TANKER MARKET ON THE RISE DURING FEBRUARY The tanker market rose during the month of February, OPEC said in its latest monthly report. Dirty spot freight rates showed gains across almost all monitored routes in February. VLCC rates in particular rose as a fresh round of sanctions resulted in efforts to bring in alternative supplies. […]

TANKERS: SAILING THE SEA OF SANCTIONS The tanker market has been facing a flurry of sanctions of late, with Russian and Iran oil trades in the forefront. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Gibson said that “just before the end of his presidency, the Biden administration gave a parting gift to the tanker markets as […]

DNV WHITE PAPER ON SAFE AND SCALABLE ADOPTION OF AMMONIA AND HYDROGEN FUELS As the shipping industry continues its transition to carbon-neutral fuels, ammonia and hydrogen are emerging as possible fuel options, however mandatory regulations governing their use are not yet in place. DNV’s latest white paper, Safe introduction of alternative fuels – Focus on […]

US INCREASES SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN OIL AND TANKERS AFTER TALKS ARE REJECTED Hours after reports surfaced that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was rejecting Donald Trump’s overtures for new talks, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced a new round of sanctions targeting the oil industry and tankers. The move by the Office of […]

TANKER WEEKLY MARKET MONITOR: VLCC AG SUPPLY This week’s focus is on the evolution of VLCC net supply growth in the Arabian Gulf (AG), the performance of Baltic Rates, and a comparative analysis of Gross Supply versus Cargo Demand over the next 10, 20, and 30 days. VLCC Net Supply Trends, Baltic Rates Performance & […]

BULKER NEWBUILDING CONTRACTING PLUNGES 92% TO LOWEST LEVEL IN DECADES in Dry Bulk Market,International Shipping News 14/03/2025 “During the first two months of 2025, bulker newbuilding contracting dropped 92% y/y to the lowest level in at least 30 years. While contracting in January was low, no new ships were ordered in February. Weak freight rates, […]

BULKER SHIPPING FACES TOUGH YEAR AS CHINA’S MANUFACTURING SECTOR WEAKENS in Dry Bulk Market,International Shipping News 06/03/2025 The dry bulk sector, which handles a diverse mix of commodities, has recently lost momentum. In February 2025, the Baltic Dry Index dropped to its lowest level since early 2023, far below the highs of 2021-22. Dry bulk trade demand […]

GLOBAL SHIPPING: NAVIGATING THE WAVES OF GEOPOLITICS The shipping industry has faced turbulent times over the past few years, and 2025 looks no different with high trade disruption risks. This uncertainty challenges shipping companies and shippers to prepare for various scenarios. Tanker shipping is most vulnerable to geopolitical issues due to its ties to sensitive […]

DRY BULK SHIPPING: INDIA’S COAL IMPORTS SLOWLY India’s coal imports edged downwards during 2024, having a negative impact on dry bulk shipping. In a recent weekly report, shipbroker Banchero Costa said that “in Jan-Dec 2024, global seaborne coal loadings increased by +2.4% yo-y to 1,371.8 mln t (excluding cabotage), based on vessel tracking data from […]

OIL FALLS 2% BUT STILL SET FOR SLIGHT WEEKLY GAIN ON SUPPLY JITTERS Oil prices fell 2% on Friday but were still on track for a weekly gain on supply disruptions in Russia while uncertainty loomed over a potential peace deal in Ukraine. Brent futures fell $1.42, or 1.9%, to $75.06 a barrel by 10:48 […]