Straits and Chokepoints: 12 Compliance and Monitoring Moves That Are Spreading Beyond the Red Sea
Straits and chokepoints are no longer treated like a single Red Sea playbook. In early 2026, operators are seeing a broader pattern: more formal reporting expectations, more scrutiny on AIS and identity behavior, more...
2026 Collisions, Ship Fires, Groundings and Early Casualty Signals
So far in 2026, the accident picture is being shaped by a familiar mix: port contact damage during arrivals, machinery failures that trigger major towing and reef protection posture, engine-room fires that test containment...
2026 Container Freight Index Update: Latest WCI, FBX, SCFI, New ConTex and Charter Signals & Impact
Container pricing started 2026 with a familiar pattern: a pre Lunar New Year lift in early January, then a multi week cooling into mid February. The latest reads show Drewry WCI at $1,933 per...
AI in RoRo 2026: The Practical Pros and Cons for Operators
RoRo is one of the most “AI-ready” shipping segments because the operational pain points are visual and physical: vehicle condition evidence, stow and discharge sequencing, yard congestion, and vehicle-deck fire risk (especially as EV...
SNAME Maritime Convention 2026 Review
SNAME’s Maritime Convention 2026 is a technical, engineer-forward week where shipbuilding, design, and operations get discussed at working depth. If you want peer-reviewed papers, ship production and repair content, and operator-grade conversations on automation,...
Sanctions Enforcement Turns Hands On: Boarding Actions Now Part of the Operating Risk Stack
In the past week, US forces have carried out multiple “right of visit” style boardings of Venezuela linked, sanctioned tankers far from the Caribbean, including in the Indian Ocean, after extended tracking. The operational...
Maritime Sanctions 2026 Update: Shadow Fleet Vessel Listings, Service Bans, and Enforcement Actions
US, EU, and UK sanctions activity in early 2026 is tightening around shipping as the enforcement surface, with three themes showing up repeatedly: more named vessels tied to shadow trade, broader ideas to restrict...
Container Rates Are Sliding Again: 11 Things That Change First When the WCI Keeps Dropping
Container rates do not drift lower in isolation. When the Drewry World Container Index (WCI) keeps sliding, the first changes show up in capacity discipline, chartering behavior, contract leverage, and the “real” cost stack...
Foreign-Built Vessel Fees at US Ports Resurface in Maritime Action Plan
A US policy blueprint is putting “port fees on foreign-built ships” back on the table, framed as a universal infrastructure or security fee tied to the weight of imported tonnage on each call. Even...
Next-Gen LSA Crew Safety Tech for Ships: 2026 Pros and Cons
Crew safety tech on vessels is moving from “static gear you hope you never use” to systems that are easier to deploy, harder to misuse, and more measurable. In 2026, that shift is reinforced...
Hapag-Lloyd in Advanced Talks to Acquire ZIM in Deal Reported Up to $3.7bn, Consolidation Signal for East West Networks
Hapag-Lloyd has confirmed advanced negotiations to acquire ZIM, with reporting placing the potential deal value up to about $3.7bn and highlighting approvals that include regulators and Israel due to the state’s special rights in...
Universal Port Fee Proposal Puts US Call Economics in Play for Most Foreign Built Tonnage
A new US Maritime Action Plan is floating a universal infrastructure or security fee on foreign built commercial vessels calling at US ports, assessed on the weight of imported tonnage. Even without a final...
European Maritime Day 2026
European Maritime Day 2026 is the EU’s annual meetup for the blue economy, and Limassol makes it feel more compact and on-topic. Expect policy plus practical delivery in the same room, with public and...
China’s Russian crude imports set a February record as discounts widen and barrels reroute
China’s seaborne imports of Russian crude are now expected to reach a fresh monthly record in February 2026, with tracking estimates clustered around about 2.07 to 2.08 million bpd, extending a multi month climb....
20 Clauses That Move the Money in Charters in 2026
In 2026, the clauses that move the money are the ones that decide (a) when hire is actually earned or suspended, (b) how performance is measured and monetized, and (c) how fuel quantity and...
