krogragg

Category: Regulatory

  • Speak up for our sector

    Speak up for our sector Maritime leaders must use a single voice to challenge roadblocks and spotlight opportunities in an operating landscape that is fraught with turmoil, writes Intent Communications CEO Namrata Nadkarni. The maritime industry is no stranger to volatility, but the start of 2026 has brought a convergence of crises that would test…

  • GMS pushes EU to recognise India’s ship recycling capacity

    GMS pushes EU to recognise India’s ship recycling capacity GMS, the world’s largest cash buyer of ships for recycling, has called on the European Commission to approve qualified Indian ship recycling yards for inclusion on the European List under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR). Over 110 Indian yards already hold Hong Kong Convention…

  • Splash Wrap: The world of shipping condensed

    Splash Wrap: The world of shipping condensed Tariffs are back at the top of the shipping news agenda once again, creating confusion just as the transpacific contracting season gets underway.  Last Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled that president Donald Trump violated federal law by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to unilaterally…

  • Waiting for the next cycle could sink your shipping strategy

    Waiting for the next cycle could sink your shipping strategy As geopolitics reshapes trade routes and volatility becomes structural rather than cyclical, shipping’s traditional reliance on market recoveries is no longer enough. Eman Abdalla, managing partner of SeaThrew Marine, a maritime investment and advisory platform, argues that discipline, flexibility and risk positioning – not scale…

  • UK hits shadow fleet and LNG trades in fresh Russia sanctions push

    UK hits shadow fleet and LNG trades in fresh Russia sanctions push The UK has rolled out its largest sanctions package against Russia since the early months of the war in Ukraine, with oil tankers and LNG shipping among the main targets as London looks to squeeze Moscow’s energy revenues. Nearly 300 entities have been…

  • Trump tariff turmoil clouds transpacific contracting season

    Trump tariff turmoil clouds transpacific contracting season Tariffs are back at the top of the shipping news agenda once again, creating confusion just as the transpacific contracting season gets underway.  On Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled that president Donald Trump violated federal law by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to unilaterally…

  • Splash Wrap: ZIM sale tops the agenda

    Splash Wrap: ZIM sale tops the agenda A planned $4.2bn sale of ZIM to Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd sparked protests and a strike in Israel this week. Under the structure outlined, Hapag-Lloyd will acquire ZIM and then carve out its Israeli operations into a separate entity to be controlled by FIMI. The new company, to be known…

  • Denmark detains sanctioned boxship

    Denmark detains sanctioned boxship Denmark’s maritime authority on Thursday detained an Iran-flagged container vessel anchored in Danish waters after determining it was not properly registered. LSEG data identify the ship as Nora, which was initially sailing under a Comoros flag. The Danish authority said Comoros had informed it the vessel was not found in the…

  • IMO counts 529 vessels flying false flags

    IMO counts 529 vessels flying false flags The International Maritime Organization (IMO) secretariat has counted 529 vessels flying false flags, a sprawling fraud problem that will headline the agenda at next month’s legal sub-committee meeting and exposes systemic weaknesses in global ship registration. In a note circulated ahead of LEG 113, the secretariat said the…

  • New Zealand unleashes its largest sanctions package aimed at Russian-linked shipping

    New Zealand unleashes its largest sanctions package aimed at Russian-linked shipping New Zealand on Friday unveiled its largest sanctions package to date, targeting Russia-linked shipping, expanding measures to include 23 individuals, 13 entities and 100 vessels, and lowering the oil price cap for Russian-origin crude to $44.10 per barrel. The announcement comes as the European…

  • UK shipping warns ETS extension risks backfiring

    UK shipping warns ETS extension risks backfiring The UK shipping industry has stepped up its criticism of government plans to extend the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) to domestic maritime from July 1, 2026, warning that the policy could raise costs, hit island communities and undermine competitiveness without delivering meaningful emissions cuts. The Draft…

  • Dark fleet expansion looms as EU seeks to cut maritime lifelines for Russian oil

    Dark fleet expansion looms as EU seeks to cut maritime lifelines for Russian oil Russia’s shadow tanker fleet faces greater pressure, although it is forecast to rise in numbers, if the European Commission’s proposed a 20th sanctions package gets voted through later this month.  Europe plans to scrap the crude oil price cap and replace…

  • Malaysia briefly detains two tankers off Penang

    Malaysia briefly detains two tankers off Penang Two tankers were briefly detained off Penang last week after Malaysian authorities intercepted what they say was an illegal ship‑to‑ship (STS) transfer of crude in waters long notorious as a hotspot for shadow fleet activity. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said a patrol vessel found two tankers…

