krogragg

Category: Americas

  • Backers of new US Virgin Islands registry present plans to Trump

    Backers of new US Virgin Islands registry present plans to Trump The backers of a new open registry have dusted off plans first aired three years ago, and presented the concept of a US Virgin Islands (USVI) flag to Donald Trump, amid the current government’s determination to bolster American maritime.  The flag idea has been…

  • Washington unveils another package of sanctions aimed at Iran’s oil shipments

    Washington unveils another package of sanctions aimed at Iran’s oil shipments The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated the teapot refinery Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group and three port terminal operators in Shandong Province for their role in purchasing or facilitating the delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth…

  • ARO Drilling agrees extensions for five jackups with Saudi Aramco

    ARO Drilling agrees extensions for five jackups with Saudi Aramco ARO Drilling, a joint venture of New York-listed offshore driller Valaris, has signed extensions for five jackup rigs with Saudi giant Aramco. The extensions, all for five years, were signed for the Valaris 250, Valaris 116, Valaris 146, Valaris 140, and Valaris 141 or as…

  • Valaris bags $135m drillship deal in Africa

    Valaris bags $135m drillship deal in Africa New York-listed offshore driller Valaris has been awarded a five-well contract offshore West Africa for one of its drillships. The contract, awarded to the 2014-built Valaris DS-15 drillship by an undisclosed client, is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026. Based on an estimated duration of…

  • DOF vessel duo get work off Brazil

    DOF vessel duo get work off Brazil Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF has been awarded contracts in Brazil for two of its vessels. The 2007-built diving support vessel Skandi Achiever was awarded an offshore service and survey contract in Brazil in support of a SURF project with operations planned to start in early May and…

  • Quebec grain terminal changes hands

    Quebec grain terminal changes hands Parrish & Heimbecker, a Canadian, a family-owned agri-business, has acquired a deepwater bulk marine export terminal in Quebec City from Societe En Commandite Terminal Grains, which has been operated by Sollio Agriculture since 2021. “The addition of a Quebec City terminal is a strong fit for our long-term growth strategy,”…

  • US issues further sanctions against Iran

    US issues further sanctions against Iran Yesterday, the US imposed sanctions on seven entities engaged in Iranian petroleum products and petrochemical products trade as well as identifying two vessels as blocked property.  The tankers Eloise and Olia managed by Vroom Marine Venture were the ones picked up for the latest sanctions as the US continues…

  • Seaspan books six containership newbuilds in China

    Seaspan books six containership newbuilds in China Seaspan has put pen to paper on more containership newbuilds at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) in China. The Bing Chen-led tonnage provider has booked six 10,000 teu vessels with delivery likely starting in 2028. No value has been revealed for the shipbuilding contract that was concluded in renminbi…

  • US sanctions three tankers over ties to the Houthis

    US sanctions three tankers over ties to the Houthis The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has targeted three vessels and their owners for allegedly providing support to the Houthis.  Marshall Islands-registered Zaas Shipping & Trading facilitated the delivery of LPG to the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa using the…

  • Trump calls for free passage of American ships through Suez and Panama canals

    Trump calls for free passage of American ships through Suez and Panama canals US president Donald Trump has called for free passage of American ships through two of the vital shipping waterways, the Panama and Suez canals. Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that American ships, both military and commercial, should be…

  • Kpler wraps up Spire Maritime acquisition

    Kpler wraps up Spire Maritime acquisition Brussels-based maritime data analytics firm Kpler has closed the acquisition of Spire Global’s ship tracking business, Spire Maritime. The deal, worth about $241m, gives Kpler control over Spire’s satellites and maritime Automatic Identification System (AIS) data stream. “This milestone marks a significant step forward in Kpler’s mission to deliver…

  • ZIM ordered to pay Samsung $3.7m for US demurrage violations

    ZIM ordered to pay Samsung $3.7m for US demurrage violations Israeli carrier ZIM has been ordered to pay about $3.7m to Samsung Electronics America (SEA) for violating the US Shipping Act. The American affiliate of the Korean manufacturing giant filed a complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in October 2022, claiming Zim engaged in…

  • S&P Global buys Orbcomm’s ship tracking business

    S&P Global buys Orbcomm’s ship tracking business S&P Global has agreed to acquire the automatic identification system (AIS) business of Orbcomm. The New York-headquartered company said the purchase, on undisclosed terms, will see one of the leading providers of ship tracking services integrated within its Global Market Intelligence division. Orbcomm’s AIS vessel tracking technology has…

