Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide, Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and International Shipping
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The Baltic dry index fell 2.9% to 2,671 on Monday, its lowest since July 2. The capesize index, which typically transport 150,000-ton cargoes, including iron ore and coal, dropped 5.1% to an over two-week low of 3,889. Also, the panamax index, which usually carry 60,000 to 70,000 tons of coal or grain, decreased 0.9% to...
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AXSMarine’s live fleet tracker recorded 728 tankers in the Arabian Gulf following the renewed escalation around the Strait of Hormuz. Crude tankers accounted for 179 vessels (24.6%) of the total tanker fleet present. Within the crude segment, VLCCs remained the dominant class with 123 vessels, representing 68.7% of crude tanker activity in the region, compared...
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China’s rise as the world’s dominant light vehicle (LV) exporter is no longer a trend, it is a structural shift that is fundamentally reshaping the global Vehicle Carrier market. In just five years, Chinese full-year LV exports have grown from 1.6 million units in 2021 to a projected 10 million in 2026 across all transport...
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Russia is now the leading flag for the shadow fleet after shifting some 69 sanctioned ships to its registry since November 2025 in response to the interdiction of stateless tankers by U.S. and European militaries. More than one in five of the 1,000-plus tankers sanctioned by Western regulators now flies the Russian flag, Windward analysis...
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A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could send Brent crude to $150 a barrel, revive inflation and force major central banks to raise interest rates despite slowing economic growth, Capital Economics said in a recent note. Energy markets have absorbed the disruption from the Iran conflict through pipeline diversions and inventory drawdowns. Roughly...
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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have announced they are imposing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in response for a recent attack on Sanaa Airport. Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, said in a video statement on Monday that the maritime ban against Saudi Arabia will be effective immediately in what he described as an...
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Cheap green hydrogen-based fuels are India’s biggest strength in decarbonising shipping, a study by the Global Maritime Forum (GMF) said. GMF’s research found that the production costs for green hydrogen and green ammonia in India are among the lowest in the world due to abundant renewable resources. India’s location on major trade routes is drawing...
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Marine coatings leader Nippon Paint Marine today announced it has reached an agreement to provide its FASTAR XI hull coating and its EVER COOL heat-reflective coating for two newbuild vessels for WAN HAI, a leading container shipping operator from Taiwan. Nippon Paint Marine has been a long-term partner to WAN HAI, providing coatings support for...
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Iran claims that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to zero, and restrictions on vessel transit will remain in place until conditions change, according to an informed source in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy on Sunday. “As long as hostile actions and mischief by the United States continue, the Strait of...
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Since its formal showcase at the UK Flag Forum in London on 16 April 2026, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub has provided a clear route for engagement between industry and the regulator. The UK Maritime Innovation Hub acts as a single point of entry for innovators seeking to understand regulatory requirements...
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Korean Register, together with Hyundai Motor and Kia, HMM, HMM Ocean Service (HOS) and Gosung Engineering, carried out the world’s first onboard demonstration test of MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid), Hyundai Motor and Kia’s autonomous mobile robot platform, aboard HYUNDAI DUBAI on July 6, 2026. The multipurpose vessel was berthed at the CJ Logistics Jeokhyeon Pier...
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Columbia Group CEO, Andreas Hadjipetrou, has set out his priorities for the company’s next chapter, placing responsible growth, stronger collaboration, seafarer support and long-term client trust at the centre of the Group’s strategy. Commenting on the company’s next phase, the focus is to build on the values that have shaped Columbia’s growth, while responding to...
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China State Shipbuilding Corp, the world’s largest shipbuilder, hosted a forum on Saturday focusing on the application and future potential of artificial intelligence in the maritime and shipbuilding industries. The forum was part of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which runs from Friday through Monday. It attracted more than 200 participants from government departments, research...
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The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has appointed Natalie Carroll as Head of Competence and Training, where she will lead the association’s initiatives to strengthen workforce capability, improve skills transferability, and support the delivery of IMCA’s People and Skills Plan. Natalie brings more than 20 years of experience in competence, training, and learning development across...
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20th July 2026 – Fleet utilisation for June 2026 was 80%. In Brazil, Safe Eurus, Safe Notos and Safe Zephyrus operated at full capacity, delivering near 100% commercial uptime. Safe Boreas operated at near 100% utilisation offshore Australia. Safe Caledonia remained in lay-up at Scapa Flow, UK. The vessel has a contract (6 months firm...
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Technology group Wärtsilä and Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), the world’s largest cruise company, have entered into an 8-year Lifecycle Agreement covering four cruise vessels within the Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line fleets, including two newbuild vessels currently under construction. The agreement marks the first service contract between the companies covering Carnival Corporation’s LNG-fuelled cruise...
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LNG The LNG market remained relatively quiet this week, with freight and cargo availability largely balanced across both basins. On the BLNG1 Australia–Japan route, rates increased by $900 week-on-week to settle at $75,100/day. The BLNG2 US Gulf–Continent route was unchanged week-on-week, closing at $96,100/day. Rates saw some strength in the middle of the week before...
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The security situation in the Strait of Hormuz has returned to a “worse-case scenario” for oil tankers as Iran has repeatedly attacked ships over the past week, the CEO of a maritime risk services firm said. “We see the reduction of the volume of transits through the Strait of Hormuz and right now crews of...
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ARA and Europe Rotterdam’s ZRE-rebated B30-VLSFO (POMEME) price has increased by $47/mt in the past week, probably influenced by a sharper $89/mt gain in the Dutch port’s conventional VLSFO price. A sharp $201/mt increase in the port’s conventional LSMGO price may have influenced the $104/mt price increase in Rotterdam’s B30-LSMGO blend. The B30-VLSFO premium over...
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Drewry’s Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI) softened 1% to $978 per 40ft container. Freight rates continue to fall, particularly on the Shanghai–Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Manila and Jakarta routes. This marks the fourth consecutive weekly decline, reflecting weakening demand. See detailed commentary below. IACI slips as peak-season momentum fades • The Drewry Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI), the...