Since the Iranian Revolution and overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979, the Strait of Hormuz has been a geographic constant as a choke point for which closure has been threatened from time to time but never truly closed. The longstanding assumption of the continued openness of the strait collapsed on February 28, 2026.
"So far this year, ship transits via the Panama Canal have increased 8% y/y to a daily average of 38, driven by the tanker sector. Transits have been especially high during the past five weeks, rising 16% y/y, as US energy exports to the Pacific jumped,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.
Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison said on Friday it has escalated its legal fight in Panama after the government seized its port operations, petitioning for a review of the decree behind the takeover.The company said Panama unlawfully occupied facilities, seized property and ignored consultations, prompting further national and international legal action.
At least three tankers were damaged off the Gulf coast and one seafarer was killed as Iranian retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran exposed ships to collateral damage, shipping sources and officials said on Sunday.Risks to commercial shipping have surged in the past 24 hours
The diplomatic route in Iran is now exhausted, as last night the United States and Israel attacked Iran, sharply escalating security risks for commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters, prompting immediate operational and insurance repercussions across the global maritime sector.
Major carrier CMA CGM has announced its INDAMEX service will transit Suez Canal on fronthaul and backhaul voyages between India/Pakistan and US East Coast in a notable step towards a largescale return of container ships to the Red Sea region.The first vessel to complete a full service loop via Suez Canal will be CMA CGM Verdi, sailing from Karachi to New York on 15 January.
A sanctioned liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker made a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer off the coast of Malaysia after picking up a cargo from a Russian export terminal also under Western restrictions, according to two analytics firms.The operation appears to be the first known STS transfer of sanctioned Russian LNG, despite Western efforts to curb Moscow's energy revenues over its war in Ukraine.
Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, has announced that strategic direction has been given to the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator as a next step toward realizing Canada’s first-ever offshore wind project.Fraser made the announcement on behalf of Tim Hodgson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
The Australian Government is accelerating the delivery of a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet with the selection of the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate as the preferred platform for the Royal Australian Navy’s future fleet of general purpose frigates.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Mogami-class frigate was assessed as best able to quickly meet the capability requirements and
CK Hutchison's plan to sell most of its $22.8 billion ports business is unlikely to be finalised anytime soon, with political brinkmanship set to continue, and sources saying that a Sunday deadline for exclusive talks was likely to be extended.The Hong Kong conglomerate's plan to sell the business, which would include two ports along the strategically important Panama Canal
“We forecast that bulker deliveries will gradually increase this year and in 2026, reaching 41.2m Deadweight Tonnes (DWT) and a six-year high. Bulker newbuilding contracting was strong in 2023 and 2024, and several of the ships ordered during this period are expected to be delivered during this and next year,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Of the 59.
CAPE Holland, a global leader in offshore industry foundation installation equipment and a company within the Venterra Group, announced that it has secured a contract with CDWE for the Fengmiao Offshore Wind Farm project in Taiwan. Under this agreement, CAPE Holland will supply its CAPE VLT-640 Tandem Vibro Lifting Tool for the pre-installation of foundation (FOU) piles and offshore substation