  • World’s second-largest owner opens Washington office

    World’s second-largest owner opens Washington office In a sign of the times, Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), the world’s second-largest shipowner, will open a new office in Washington, DC. “As global challenges continue to evolve-ranging from geopolitical uncertainties and stricter environmental regulations to increasingly intricate supply chains-strengthening cooperation with governments and international organizations has become…

  • Wiernicki to step down at ABS

    Wiernicki to step down at ABS One of the best-known names in the business of ship classification is to stand down at the end of the year.  ABS chairman and CEO Christopher Wiernicki after leading the American classification society for the past 12 years, having taken over from Robert Somerville in 2013.  Prior to joining…

  • Philly Shipyard steps forward to meet US LNG carrier requirements

    Philly Shipyard steps forward to meet US LNG carrier requirements The Korean-controlled Philly Shipyard is gearing up to build the first LNG carriers in America since the 1970s. Following last week’s announcement by the US Trade Representative (USTR) on port fees designed to boost American shipbuilding, Hanhwa Ocean, which bought Philly Shipyard last year, has…

  • FMC classifies Chipolbrok as a controlled carrier

    FMC classifies Chipolbrok as a controlled carrier The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in the US has classified the Chinese-Polish Joint Stock Shipping Company (Chipolbrok) as a controlled carrier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and is adding it to the commission’s controlled carrier list. The company, with 31 MPPs in its fleet, is jointly…

  • Scale of blank sailings dwarfs covid era as US-China trade dries up

    Scale of blank sailings dwarfs covid era as US-China trade dries up With trade between the world’s two largest economies effectively coming to a halt thanks to US president Donald Trump’s tariff war with China, containerlines are blanking sailings on a greater scale than was witnessed at the onset of the covid pandemic five years…

  • Beijing vents fury at US port fees

    Beijing vents fury at US port fees Shipping spent the weekend digesting the news from the US where watered down plans to charge China-linked ships extra for American port calls have created considerable outrage in Beijing and Hong Kong, while causing consternation for members of the Ocean Alliance, one of the big groupings in container…

  • Tar balls wash up on Canadian shoreline near grounded MSC boxship

    Tar balls wash up on Canadian shoreline near grounded MSC boxship Tar balls have emerged on beaches near to where the MSC Baltic III remains grounded on Canada’s eastern seaboard, with the boxship remaining firmly lodged in place more than two months after it ran into difficulties.  The Canadian Coast Guard has said there is…

  • US unveils much-anticipated port call fees

    US unveils much-anticipated port call fees The United States will impose fees on Chinese-built ships calling at American ports—regardless of ownership, in a ruling that the global shipping community has been waiting to hear about for months. The glimmer of good news for non-Chinese owners is that the final measure is less severe than the…

  • Trump’s tariffs crash world trade forecasts

    Trump’s tariffs crash world trade forecasts Many of shipping’s go-to bodies for trade forecasts are now slashing economic predictions for the year ahead in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariff war.  Creating significant alarm, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has warned global merchandise trade for 2025 could drop by as much as -1.5%, potentially becoming…

  • Trump administration chases substandard flags in bid to thwart Iran’s shadow fleet

    Trump administration chases substandard flags in bid to thwart Iran’s shadow fleet The latest American sanctions aimed at Iran’s oil industry make specific warnings to shipping about the use of substandard shipping. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) yesterday designated a China-based independent teapot refinery, Shandong Shengxing Chemical, for its…

  • 54 ships abandoned so far this year

    54 ships abandoned so far this year The scourge of crew abandonment is proving very hard for global administrators to rein in. A total of 54 ships and their crews have been abandoned so far this year, according to data carried by the International Labour Organization (ILO), putting 2025 potentially on track to be the…

  • Seafarers to get 6.2% pay rise over the coming three years

    Seafarers to get 6.2% pay rise over the coming three years The International Labour Organization (ILO) has concluded the latest round of minimum wage negotiations for able seafarers at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Wages of Seafarers of the Joint Maritime Commission (JMC), held in Geneva on this week. The terms of the wage…