  • Trump taps Laura DiBella to lead US shipping watchdog

    Trump taps Laura DiBella to lead US shipping watchdog President Donald Trump has named Laura DiBella as the new chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, filling a leadership gap at the US maritime regulator as it takes on a more assertive role in global shipping oversight. DiBella, a former Florida secretary of commerce, was designated…

  • Panama court torpedoes CK Hutchison terminals deal

    Panama court torpedoes CK Hutchison terminals deal Panama’s Supreme Court has thrown CK Hutchison’s flagship Panama Ports Company (PPC) concession into limbo, ruling the Hong Kong group’s contract to operate terminals at either end of the Panama Canal unconstitutional. In a brief statement late Thursday, the court struck down the 25‑year extension granted to PPC…

  • US sanctions another nine vessels linked to Iran

    US sanctions another nine vessels linked to Iran Friday saw the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) slap sanctions on nine more shadow fleet vessels and their respective owners or management firms over their ties to Iran. “The Iranian regime is engaged in a ritual of economic self-immolation—a process that…

  • French navy boards false-flagged Russian aframax

    French navy boards false-flagged Russian aframax French naval forces boarded and diverted the aframax tanker Grinch in the western Mediterranean yesterday after president Emmanuel Macron ordered an interception of what he described as a “false‑flagged” sanctioned vessel carrying Russian crude. In a post on X, Macron stated the operation was conducted on the high seas…

  • Nearly 300 tankers flying false flags

    Nearly 300 tankers flying false flags Nearly 300 tankers are flying false flags according to data from Israeli maritime analysts firm Windward despite an increasing crackdown on the practice in recent weeks.  As 2025 drew to a close, approximately 285 internationally trading tankers were broadcasting via AIS under the flag of a fraudulent or unknown…

  • Greenland control and tariffs threaten to destabilise transatlantic shipping

    Greenland control and tariffs threaten to destabilise transatlantic shipping Donald Trump has reiterated his vow to “100%” place tariffs on European countries that oppose his demand to take control of Greenland, with liners on the north Atlantic trades already coming under pressure. Westbound rates on the transatlantic container tradesfrom Europe to the US are already…

  • Splash Wrap: US incursion into Venezuela dominates coverage

    Splash Wrap: US incursion into Venezuela dominates coverage The tanker market grappled with fresh uncertainty all week after the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic US military operation over the weekend, an event that has effectively frozen the country’s oil exports and reinforced Washington’s hardline approach to maritime enforcement. The Trump administration…

  • NYK and MOL agree $72m payout in UK car carrier cartel case

    NYK and MOL agree $72m payout in UK car carrier cartel case Two of Japan’s biggest shipping lines — Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) — have agreed to pay £54m ($72.25m) to settle the long-running UK collective action over the car carrier cartel, drawing a line under a saga that stretches…

  • US identifies dozens of tankers for possible seizure

    US identifies dozens of tankers for possible seizure Washington is gearing up for a wave of tanker seizures off Venezuela as the Trump administration revives and escalates sanctions enforcement against the country’s oil trade. A day after announcing the dramatic capture of a stateless VLCC (pictured) carrying sanctioned Venezuelan crude, the US treasury on Thursday…

  • BIMCO rolls out new FuelEU and ETS clauses for ship sale deals

    BIMCO rolls out new FuelEU and ETS clauses for ship sale deals BIMCO has taken another step in helping owners and buyers navigate Europe’s tightening climate regulations by adopting new FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS clauses for inclusion in sale-and-purchase memoranda of agreement (MoAs). The world’s largest shipping association said the clauses are designed to…

  • FSB clearance and underwater checks slow Russian port calls

    FSB clearance and underwater checks slow Russian port calls To add to the complications brought about by Ukraine’s renewed maritime attack campaign in and around the Black Sea, shipowners and charterers planning to call at Russian ports should brace for delays and heavy regulatory friction after Moscow introduced sweeping new entry rules for foreign vessels,…

  • Taiwan tightens noose on high-risk tonnage

    Taiwan tightens noose on high-risk tonnage Taiwan is amending its Law of Ships regulations with a view to fining ship operators up to NT$10m ($318,000) for vessels failing to maintain accurate identification.  Ships entering Taiwanese waters must keep their automatic identification system (AIS) on and transmit correct data, or face a fine.  Similarly, all vessels…