Ship Asset Market Update: Newbuild Orders, Secondhand Sales, Fleet Deals
Ship buying and shipbuilding activity is clustering around a few repeat patterns right now: crude tanker scale deals (especially VLCCs), owners adding newbuild optionality at Chinese yards, and selective container newbuilding tied to dual-fuel...
UK ETS Extension for Shipping: Changes in 2026 and What Is Being Teed Up Next
The UK ETS is moving from policy intent into implementation for shipping. The latest step is that domestic maritime inclusion is set to start 1 July 2026, with a half-year first scheme year, specific...
Generative Bionics in maritime: Pros, Cons, and where we are headed
Generative Bionics in maritime (right now) is showing up less as a “ship tech onboard” product and more as shipyard automation: humanoid, AI-assisted welding robots designed to work alongside human welders, with early real-world...
Drewry WCI Slides for a Fifth Week: Spot Weakness Meets Heavy Blank Sailing Plans
The latest Drewry World Container Index reading extends a clear container signal: pricing is softening into the Lunar New Year period instead of firming. The composite index is down again, and the pressure is...
OceanScore Review: Compliance that runs like a workflow
OceanScore sits at the point where emissions regulation turns into commercial math. For owners, managers, and charterers, the pain is rarely the headline rule itself. It is the day to day workflow: who is...
CK Hutchison Warns Maersk Off Panama Canal Terminals as Balboa and Cristobal Control Dispute Escalates
CK Hutchison has told Maersk it may pursue legal action if Maersk’s terminal arm moves to temporarily assume operations at Balboa and Cristobal, two high-leverage terminals at the canal gateways. The warning lands after...
Cape Diversions Ease Slightly, But Europe-Asia Networks Are Still Built Around the Long Way
Drewry’s latest Red Sea Diversion Tracker shows a marginal easing in Cape routings, but not a return to normal Suez usage. In the most recent two-week measurement, Suez transits slipped from 61 to 60,...
Autonomous Ships: Pros, Cons, and What’s Next for the Industry
Autonomous ships are no longer a concept slide. In 2026, the industry is already using real autonomy pieces in production settings, ranging from advanced decision support on the bridge to remote-enabled operations in defined...
Capital’s 11-VLCC Hengli order locks in late-decade crude tanker supply
Capital is reported to have placed an order for 11 VLCC newbuildings at Hengli Heavy Industry in Dalian, one of the largest single VLCC contracting blocks seen this year. The order is being framed...
Spinergie Review: From vessel activity to operational advantage
Spinergie is built for teams that need to understand what is happening offshore and across maritime operations right now, then turn that visibility into better decisions on planning, performance, and emissions. It sits in...
Kite Propulsion Systems on Ships in 2026: Pros, Cons and Savings
Wind kite propulsion systems are wind assisted propulsion setups that fly a large, automated kite ahead of the ship to generate towing force. When winds are favorable, the kite contributes measurable thrust, letting the...
Hahn & Co Sells 10 SK Shipping VLCCs and Long-Term Cargo Contracts to Pan Ocean (KRW 973.7bn)
Hahn & Co is transferring a package of 10 VLCCs from SK Shipping to Pan Ocean for about KRW 973.7bn, and the long-term cargo transportation contracts tied to those ships are also moving to...
VLCC Ordering Wave Builds Momentum as Owners Lock In 2028 Delivery Slots
The VLCC signal is broad-based ordering momentum, not one yard headline. Over the last few weeks, multiple owner groups have been committing to 306,000 dwt VLCC newbuildings with delivery largely clustered in 2028, including...
DP World Partner Investment Pause Puts Expansion Sequencing and Counterparty Confidence in Focus
Two of DP World’s institutional partners have paused new investments or additional capital deployment alongside the company, turning the story into a near-term test of project momentum. The immediate question for the maritime market...
Saudi Maritime and Logistics Congress 2026 Review
Saudi Maritime and Logistics Congress is a two day, Saudi focused maritime and logistics meeting point in Dammam where owners, operators, ports, terminals, service providers, and regulators cluster around practical Eastern Province trade flows....