  • V.Group takes on management of International Seaways LR1 newbuilds

    V.Group takes on management of International Seaways LR1 newbuilds UK-based shipmanagement and marine services giant V.Group has secured a deal for six LR1 tanker newbuildings that US owner International Seaways expects for delivery from South Korea’s K Shipbuilding. The René Kofod-Olsen-led company will be responsible for full technical and crew management of the scrubber-fitted, LNG-ready…

  • Japanese and Korean yards with investments in China on edge

    Japanese and Korean yards with investments in China on edge With Donald Trump widely tipped to pass judgement on extra fees for Chinese-linked tonnage calling at US ports in the next couple of days, another wrinkle has emerged that has not been widely discussed in Washington to date.  Trump’s tariff war against China late last…

  • DHT confirms disposal of Chinese-built tonnage

    DHT confirms disposal of Chinese-built tonnage DHT Holdings, a New York-listed tanker giant, has confirmed the sale of two Chinese-built VLCCs. DHT said in a statement that it sold the 2011-built DHT Lotus and the DHT Peony for a combined price of $103m. Splash has previously cited broking sources that claimed that the company sold…

  • The carriers most exposed by Trump’s trade war with China

    The carriers most exposed by Trump’s trade war with China The chart below created by Linerlytica highlights the containerlines most exposed on the transpacific by the ongoing trade war initiated by Donald Trump, the American president, against China, that has effectively brought most business between the two largest economies in the world to a halt.…

  • The steep learning curve America faces if it wants to return to previous shipyard glory days

    The steep learning curve America faces if it wants to return to previous shipyard glory days The stats surrounding the steep learning curve the US faces if it wants to claw back any market share in shipbuilding are astonishing. Donald Trump, the American president, is taking steps to try and build back the country’s shipyards,…

  • DHT lands seven-year VLCC fixture

    DHT lands seven-year VLCC fixture New York-listed tanker giant DHT Holdings has fixed one of its VLCCs for seven years. The Svein Moxnes Harfjeld-led supertanker specialist has secured employment for the 2018-built DHT Appaloosa with an unnamed “global energy company”. The 319,200 dwt vessel will start its contract in May this year at $41,000 per…

  • Contentious late night IMO meeting ends in stalemate

    Contentious late night IMO meeting ends in stalemate Splash has obtained the contentious draft text regarding how shipping will pay for its green transition, with news that a flat levy is very much off the agenda at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). A draft legal text on a package of regulations for the implementation of…

  • Uptick in blank sailings as US and China trade tariff blows

    Uptick in blank sailings as US and China trade tariff blows Global supply chain managers are having to contend with more blanked container sailings as the world’s top two economies show no sign of giving ground in an escalating trade war. China responded today to US president Donald Trump’s cumulative 145% tariffs, placing 125% tariffs…

  • US targets UAE-based Indian in latest Iranian sanctions

    US targets UAE-based Indian in latest Iranian sanctions The Trump administration’s so-called maximum pressure campaign on Iran has turned its attention to Jugwinder Singh Brar, an Indian national based in the United Arab Emirates, who owns the companies Prime Tankers and Glory International. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)…

  • Tariffs on China set to dramatically alter US trade flows

    Tariffs on China set to dramatically alter US trade flows Supply chain planners are busy booking shipments from non-Chinese destinations into the US today following last night’s tariff surrender by Donald Trump, the American president.  Trump announced a 90-day pause for countries hit by higher US tariffs amid financial turmoil and a weakening dollar in…

  • Trump signs Make Shipbuilding Great Again executive order

    Trump signs Make Shipbuilding Great Again executive order US president Donald Trump has signed a well-telegraphed executive order aimed at resuscitating American shipyards while also limiting China’s dominant influence on the sector. Acknowledging the US’s less than 1% global shipbuilding market share yesterday, Trump said: “Rectifying these issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes securing…

  • Keep watching the bond curve

    Keep watching the bond curve Andrew Craig-Bennett with financial advice for shipowners amid the Trump market gyrations. Donald Trump has just backed away from the abyss – denying, of course, that he is doing any such thing – and, while adding yet more tariffs to imports from China to the US, he has announced a…

  • Trump leaves this week’s green talks at IMO up in smoke

    Trump leaves this week’s green talks at IMO up in smoke Donald Trump has done to the International Maritime Organization what he did to the Paris Agreement, in choosing to distance the US this week from ongoing talks over a global carbon levy on shipping. The most eye-catching scene from the ongoing 83rd gathering of…