  • Russia mounts comeback bid for IMO’s top table

    Russia mounts comeback bid for IMO’s top table Russia will find out today whether it has secured a return to shipping’s regulatory inner circle — or whether the political freeze is set to continue. Russia is attempting to claw its way back into the International Maritime Organization’s top decision-making body, setting up one of the…

  • Hong Kong flag slumps 12.6% as Singapore surges ahead amid trade turmoil

    Hong Kong flag slumps 12.6% as Singapore surges ahead amid trade turmoil The latest World Fleet Monitor published by Clarksons Research confirms a switch in the leaderboard of shipping registers, with Donald Trump’s trade war with China seeing Singapore leapfrog Hong Kong into fourth spot.  After a very tough year, having been caught in the…

  • Splash Wrap: Deals, diplomacy and disruption

    Splash Wrap: Deals, diplomacy and disruption Donald Trump’s tour of Asia provided the biggest shipping news of the week. His meet-up with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, yesterday saw the tit-for-tat port fees shelved for a year, and panamaxes surging as China committed to resume buying large amounts of American grain. Trump’s earlier meetings this…

  • Tanker rates poised to close 2025 with best year in a decade

    Tanker rates poised to close 2025 with best year in a decade The year 2025 is shaping up to be the best year for tankers in a decade, according to analysis carried in the October issue of Splash Extra, now available to read for free.  Year-to-date average VLCC earnings of $44,279 are the best since…

  • Top shipping organisations reaffirm support for IMO as global regulator

    Top shipping organisations reaffirm support for IMO as global regulator In light of this month’s surprise move by member states to put the Net-Zero Framework (NZF) on ice, the world’s leading shipping organisations have reaffirmed their support to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the global regulator for international shipping.  The Tripartite Forum of shipbuilders,…

  • Port fees: from temporary problem to structural risk to trade?

    Port fees: from temporary problem to structural risk to trade? Sagitta Marine managing director Thomas Zaidman on what happens if fair and unimpeded port access becomes a tool of trade policy. After decades lying in the long grass, geopolitical forces have re-emerged as a key operational risk. This is not to say that politicians especially…

  • Why realism, not rhetoric, will drive shipping’s path to net zero

    Why realism, not rhetoric, will drive shipping’s path to net zero Philippos Ioulianou, managing director of EmissionLink, writes for Splash today. The decision by the International Maritime Organization to delay the Net-Zero Framework by a year has exposed deep divisions. What should have been a coordinated global effort toward decarbonisation has resulted in paralysis at…

  • Maritime faces mainstream media reckoning

    Maritime faces mainstream media reckoning Ben Pinnington, founder of Polaris Media, writes for Splash today. His new book, Making Waves: PR strategies to transform your maritime business, will be published by Rethink Press on Amazon on November 4. The sound of screeching breaks can be heard around the world. There can be little doubt the…

  • China and India step back from Russian oil under US pressure

    China and India step back from Russian oil under US pressure The oil markets are in flux today as tanker trades retrench and Russia’s two largest buyers of oil pause buying the fuel that has helped fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine for the past three and a half years.  News has emerged in the past…

  • Flag-hopping hits extreme levels

    Flag-hopping hits extreme levels The monthly publication of Clarksons Research’s World Fleet Monitor increasingly shows data that reflects the extraordinary geopolitical challenges and machinations that shipping has to navigate in 2025. With flag-hopping becoming standard operating procedure for the shadow – or parallel – fleet, monthly changes in registry numbers have never been so extreme…

  • Trump’s Russian oil sanctions set to redraw global tanker trading map

    Trump’s Russian oil sanctions set to redraw global tanker trading map US president Donald Trump has imposed sweeping new sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, in what he described as “tremendous sanctions” aimed at forcing Moscow to the negotiating table over its war in Ukraine. The sanctions have the potential to…

  • Rising US deportations of Filipino crew spark diplomatic intervention

    Rising US deportations of Filipino crew spark diplomatic intervention The Philippines has demanded an explanation from Washington after a rising number of Filipino seafarers were reportedly denied entry to the United States and deported in recent months. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, said it had sought clarification from…

  • IMO fails to agree Net-Zero Framework, pushes talks to 2026

    IMO fails to agree Net-Zero Framework, pushes talks to 2026 Negotiations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have broken down without agreement on the Net-Zero Framework, leaving the shipping industry facing another year of uncertainty over how its decarbonisation will be regulated. Delegates at the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s extraordinary session in London voted to…

