When Saudi Aramco told its oil buyers in a letter this week that it had no clear idea which port it would use for April exports, it laid bare a new reality: Iran, not the United States, holds the key to reopening the global energy market.The letter, sent to Saudi oil buyers around the world, said they might receive oil from the Red Sea, but they might still get it from the Gulf."I might as well call Iran to find out when this war ends so I can get my oil," one regular Saudi oil buyer said upon receiving the letter as war raged across the Gulf and Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
Sable Offshore on Monday said it had begun pumping oil on a long-disputed pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries after emergency orders from the Trump administration directing the restart.The restart marks a major win for the Houston-based oil company in its years-long battle with California regulators and environmental groups, which have sued to stop the Santa Ynez project. Santa Ynez had been shut since 2015 due to an oil spill from the pipelines that Sable has now restarted.The matter is among the slew of conflicts between U.S.
At the annual meeting of the ABS Southeast Asia Regional Committee, ABS Chairman and CEO John McDonald offered a message to maritime and offshore industry leaders from Singapore and across Southeast Asia.“Rapid technology innovation and autonomous systems are transforming shipping into a highly connected, data-driven industry. ABS is responding by investing in our technology capabilities and expanding the value we can bring across the entire maritime ecosystem," he said.
Cargo volumes continued strong at Port Houston in February, up 4% with 4,380,996 short tons handled across the Port’s eight public terminals. That brings the year-to-date total to 8,927,585 short tons, a 5% increase year-to-date.Container activity remained flat this month, with Port Houston handling 326,799 TEUs in February, bringing year-to-date container volumes to 696,833 TEUs, a 2% increase compared with the same period last year.
The World Submarine Organization (WSO) and Submersible Operators Group (SOG), in partnership with the MTS Submarine Committee and Det Norske Veritas (DNV), have announced the 23rd International Submarine Symposium, scheduled for September 15–18, 2026 at the International Maritime Museum and DNV Headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.This four-day symposium will bring together industry leaders, submarine operators, researchers, regulators, and innovators from around the world to explore advancements in submarine technology, operational best practices, and safety standards.
Windward is publishing daily intelligence reports on the crisis in the Gulf as the situation develops.The highlights of today's report are as follows: Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains extremely limited, with only three outbound crossings recorded on March 15 and no inbound transits.Maritime security risk across the Gulf remains high, with 20 confirmed incidents involving commercial vessels and offshore infrastructure recorded since the start of the Iran war.
Cruise operators face choppy waters as rising oil prices lift fuel costs, with analysts warning Carnival Corp could take the biggest hit to its 2026 profit as it is the only major U.S. cruise line that does not hedge fuel.Oil prices have risen more than 35% since the beginning of the conflict in Iran, as attacks on oil and transport facilities across the Middle East and disruptions to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz raised concerns about global supply.Brent futures crossed $100 per barrel on Friday, compared with $72.48 before the conflict began.
U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies over the weekend to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces continue attacks on the vital waterway amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, now in its third week.Trump said his administration has already contacted seven countries, but declined to identify them. In an earlier social media post, he said that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate.Iran has effectively shut the Strait, a narrow passage of water between Iran and Oman, choking off a fifth of global oil supply in the biggest disruption ever.
Stolt-Nielsen Limited and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha announced that, through Stolt-Nielsen’s subsidiary Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd., Stolt-Nielsen has entered into a share purchase agreement to sell 50% of Avenir LNG Limited to NYK Line. Avenir LNG was founded in 2017 and has grown into a leading player in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering sector, operating a global fleet of LNG bunker vessels.With this partnership, Stolt-Nielsen and NYK Line will expand their future small-scale LNG and LNG bunkering opportunities through the joint venture
ClassNK confirmed the validity of the performance analysis evaluation for the automated kite system ‘Seawing’, which is being developed by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and its French subsidiary OCEANICWING S.A.S., and issued a Statement of Fact (SOF). In response to environmental regulations and as a solution for reducing fuel costs, the implementation and installation planning of wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS), including kite systems, have been progressing.
Germany’s maritime sector is poised for significant growth, but industry leaders warn that clearer political priorities and stronger policy support are needed to fully capitalize on the opportunity.That was the message delivered jointly by the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industries Association (VSM) and IG Metall Küste during a press conference in Hamburg on March 16, where both groups called for a decisive national action plan to support shipbuilding and marine technology.
The American Pilots’ Association (APA) is concerned that the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse is negatively impacting the ability of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to carry out critical navigation safety and mariner credentialing services. “APA and our member pilot associations value the important navigation safety and credentialing services the USCG provides.” said APA President Captain Jorge Viso. “This shutdown impacts these services and unnecessarily puts navigation safety and the maritime supply chain at risk.