  • How Trump’s new economic order risks sinking green shipping

    How Trump’s new economic order risks sinking green shipping Matt Kenney, the head of Laureate Communications, warns readers on how Trump’s economic policies could sideswipe the most ambitious maritime transformation in a generation. Let’s begin with a truth so plain it should not require reiteration: President Trump’s tariff agenda is not a tantrum, nor a…

  • Stena Drilling drillship wins more work off Suriname

    Stena Drilling drillship wins more work off Suriname Stena Drilling, the Aberdeen-based business of Sweden’s Stena, has won a contract for one of its drillships with subsidiaries of Shell in Suriname. The contract for the campaign was awarded to the 2008-built Stena DrillMax drillship by Shell subsidiaries KE STP Company and BG International. The deal…

  • Liners draw up defensive measures in their armoury to fight Trump’s tariff war

    Liners draw up defensive measures in their armoury to fight Trump’s tariff war Global container growth is set to head into a hard reverse this year on the back of the tariff war initiated by Donald Trump, the American president, which is already seeing noticeable cargo booking cancellations in Asia.  In a post on his…

  • Berge Bulk takes stake in Genco

    Berge Bulk takes stake in Genco Singapore-based owner Berge Bulk has revealed a considerable ownership of stock in the US dry bulk player Genco Shipping & Trading. A filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Berge Bulk’s vehicle Kibo Investment had picked up 3.13m shares in Genco, corresponding to a 7.3% stake.…

  • China slaps retaliatory tariffs on all US goods

    China slaps retaliatory tariffs on all US goods After US president Donald Trump imposed tariffs on countries across the world earlier this week, it did not take much time for Beijing to return the favour. The Chinese authorities said on Friday that the country would impose 34% tariffs on all imports from the US starting…

  • Global shipping ‘stifled’ by Trump’s tariffs

    Global shipping ‘stifled’ by Trump’s tariffs Shipping stocks remain under severe pressure today as the world comes to terms with the immensity of Wednesday’s tariff announcements from US president Donald Trump.  The average US tariff rate has now been set at just under 25%, levels not seen since the 1930s and the days of the…

  • Trump ignites global trade war, major economies vow retaliation

    Trump ignites global trade war, major economies vow retaliation US president Donald Trump has slapped additional tariffs of 34% on imports from China, also hitting emerging manufacturing powerhouses like Vietnam and Cambodia hard, while targeting European Union imports with 20% tariffs, and adding a baseline of 10% on most goods imported to the US. As…

  • US targets Russian interests moving stolen Ukrainian grain to fund the Houthis

    US targets Russian interests moving stolen Ukrainian grain to fund the Houthis The Trump administration has targeted Russian interests over grain theft from Ukraine used to support funding for the Houthis in Yemen.  The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) yesterday added additional persons and companies to its sanction list as these were identified…

  • Saipem rakes in $720m for work in Middle East and Guyana

    Saipem rakes in $720m for work in Middle East and Guyana Italian offshore engineering and construction giant Saipem has won two brand new contracts worth approximately $720m. The first contract encompasses the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation activities for the repair of damaged subsea pipelines for an unnamed major client in the Middle East. The…

  • Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ arrives

    Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ arrives Donald Trump is expected to announce sweeping tariffs in a statement at the White House Rose Garden at 16:00 EST this afternoon, branding today as ‘Liberation Day’ in the latest economic shock to hit global seaborne trades in the opening months of his return to power. The scope and scale of…

  • US bulker outfit Pioneer Navigation shuffles leadership team

    US bulker outfit Pioneer Navigation shuffles leadership team US dry bulk shipping player Pioneer Navigation has reshuffled its leadership team. The Stamford-based company founded through the combination of Nassau-based Pioneer Navigation in the Bahamas and dry cargo brokerage Atlas Shipping has named Peter Bro as its new president. Bro, who spent about 20 years at…

  • TGS gets OBN work in Gulf of Mexico

    TGS gets OBN work in Gulf of Mexico Oslo-listed seismic data specialist TGS has kicked off a new multi-client ultra long offset OBN data acquisition campaign in the Gulf of Mexico. The so-called Amendment 4 project will expand node coverage in TGS’ multi-client library, adding over 1,100 sq km in the Mississippi Canyon, Ewing Banks,…