  • Too close to call: IMO’s make-or-break vote to define shipping’s decarbonisation path

    Too close to call: IMO’s make-or-break vote to define shipping’s decarbonisation path The global shipping industry will find out today its green future with one of the most contentious Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meetings drawing to a close this evening at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the vote on…

  • Pacific Basin shifting half of bulker fleet to Singapore to limit US port fee exposure

    Pacific Basin shifting half of bulker fleet to Singapore to limit US port fee exposure Hong Kong-listed Pacific Basin Shipping is moving half of its bulker fleet to Singapore and reflagging vessels under its Singapore entity to reduce exposure to new US port fees introduced under the USTR Section 301 scheme. The move comes after…

  • Lloyd’s Register issues first roadmap for nuclear-powered shipping

    Lloyd’s Register issues first roadmap for nuclear-powered shipping British class society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has published new guidance on the use of nuclear energy in commercial shipping, offering what it calls the first comprehensive roadmap for the safe and responsible integration of nuclear power into the maritime sector. The document, Navigating Nuclear Energy in Maritime,…

  • Panamax boxship hit with $1.7m Shanghai fee as China’s new port levies bite

    Panamax boxship hit with $1.7m Shanghai fee as China’s new port levies bite $1.7m. That’s the fee – or RMB12.1m – that the German owners of the US-flagged Matson Waikiki are being forced to pay to allow the vessel to dock in Shanghai, a sizeable sum, and an indication of the chaos, and costs, that…

  • IMO’s green dream meets America’s red line

    IMO’s green dream meets America’s red line While the majority of opening statements at yesterday’s opening of the latest Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) were broadly in favour of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Net-Zero Framework (NZF), the US delegation stood out once again for its outspoken opposition to the proposed green legislation. The American…

  • Trump administration threatens sanctions over IMO climate vote

    Trump administration threatens sanctions over IMO climate vote The Trump administration’s weaponisation of trade and shipping reached a new level on Friday, with Washington threatening to sanction nations that vote in favour of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) upcoming Net Zero Framework (NZF) — a global plan to cut shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions. In a…

  • Carbon costs hit shipping balance sheets as $50bn era looms

    Carbon costs hit shipping balance sheets as $50bn era looms Carbon pricing in shipping is no longer an abstract regulatory concept — it’s a growing commercial cost that is reshaping balance sheets across the maritime value chain. In 2025, emissions trading under the EU ETS alone is expected to add more than $6bn in costs…

  • US hits Iranian energy export network and Chinese import hub in sweeping sanctions move

    US hits Iranian energy export network and Chinese import hub in sweeping sanctions move The US has imposed sweeping sanctions on a vast network tied to Iran’s oil and gas exports, blacklisting more than 50 individuals and entities and identifying more than 30 vessels linked to shipments of sanctioned crude and LPG — including one…

  • Sanctions list swells, momentum fades

    Sanctions list swells, momentum fades Over the past five years, the number of sanctioned vessels has expanded steadily, rising from around 350 in September 2020 to roughly 1,700 by September 2025, according to analysis from maritime analytics firm Kpler. The overlap between various administrations sanctioning ships is also finally starting to grow with greater coordination…

  • Industry splits ahead of historic IMO vote on Net Zero Framework

    Industry splits ahead of historic IMO vote on Net Zero Framework As the IMO prepares to decide shipping’s most consequential climate measure in decades, a rare show of unity from leading shipowner associations faces opposition from the likes of John Fredriksen, Greek giants, leading class societies and Washington. With days to go before the International…

  • MOL’s 98% methane slip cut hands LNG a lifeline ahead of key IMO showdown

    MOL’s 98% methane slip cut hands LNG a lifeline ahead of key IMO showdown Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has achieved a 98% reduction in methane slip during sea trials — a leap that could reshape the emissions profile of LNG-fuelled tonnage ahead of next week’s Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting at the International Maritime…

  • USTR fees could impact 35% of key sectors’ ships: BIMCO

    USTR fees could impact 35% of key sectors’ ships: BIMCO When fees from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) targeting Chinese dominance of the maritime sector come into effect next week on October 14, 35% of ships in the combined bulk, crude tanker, product tanker and container fleet could be subject to…

  • US unveils payment rules for new China vessel fees

    US unveils payment rules for new China vessel fees US Customs provided over the weekend more details about the upcoming hiked port fees for Chinese-linked tonnage, due to come into effect next week. The notice makes clear: the burden for determining liability lies squarely with the vessel operator, not US Customs. Vessels failing to show…

