, 2026
Hapag-Lloyd expressed cautious optimism on 8 Apirl regarding the potential resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. The company has noted that fully restoring normal traffic across its network could take at least six to eight weeks. As reported, in a call with customers, CEO Rolf Habben Jansen further echoed the guarded stance of container shipping peer Maersk, emphasizing the need for additional security assurances. According to Reuters, Maersk stated that the two-week ceasefire agreed between the U.S. and Iran could open some opportunities for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, but did not yet provide enough security certainty to resume normal operations. “Even though a ceasefire has been agreed overnight, it’s fair to say that the conflict in the Middle East continues to severely disrupt shipping and supply chains,” the Hapag-Lloyd CEO said, describing the situation as very fluid. Jansen...
India’s steel and infrastructure boom fuels dry bulk outlook...
posted on: Apr 10, 2026
According to Intermodal’s latest market report, India’s sustained economic expansion, driven by robust domestic demand, infrastructure investment, and rising steel and raw material needs, is reinforcing its growing role in global seaborne commodity trade. As explained, in a global environment defined by geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressures, India continues to demonstrate resilient growth potential. Although the OECD has estimated a slowdown in India’s GDP growth from 7.6% in FY 2025-2026 to 6.1% in FY 2026-2027, reflecting challenges such as energy supply disruptions, currency depreciation, and inflation, India is still projected to record the highest growth among G20 economies. Industrial and infrastructure momentum India’s growth is underpinned by domestic demand, driven by an expanding middle class and accelerating urbanization, and further reinforced by sustained public infrastructure investment. Policy support remains a central pillar of this dynamic. The Union Budget 2026–27 reaffirmed the government’s commitment to infrastructure development, with approximately $147bn...
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The ‘Cadet Gridlock’ in Bangladesh’s Maritime Sector: A Sorrowful Story of Wasted Potential The ‘Cadet Gridlock’ in Bangladesh’s Maritime Sector: A Sorrowful Story of Wasted Potential By Minar Rashid 21E On 15 November, the BMCS Gala Night 2025 was held at Singapore’s Orchid Country Club. With the vibrant participation of hundreds of Bangladeshi mariners and their families, the event became a remarkable reunion […]
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