  • Beijing looks to put the brakes on the sale of Hutchison Ports

    Beijing looks to put the brakes on the sale of Hutchison Ports Beijing has moved to prevent the sale of CK Hutchison’s ports division to BlackRock and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), a transaction that was meant to have gone through tomorrow.  The decision last month by the Li Ka-shing-controlled conglomerate to sell 80% of Hutchison…

  • CMA CGM sues Houston bunker supplier for $5m

    CMA CGM sues Houston bunker supplier for $5m French liner giant CMA CGM is suing GCC Supply & Trading for more than $5m at a court in Texas over an alleged case of contaminated bunkers dating back to 2023. CMA CGM claims 13 of its vessels were damaged when it took on VLSFO fuel at…

  • US federal judge blocks offshore lease sale over impact on Rice’s whales

    US federal judge blocks offshore lease sale over impact on Rice’s whales A federal judge has blocked an oil and gas lease sale in Gulf waters off the coast of Louisiana after finding that authorities did not take into account the impact of new offshore drilling on the highly endangered Rice’s whale. The ruling from…

  • Depressed bunker sales point toward shakier world trade outlook

    Depressed bunker sales point toward shakier world trade outlook The tide has turned for bunker sales and prices, an indication that global seaborne trade is on shakier ground this year.  “Bunker prices tell the tale of a softening market,” broker BRS noted in a new report.  As of yesterday, 0.5% very low sulphur fuel oil…

  • Burmester & Vogel expands with Laysoft acquisition

    Burmester & Vogel expands with Laysoft acquisition Boston-based maritime technology company Burmester & Vogel (B&V) has acquired Windows-based laytime calculation software Laysoft for an undisclosed amount. Founded by technology entrepreneur Kingston Duffie, Laysoft, also known as Laytime2000, has gained more than 200 active users in the dry bulk market over the past two decades, notably…

  • Car carriers in retreat as Trump unveils 25% auto tariffs

    Car carriers in retreat as Trump unveils 25% auto tariffs The US administration confirmed yesterday that it will go forward with the implementation of a 25% tariff on all foreign-built cars, something that is expected to add greater pressure to car carrier rates which have been coming off multi-year highs in recent months. US president…

  • Shell chooses McDermott for engineering and procurement services

    Shell chooses McDermott for engineering and procurement services Houston-based offshore contractor McDermott has been selected by UK supermajor Shell for an enterprise framework agreement for engineering and procurement services and integrated project management team services. McDermott said that the agreement has a duration of three years with two one-year optional extensions. The scope of the…

  • Floatel International accommodation vessel gets more time in Brazil

    Floatel International accommodation vessel gets more time in Brazil Oslo-based offshore accommodation vessel specialist Floatel International has won a contract extension for one of its units operating off Brazil. Under the extension, the 2013-built Floatel Victory will provide maintenance and safety unit support alongside the Peregrino FPSO. The flotel contract has been extended through the…

  • Nortrans pens deal with Saipem for flotel work on Chevron’s Australian project

    Nortrans pens deal with Saipem for flotel work on Chevron’s Australian project Singapore-based Nortrans Offshore has been awarded a contract with Italian giant Saipem for work on the Jansz-Io compression project offshore Western Australia. As part of this project, the company took the 200-person flotel Belait CSS 1 on a long-term bareboat charter. This is…

  • Floating wind still going strong despite US policy turmoil

    Floating wind still going strong despite US policy turmoil The United States’ shift in offshore wind policy is set to create a potential global installation shortfall of 26GW by 2035 as a result, according to TGS’ latest report. The company said in its Quarterly Market Overview Report that the withdrawal of a major market like…

  • Maersk seals 33-year lease extension at port of NY and NJ

    Maersk seals 33-year lease extension at port of NY and NJ AP Moller-Maersk has reached an agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to extend APM Terminals Elizabeth’s lease through December 2062. Originally set to expire in 2029, the 33-year lease extension “paves the way for major infrastructure investments which will…

  • Trump’s tariff war only directly impacting 1.5% of global seaborne trade volumes for now

    Trump’s tariff war only directly impacting 1.5% of global seaborne trade volumes for now Despite their high profile, US trade tariffs – and retaliatory actions – are to date impacting directly only 1.5% of global seaborne trade volumes, according to the latest data from Clarksons Research, which notes that in the previous 2018-19 trade war…