  • Finnish court drops Baltic subsea cable case against Eagle S crew

    Finnish court drops Baltic subsea cable case against Eagle S crew A Finnish district court has dismissed charges against the captain and two officers of the Eagle S tanker, ruling that Finland has no jurisdiction to prosecute over the damage of critical subsea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea last year. The case, seen as a…

  • The great LNG scam: the IMO’s climate credibility is on the line

    The great LNG scam: the IMO’s climate credibility is on the line Elissama Menezes and Andrew Dumbrille, directors of Equal Routes, write for Splash ahead of this month’s crunch green vote at the International Maritime Organization. In the face of the upcoming International Maritime Organization. (IMO) Net-Zero Framework vote next month, we’re seeing a lot…

  • Comoros takes action on dark fleet

    Comoros takes action on dark fleet Israeli maritime analytics firm Windward is reporting that the government of Comoros has begun a clean-out of its international registry, a flag which has been central to sanctions-circumventing dark fleet tankers shipping Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil. There are now 62 tankers, three liquefied petroleum gas carriers and one…

  • Splash Wrap: Net zero dogfight erupts in London

    Splash Wrap: Net zero dogfight erupts in London The hundreds of events across the British capital that made up London International Shipping Week have served as a sounding board over the past few days for backers and opponents of the International Maritime Organization’s Net Zero Framework, due for a vote next month. The debate dominated…

  • Fredriksen and Greece’s top shipowners spearhead revolt against IMO’s Net Zero Framework

    Fredriksen and Greece’s top shipowners spearhead revolt against IMO’s Net Zero Framework Some of the biggest names in world shipping are rallying against the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) flagship Net-Zero Framework (NZF), just weeks before it comes up for adoption in October. John Fredriksen’s Frontline, George Economou’s TMS Group, Evangelos Marinakis’s Capital Maritime & Trading,…

  • COSCO pledges stable transpac coverage as US fee regime nears

    COSCO pledges stable transpac coverage as US fee regime nears With less than four weeks until the US hikes port fees for China-linked tonnage, COSCO, the world’s fourth largest containerline, has moved to reassure clients it will maintain a stable coverage on the transpacific.  COSCO conceded in a note to clients that the new fees…

  • Shipping off track on 2030 fuel goals

    Shipping off track on 2030 fuel goals The shipping sector is still off track to meet its climate target of having at least 5-10% of the fuel used in international shipping come from scalable zero-emission sources by 2030, according to a new progress report. The fourth annual report of its kind, Progress towards shipping’s 2030…

  • Shipping launches first training playbook for handling ammonia, methanol and hydrogen

    Shipping launches first training playbook for handling ammonia, methanol and hydrogen The Maritime Just Transition Task Force (MJTTF) has released industry-first training frameworks designed to facilitate the development of training programmes for seafarers for working on ships powered by ammonia, methanol and hydrogen. The MJTTF was formed at COP26 four years ago by the International…

  • ABS boss urges ‘timeout’ on IMO climate push

    ABS boss urges ‘timeout’ on IMO climate push With 28 days to go until the vital extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) convenes at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the battle lines have been drawn sharply.  In a surprise intervention, Christopher Wiernicki, the departing chairman and CEO of…

  • Mexico pushes 50% tariff on China-built cars

    Mexico pushes 50% tariff on China-built cars Mexico is preparing to more than double tariffs on cars from China and several other Asian countries, with duties rising from 20% to 50% under a proposal sent to Congress by President Claudia Sheinbaum. The draft bill, expected to pass given the government’s majority, would take effect 30…

  • US unleashes its largest sanctions package aimed at the Houthis

    US unleashes its largest sanctions package aimed at the Houthis Yesterday, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) unveiled its largest sanctions to date against the Houthis, designating 32 individuals and entities, including a Dubai shipmanager as well as four vessels – two MRs and two handy tankers “The Houthis…

  • CMA CGM rules out surcharge ahead of US fees on Chinese tonnage

    CMA CGM rules out surcharge ahead of US fees on Chinese tonnage France’s CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest containerline, has told clients it is fully prepared for next month’s hiked port fees in the US for Chinese-linked tonnage, and that it does not envisage implementing surcharges because of the new ruling.  In April, the US…

  • More than one in 10 shipments flagged for deficiencies in new cargo safety report

