BLAZE FORCES CREW ABANDON CONTAINER SHIP IN RED SEA The crew of Hong Kong-flagged container ship ASL Bauhinia abandoned ship after a cargo fire broke out on the vessel. The 1,930 teu, 2022-built, vessel owned by Asean Seas Line in Shanghai was transiting the southern Red Sea enroute from Jebel Ali to Jeddah when an […]

THREAT ‘REMAINS HIGH’ TO ISRAELI, UK AND US SHIPPING IN RED SEA Warnings to treat Houthi announcements with scepticism as Israel-Hamas ceasefire unfolds. The Houthi have lifted a ‘ban’ on vessels transiting the southern Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden, but the situation remains fraught with risks for international shipping, according to security experts. […]

ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL FOR IMO TOTAL BAN ON SCRUBBERS Scrubbers have become the tool of choice for many shipowners to meet low sulphur regulations, but environmentalists argue they poison the seas. A study on the atmospheric and oceanic effects of scrubber residues and operations has seen environmentalists take their concerns to the IMO in a bid to see […]

THE RISING THREAT OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE: A CALL TO ACTION FOR SEAFARERS For over eight decades, antibiotics have been essential in combating bacterial infections. However, irresponsible usage and a lagging development pipeline have propelled the world to a tipping point. According to The Lancet, drug-resistant infections are rising steeply, with projections of 10 million annual […]

IMO POLLUTION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE (PPR 12) The Twelfth Session of the IMO Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) Sub-Committee was held from January 27 to January 31, 2025, in London, where key issues related to marine pollution prevention were discussed. The Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) Sub-Committee addresses all matters related to pollution prevention and […]

You can take your pick of a wide variety of opinions about what Trump 2.0 will do to the global oil markets, but it’s a safe bet that nearly all those opinions amount to one effect: disruption. The US president has already dropped a heavy hint to Saudi Arabia to produce more crude oil to […]

COMMERCIAL SHIPPING IS BEING WEAPONISED – NORTHSTANDARD Insurer highlights tension between rising sanctions, geopolitical strain, a growing dark fleet, and the right of innocent passage under rules-based order. Commercial shipping is in the process of being weaponised, NorthStandard head of external affairs Mike Salthouse told journalists in London this week, in an environment of increasing […]

PRODUCT TANKER DELIVERIES JUMPING 256% TO 16-YEAR HIGH In this week’s “Shipping Number of the Week” from BIMCO, Chief Shipping Analyst, Niels Rasmussen, looks at the current delivery schedule for product tankers which is expected to jump an impressive 256% this year compared with 2024. According to current delivery schedules, product tanker newbuild deliveries are […]

DARK FLEET, DECARBONIZATION AND GEOPOLITICAL PRESSURES REMAIN TOP MARITIME FOCUS AREAS IN 2025 Range of pressing issues to be addressed this year by the world’s shipping regulator. Speaking at a news conference on 14 January 2025, Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has highlighted several areas high on the agenda of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as it […]