  • $3.5m: How much this COSCO ship might be charged when calling at a US port

    $3.5m: How much this COSCO ship might be charged when calling at a US port Public comments continue to fly into the US Trade Representative (USTR) ahead of Monday’s hearing into controversial plans to tax Chinese-built tonnage calling at US ports.  In the more than 150 submissions sent in, a considerable number have hit out…

  • Investigators warn 68 American bridges are at risk from a Dali-style accident

    Investigators warn 68 American bridges are at risk from a Dali-style accident The one-year anniversary since 2024’s most high-profile ship accident is next week, and the fallout from the Dali containership’s destruction of a bridge in Baltimore continues to permeate throughout the US.  In the early hours of March 26 last year, the Dali lost…

  • Flags of questionable quality grow market share

    Flags of questionable quality grow market share Over 5,000 vessels  – equivalent to 14.5% of the global merchant fleet – operate under registries with less than 10% ratification of International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization conventions, increasing exposure to enforcement actions, according to new data from analytics firm Kpler. “Flag risks are increasingly…

  • Chinese teapot refinery included in latest round of American sanctions targeting Iranian oil

    Chinese teapot refinery included in latest round of American sanctions targeting Iranian oil The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated a so-called teapot oil refinery in Shandong, China and its chief executive officer for purchasing and refining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil, including…

  • Petrobras extends DOF PLSV charter

    Petrobras extends DOF PLSV charter Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF has won an extension for one of its pipelay support vessels (PLSV) from Petrobras. DOF said that the extension was awarded to the 2016-built Skandi Buzios. This vessel is currently in the last months of its long-term contract with Petrobras. Namely, the vessel started work…

  • Tsakos confirms $2bn shuttle tanker deal with Transpetro

    Tsakos confirms $2bn shuttle tanker deal with Transpetro Greek owner Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN) has confirmed a long-term charter deal with Petrobras’ logistics subsidiary Transpetro for a series of nine shuttle tanker newbuildings. The vessels, to be built at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, have secured 15-year employment each with revenues for TEN estimated…

  • Teekay Tankers reveals LR2 play

    Teekay Tankers reveals LR2 play Teekay Tankers is renewing its LR2 tonnage through deals that will see one of the ageing vessels replaced by a 12 years younger unit. The New York-listed firm has agreed to offload the 2007-built Galway Spirit to an unnamed buyer for delivery in the first quarter of 2025. No price…

  • Can these two men find some middle ground to keep world trade moving?

    Can these two men find some middle ground to keep world trade moving? We have a new magazine launching today, designed to give the shipping industry an idea of how the markets might play out in the coming months. Today’s opening instalment looks at the trajectories of the world’s two largest economies. Economists have been…

  • US could bar ships from countries seen to be creating maritime chokepoints

    US could bar ships from countries seen to be creating maritime chokepoints In the latest maritime bombshell coming out of Washington DC, the Federal Maritime Commission, the country’s shipping regulator, has warned it might bar entry to ships from countries found to be causing choke points at key locations around the world. The FMC yesterday…

  • Chinese owners and yards come out fighting in US trade dispute

    Chinese owners and yards come out fighting in US trade dispute Both the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA) and the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI) have left public comments criticising the US Trade Representative’s proposals to charge extra for fleets with Chinese-built tonnage calling at American ports, arguably the biggest shock policy to…

  • US sanctions tanker headed for demolition

    US sanctions tanker headed for demolition Donald Trump’s so-called ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran has stepped up a gear with the latest targeted sanctions announced in Washington DC yesterday including a ship waiting to be scrapped off Bangladesh as well as tug boats that have serviced Iranian-linked vessels in the past. The Department of the…

  • Tons down, miles up

    Tons down, miles up Andrew Craig-Bennett provides readers with an overview of what tariffs mean for seaborne trades. A problem with trying to write about the possible effects of tariffs on the merchant shipping business is that the people who want to stick tariffs on stuff keep changing their minds. However, there are some broad…

  • Captain arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter over North Sea collision

    Captain arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter over North Sea collision The captain of the containership Solong, involved in a collision with the Stena Immaculate tanker in the UK North Sea, has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. The incident, which took place on Monday with both ships bursting into flames after…