    More than one in 10 shipments flagged for deficiencies in new cargo safety report Despite misdeclared cargoes making more and more headlines, leading to deaths and vessel losses, new data published today shows more than one in 10 shipments have deficiencies, an alarming upward trend.  The World Shipping Council (WSC), liner shipping’s lobby group, has…

  • HSBC warns COSCO and OOCL face $2.1bn hit from looming US port fees

    HSBC warns COSCO and OOCL face $2.1bn hit from looming US port fees The looming US port fee regime aimed squarely at Chinese-linked tonnage could saddle COSCO and its Hong Kong-listed subsidiary OOCL with a combined bill of more than $2.1bn in 2026, according to fresh calculations from HSBC. The US Trade Representative (USTR) is…

  • Danish shipping group USTC pushes back against press attacks

    Danish shipping group USTC pushes back against press attacks United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC), the Danish shipping and logistics group owned by the Østergaard-Nielsen family, has filed a complaint with the Danish Press Council against the daily tabloid Ekstra Bladet, accusing it of breaching press ethics in its reporting on founder Torben Østergaard-Nielsen. The…

  • OOCL admits upcoming US port fees will have ‘relatively large impact’

    OOCL admits upcoming US port fees will have ‘relatively large impact’ Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (OOIL), the listed entity of Hong Kong container line OOCL, has conceded that October’s likely introduction of extra port fees for Chinese-linked tonnage could be painful. OOCL, owned by China’s COSCO, posted its interims yesterday in which it noted in…

  • FuelEU surplus market gets first index

    FuelEU surplus market gets first index Digital compliance platform BetterSea has launched the first FuelEU Index, offering a benchmark for pricing and trading dynamics in the emerging FuelEU Maritime surplus market. The index is built on executed trades and active listings on the BetterSea platform, which has recorded over 41,700 tonnes of CO equivalent (t…

  • Splash Wrap: Red, white, and fume

    Splash Wrap: Red, white, and fume The United States’ formal rejection of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) proposed net-zero framework for the shipping industry led coverage at Splash this week.  This framework, which includes carbon levies and fuel standards, aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 2050. The US administration views this…

  • X-Press Feeders fires back in $1bn Sri Lankan court fight

    X-Press Feeders fires back in $1bn Sri Lankan court fight Singapore’s X-Press Feeders has hit back at the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s order to pay $1bn within a year over the 2021 X-Press Pearl casualty, warning the decision tramples on due process, scapegoats its crew, and poses a dangerous precedent for global shipping. The feeder…

  • Shipping navigates net-zero waters without US support

    Shipping navigates net-zero waters without US support The US decision to go public on its offensive against the International Maritime Organization’s proposed net-zero framework has created considerable debate within the shipping community.  Various ministers within the Donald Trump administration issued a joint statement this week branding the plan a “global carbon tax on Americans” and…

  • US rejects IMO net-zero framework

    US rejects IMO net-zero framework The United States has formally rejected the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) proposed carbon levy, branding it a “global carbon tax on Americans” and vowing to rally opposition ahead of a key vote in October. In a joint statement, secretary of state Marco Rubio, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, energy secretary Chris…

  • Panama cracks down on STS transfers in bid to clean up fleet

    Panama cracks down on STS transfers in bid to clean up fleet The Panama Ship Registry has become the first flag in the world to implement stricter controls and mandatory traceability for offshore ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of hydrocarbons. Non-compliance—depending on its severity—may lead to the cancellation of a vessel’s Panamanian registration. The regulation requires all…

  • Gujarat court arrests shadow aframax bound for the breakers

    Gujarat court arrests shadow aframax bound for the breakers A shadow aframax tanker sold for scrap earlier this year has been arrested in India following a failed transaction and claims by the buyer that the vessel was sanctioned and misrepresented at the time of sale. The Gujarat High Court has ordered the arrest of the…

  • Shadow tanker fleet still growing by 30 ships a month despite increased sanctions

    Shadow tanker fleet still growing by 30 ships a month despite increased sanctions Despite a torrent of sanctions from the US, UK, and EU this year, the shadow tanker fleet continues to expand at pace, according to new figures from broker BRS. The so-called grey fleet (see BRS methodology for assessing what constitutes a grey…

  • Panama will not register tankers and bulk carriers older than 15 years

    Panama will not register tankers and bulk carriers older than 15 years In its most firm action to date to counter dark fleet registrations, the Panamanian Ship Registry, the world’s second-largest flag, will no longer accept tankers or bulk carriers aged more than 15 years old.  “By prioritizing quality over quantity and implementing more rigorous…

