The U.S. government has filed for court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked to the Venezuelan oil trade, four sources familiar with the matter said, as Washington consolidates control of oil shipments in and out of the South American country.The U.S. military and Coast Guard have seized five vessels in recent weeks in international waters that were either carrying Venezuelan oil or have
Ukraine's navy accused Russia of deliberately attacking a civilian Turkish vessel carrying sunflower oil to Egypt with a drone on Saturday, a day after Moscow hit two Ukrainian ports.In a statement on Telegram, the navy said the vessel was called the Viva and had 11 Turkish citizens on board. It added that nobody was hurt and the vessel was continuing its journey to Egypt.
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.
Britain targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and 44 shadow fleet tankers on Wednesday in what it described as a new bid to tighten energy sanctions and choke off Kremlin revenues.Lukoil and Rosneft were designated under Britain's Russia sanctions laws for what London described as their role in supporting the Russian government.
Terminal operators in a major oil port in east China's Shandong province are set to introduce measures to ban shadow fleet vessels and curb visits by other old tankers, according to an official notice seen by Reuters and a tanker tracker.The measures, to take effect from November 1, would ban vessels using fake IMO numbers and ships of 31 years or older
Dating back to the year 1786, Thomas Jefferson wrote to a member of the Continental Congress on the importance of free press keeping government in check. He was quoted as saying if he had a choice between “a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to choose the latter.
Global insurer Allianz Commercial recently issued its 2025 Safety & Shipping Review, examining maritime risk trends and losses. The report revealed that the shipping industry has made significant improvements when it comes to maritime safety in recent years. During the 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year.
By May this year, 158 cases of vessel abandonment had been recorded, up from 119 at the same point in 2024.These cases represent more than 1,501 seafarers who have reached out to the ITF for assistance, many of whom were left unpaid, without food, water or access to ports, often for months at a time.“Abandonment is a growing, systemic problem,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary.
The global maritime sector is entering an era of heightened geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty that threatens to offset long-term safety gains, according to Allianz Commercial’s 2025 Safety and Shipping Review. While vessel losses have reached a record low, the industry faces a volatile landscape shaped by trade conflict, increased sanctions, shadow fleets
The prospect of a large scale return of container ships to the Red Sea following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Houthi militia in Yemen would flood the market with shipping capacity and cause a global collapse in freight rates, but the situation remains far from certain.
Russia may be forced to reduce its oil production in the coming months as U.S. sanctions restrict access to tankers needed for exports to Asia, while Ukrainian drone attacks continue to damage key refineries.Last month, the U.S. imposed sanctions targeting 180 Russian tankers, coinciding with an escalation in Ukrainian drone strikes aimed at strengthening Kyiv’s bargaining position.
Finland's public transport agency said that an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea was found to have serious deficiencies and will not be allowed to operate until repairs have been made.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.