  • Containership likely to sink after North Sea collision

    Containership likely to sink after North Sea collision The Solong containership involved in Monday’s collision in the UK North Sea is unlikely to remain afloat, British maritime minister Mike Kane has said. “Modelling suggests that should Solong remain afloat, it will remain clear of land for the next few hours. The assessment of HM Coastguard…

  • Triton buys Global Container International

    Triton buys Global Container International Container leasing giant Triton has agreed to acquire Global Container International (GCI) in a deal valued at more than $1bn, including outstanding debt. Boston-based GCI was established in 2018 by a team of experienced container industry executives in partnership with investment vehicles managed by Wafra. The transaction, expected to close…

  • Preliminary signs of a two-tier freight market emerge as US crackdown on Chinese-built tonnage nears

    Preliminary signs of a two-tier freight market emerge as US crackdown on Chinese-built tonnage nears The first signs of a two-tier market are emerging in anticipation of Donald Trump’s likely penalisation of Chinese-built tonnage.  Broker BRS is reporting Chinese-linked ships are now becoming “far less attractive” for long time charters due to the likelihood that,…

  • Massive fire erupts as tanker and boxship crash off UK coast

    Massive fire erupts as tanker and boxship crash off UK coast A major rescue operation is underway in the North Sea after a product tanker and a containership crashed and caught fire off the coast of Hull in east Yorkshire, UK. A US-flagged MR tanker Stena Immaculate was struck by the Portugal-flagged containership Solong while…

  • Shipping in the crosshairs as trade uncertainty hits all-time high

    Shipping in the crosshairs as trade uncertainty hits all-time high At no point since tracking began on the subject have global trade policies been more uncertain than right now, according to one index developed in the US.  The Trade Policy Uncertainty (TPU) Index (see chart below) developed by four employees at the Federal Reserve Board…

  • CMA CGM’s Saadé vows to invest $20bn into the US over the next four years

    CMA CGM’s Saadé vows to invest $20bn into the US over the next four years CMA CGM’s Rodolphe Saadé was in the White House yesterday, unveiling a $20bn planned investment into the US.  The huge investment over the next four years would create 10,000 jobs, CMA CGM said, and include expanding container terminals, building an…

  • Lauritzen Bulkers buys Canadian breakbulk specialist Alexander & Blake

    Lauritzen Bulkers buys Canadian breakbulk specialist Alexander & Blake Danish dry bulk owner and operator Lauritzen Bulkers has acquired Canadian breakbulk and parcel shipping company, Alexander & Blake. The Copenhagen-headquartered outfit, which manages a fleet of between 90 and 110 geared handysize and ultramax vessels, is taking over the Burlington-based company for an undisclosed sum.…

  • Andrew Craig-Bennett on globalisation

    Andrew Craig-Bennett on globalisation The editor (whom God preserve!) is of the opinion that CK Hutchison’s sale of their ports and terminals operation to a consortium of BlackRock and MSC marks the end of globalisation as an idea which rules our thinking on trade in general and trade by sea in particular, and that the…

  • Trump’s trade war steps up a gear

    Trump’s trade war steps up a gear US president Donald Trump’s new round of tariffs against his country’s top three trading partners has sparked retaliatory action, launching new trade conflicts. On Tuesday, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, as well as a 20% duty on Chinese goods. China responded in kind, imposing…

  • US issues further Iran sanctions

    US issues further Iran sanctions The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on more than 30 persons and vessels in multiple jurisdictions for their role in brokering the sale and transportation of Iranian petroleum-related products, the latest in a series of measures the new Donald Trump administration…

  • Container sector set to take biggest hit from US plans to charge Chinese-built vessels

    Container sector set to take biggest hit from US plans to charge Chinese-built vessels Shipping is reeling from what could be the most seismic decision to effect the industry yet in the opening weeks of Donald Trump’s second term in office. The American president will make a decision, likely in around a month’s time, on…

  • US targets Chinese ships and terminal investments

    US targets Chinese ships and terminal investments The US is considering slapping huge fees on Chinese-built ships calling at its ports, while also clamping down on Chinese ownership of terminals on home soil. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has finally outlined the ways it feels Washington DC can fight back against the dominance China…