  • SeaLead drops 16 boxships after US sanctions target Iranian-linked fleet

    SeaLead drops 16 boxships after US sanctions target Iranian-linked fleet Singapore-based container carrier SeaLead has been forced into a dramatic fleet reshuffle after terminating the charters of 16 container vessels in response to fresh US sanctions. The move comes just days after the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) unveiled new measures targeting…

  • US Treasury unleashes largest Iran shipping sanctions since 2018

    US Treasury unleashes largest Iran shipping sanctions since 2018 In its most expansive sanctions package against Iran in nearly seven years, the US Treasury has imposed sweeping measures on over 100 individuals, companies, and vessels linked to Iranian maritime and sanctions-evasion network. The action, unveiled Wednesday, is aimed at dismantling what the US calls a…

  • Sri Lanka’s top court orders $1bn payout over X-Press Pearl disaster

    Sri Lanka’s top court orders $1bn payout over X-Press Pearl disaster Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ordered the owners and operators of the X-Press Pearl container vessel to pay $1bn in compensation for the devastating environmental and economic damage caused when the ship caught fire and sank off Colombo in 2021. Described by the court…

  • Russia temporarily halts Black Sea oil loadings amid sweeping port security crackdown

    Russia temporarily halts Black Sea oil loadings amid sweeping port security crackdown Reuters reported yesterday that Russia has imposed a sudden halt on foreign oil tanker loadings at its key Black Sea export hubs, citing a new port security decree that requires Federal Security Service (FSB) clearance for all foreign vessels — a move poised…

  • BIMCO issues clause to tackle US fees on China-linked ships

    BIMCO issues clause to tackle US fees on China-linked ships The Documentary Committee of the world’s largest shipping association, BIMCO, has adopted a standard clause aimed at addressing contractual uncertainties that may arise from the US Trade Representative’s notice of actions to impose fees on Chinese-related ships calling US ports. A BIMCO subcommittee comprising legal…

  • Putin orders FSB to vet all foreign ships entering Russian ports

    Putin orders FSB to vet all foreign ships entering Russian ports Russia has tightened access to its seaports, with president Vladimir Putin signing a decree on Monday mandating that all vessels arriving from foreign ports must now obtain prior approval from the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The executive order, which takes effect immediately, marks…

  • India bans use of fraudulent foreign certificates of competency in seafarer crackdown

    India bans use of fraudulent foreign certificates of competency in seafarer crackdown India’s maritime watchdog has banned its shipowners and licensed recruiters from employing Indian nationals holding certificates of competency (CoCs) from several flag-of-convenience nations, following widespread fraud allegations. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has barred Indian recruitment and placement service licensees (RPSLs) from…

  • EU and UK sanction UAE-based operator of the Gabon and Comoros flags

    EU and UK sanction UAE-based operator of the Gabon and Comoros flags The European Union and the United Kingdom have sanctioned Intershipping Services, a UAE-based company that operates the flag registries of Gabon and Comoros, both of which have played a central role in supporting the opaque tanker network transporting sanctioned Russian crude. The move…

  • Ship registry and 105 vessels among entities listed in EU’s latest Russian sanctions

    Ship registry and 105 vessels among entities listed in EU’s latest Russian sanctions The European Union officially rolled out its 18th sanctions package today, overcoming opposition from Slovakia earlier in the week. The sanctions are aimed squarely at crippling Moscow’s revenue streams and tightening the noose on its shadow fleet of sanctioned tankers  Under the…

  • Splash Wrap: Shipyards and geopolitics

    Splash Wrap: Shipyards and geopolitics Shipbuilding hogged the headlines at Splash this week with images of the White House and its occupant down considerably week-on-week. The East Asian shipbuilding tango – one of the persistent shipping news themes of 2025 – garnered the most column inches. A contraction in Chinese shipbuilding orders has been registered…

  • Trump threatens secondary sanctions in 50-day ultimatum to Putin

    Trump threatens secondary sanctions in 50-day ultimatum to Putin US president Donald Trump on Monday announced a sweeping threat to impose secondary sanctions on nations importing Russian exports — a move that could shake up global energy markets and disrupt tanker trades from the Black Sea to the Indian Ocean. Sitting beside NATO secretary-general Mark…

  • New consortium to explore floating nuclear power in the Mediterranean

    New consortium to explore floating nuclear power in the Mediterranean Shipping nuclear propulsion start-up CORE POWER, ABS, and Athlos Energy have formed a consortium to evaluate the potential of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) to meet the energy demands of islands, ports, and coastal communities in the Mediterranean Sea. The group will research how FNPPs…

  • White House tariff deadline looms large on liner agenda

    White House tariff deadline looms large on liner agenda Donald Trump and tariffs are very much back in shipping news headlines, with one key deal seemingly agreed and plenty of others under negotiation ahead of a deadline next week. The July 9 expiration date for the White House’s pause on April’s reciprocal tariffs on a…

  • Trump’s shipbuilding ambitions face enormous hurdles

    Trump’s shipbuilding ambitions face enormous hurdles President Trump’s ambitious plan to rejuvenate the US shipping and shipbuilding industries is encountering significant challenges, just months after its announcement. Despite bipartisan support for revitalising the maritime sector as a matter of economic and national security, internal policy conflicts and administrative delays are hindering progress. A key setback…

  • Singapore files charges over last year’s fatal tanker collision

    Singapore files charges over last year’s fatal tanker collision The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has filed formal charges stemming from the deadly 2024 collision involving the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the shadow tanker Ceres I, an incident that drew international attention for both its human toll and its implications for shadow fleet…

  • Scrubber discharge ban coming to the northeast Atlantic

    Scrubber discharge ban coming to the northeast Atlantic Discharges from open-loop scrubbers will be banned in internal waters and port areas throughout the northeast Atlantic by July 2027, following a meeting of environment ministers from 15 European countries yesterday. A closed-loop discharge ban has been scheduled for no later than January 2029.  While a majority…

  • Global ship recycling landmark arrives with patchy compliance across South Asia

    Global ship recycling landmark arrives with patchy compliance across South Asia Fully 16 years in the making, the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entered into force today, with the majority of demo yards in Bangladesh and Pakistan – two vital recycling destinations – still not compliant with…

  • 100 days to surrender

    100 days to surrender Philippos Ioulianou, managing director of Emissionlink, on what shipping has learned from the EU ETS. In less than 100 days, shipping companies operating in Europe face a critical test as the deadline for surrendering carbon allowances under EU ETS is September 30. Miss the deadline, and the consequences could be severe,…

  • Australia places sanctions on 60 Russian tankers

    Australia places sanctions on 60 Russian tankers The government of Australia has imposed targeted sanctions on 60 vessels linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet used to circumvent restrictions on oil and gas exports. This move marks the first time Australia has imposed sanctions against the shadow fleet. The vessels within the fleet are operating using…

  • John Denholm to succeed Emanuele Grimaldi at ICS

    John Denholm to succeed Emanuele Grimaldi at ICS The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global lobby group for shipowners, has announced the appointment of John Denholm as its chairman-designate, set to succeed Emanuele Grimaldi. Denholm, a long-standing board member representing the UK and current vice chair of ICS, is also chairman of J&J Denholm,…

  • Green shipping leaders struggle to meet efficiency targets

    Green shipping leaders struggle to meet efficiency targets Just how big a mountain shipping has to climb if it is to keep up with the green goals set by the International Maritime Organization(IMO) has been set in sharp relief with the latest disclosure report from the Sea Cargo Charter, whose members are considered environmental leaders…

  • EU pushes for $45 Russian oil price cap and expands crackdown on shadow fleet

    EU pushes for $45 Russian oil price cap and expands crackdown on shadow fleet The European Union has proposed a fresh round of sanctions against Russia, including those targeting more than 70 ships in the so-called shadow fleet and lowering the price cap on Russian seaborne oil. The latest proposal, unveiled on Tuesday by European…

  • ‘Britain has gone to hell, like Norway’: John Fredriksen

    ‘Britain has gone to hell, like Norway’: John Fredriksen Norway’s richest man, John Fredriksen, has launched a blistering critique of the state of life in both Norway and the UK, confirming he is relocating some of his business to the United Arab Emirates to escape what he sees as a Western world in steep decline.…

  • LR report outlines clear case for shipowners to retrofit

    LR report outlines clear case for shipowners to retrofit Demand for advanced propeller retrofits and energy-saving devices (ESDs) has nearly quadrupled since 2020 to enhance energy efficiency to meet tightening emissions regulations.  Click to enlarge However, according to a new report from British class society Lloyd’s Register (LR), while high-efficiency propellers can deliver fuel savings…