  • JP Morgan Asset Management buys out Oaktree’s stake in OSM Thome

    JP Morgan Asset Management buys out Oaktree’s stake in OSM Thome Oaktree Capital Management is cashing out of shipmanagement giant OSM Thome, with investors linked to JP Morgan Asset Management’s Global Transportation Group coming onboard in its place. OSM Thome’s founding shareholders, OSM Maritime Partners and Skagerak Holding will continue as shareholders, resulting in what…

  • Captain of aircraft carrier involved in collision off Egypt dismissed

    Captain of aircraft carrier involved in collision off Egypt dismissed The US Navy has decided to relieve the commanding officer of the USS Truman – the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that had a collision with a bulk carrier off Egypt last week. Captain Dave Snowden was relieved Thursday for “loss of confidence in his ability to…

  • Teekay Tankers bags triple sale

    Teekay Tankers bags triple sale Teekay Tankers has confirmed deals worth $95.5m for three of its ageing vessels. The New York-listed firm has offloaded a pair of unnamed 2009-built suezmaxes and one 2006-built LR2, which should deliver a gain of about $30.5m in the first quarter. Earlier this month S&P sources listed four Bohai-built 159,000…

  • CORE POWER launches civil nuclear program focused on floating power plants

    CORE POWER launches civil nuclear program focused on floating power plants Shipping nuclear propulsion start-up CORE POWER has announced that it will develop a US-anchored maritime civil nuclear program that will bring floating nuclear power to the market by the mid-2030s. The program, named Liberty, will encompass modular construction of advanced fission technology and create…

  • Spire Global sues Kpler

    Spire Global sues Kpler Spire Global is suing Kpler, claiming the Belgian tech firm has failed to follow through on its plans to buy Spire Maritime, an AIS data provider.  On November 13 last year, Spire Global entered into a share purchase agreement with Kpler to sell its maritime business. Since then, however, Kpler has…

  • Countries registering 70% of global tonnage support a carbon levy

    Countries registering 70% of global tonnage support a carbon levy Two new reports led by UCL Energy Institute and Oceans Research Group show what’s at stake at the upcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings and in the crucial period in the run-up to the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting set for April. The IMO is…

  • ‘We are not a shelter for sanction evasion’: Panama flag

    ‘We are not a shelter for sanction evasion’: Panama flag Facing pressure from Washington, the Panama Maritime Authority, which looks after the world’s second largest ship registry, has defended its position, insisting it is deflagging many sanctioned vessels.  US officials have accused Panama of not taking action to help enforce sanctions on vessels and shipowners…

  • Steel and aluminium up next in Trump’s tariff campaign

    Steel and aluminium up next in Trump’s tariff campaign China’s retaliatory tariffs on some American goods came into effect on Monday, while Donald Trump, the American president, vowed yesterday to impose a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, with a full announcement to come today. “Any steel coming into the…

  • Trump administration ups sanctions against Iranian shipping

    Trump administration ups sanctions against Iranian shipping Donald Trump has wasted little time in carrying out his vow to up pressure against Iran with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) yesterday slapping sanctions on more than a dozen people and firms that are accused of facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian…

  • Federal Maritime Commission okays Premier Alliance agreement

    Federal Maritime Commission okays Premier Alliance agreement The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in the US has given its blessing to the formation of the Asian liner grouping, the Premier Alliance. Alliance partners HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Yang Ming were left stunned when in early November the FMC demanded more information about the new…

  • Helix secures Hornsea 3 contract

    Helix secures Hornsea 3 contract Helix Energy’s marine contracting business unit, Helix Robotics Solutions has been hired by Seaway7 the renewables unit of Oslo-listed Subsea7 for the burial of inter-array cables at Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK. The project scope, which will be managed from Helix’s offices in Aberdeen, includes the…

  • Beijing retaliates as Trump’s China tariffs kick in

    Beijing retaliates as Trump’s China tariffs kick in Donald Trump’s fast-moving tariff tiffs with key trading partners continue to keep shipping executives on edge around the world.  Similar to the threats he made to Colombia a week prior, the American president yesterday put planned tariffs against Mexico and Canada on hold for 30 days, saying…

  • Shipping set to be reshaped by Trump tariffs

    Shipping set to be reshaped by Trump tariffs Global seaborne trade flows are set for choppy conditions in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision on Saturday to levy  25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on goods from China starting tomorrow. For energy imports from Mexico and Canada, the tariff level has…