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Baltic Exchange VLCC rates from the Arabian Gulf to China have climbed above $1m a day as Middle East oil disruption tightens tanker supply. September 16, 2026 The Baltic’s latest TD3C rate assessment forVLCCson the voyage from the Arabian Gulf toChinais close to $1.1m per day and climbing. The 2016-built Sinokor-operated VLCC,Kuwait Prosperity, was reported fixed by TotalSingaporefor a September 22 cargo from the Arabian Gulf to the East at WS1350. This equates to a daily rate of more than a million dollars a day. The astonishing fixture was borne out by the Baltic Exchange’s daily rate assessments for the TD3C route which have surged into seven figures. Its most recent assessment, as of 1600 on 15 September, was $1.099m per day for a 270,000 dwt VLCC on a voyage from Ras Tanura inSaudi Arabiato Ningbo in China. This was up from $1.034m on Monday, the first day that the rate assessment has ever climbed into seven figures. The Baltic’s rate assessments are based on confidential evaluations from a range of vetted brokers who are active in the physical market. Benchmark rates had risen to around $800,000 a day by the end of last week. Related:Weekly tanker and dry bulk time charter rates - 16 Sept The sharp rise in the first half of this week is significant and may factor in a Red Sea/Yanbu element. But the dramatic rise in the TD3C rate assessment since the beginning of September when it was around $700,000 a day, is unprecedented. Oil prices eased slightly in early trading on 16 September, with Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures for November both down by a little more than 1%. They both remain firmly in three figures, however, at $107.64 and $104.46 respectively around noon, London time. The outlook for winter months in Europe is bleak. With Hormuz transits down to a trickle and Saudi having now halted oil flows through the East-West pipeline and exports from Yanbu, oil trades specifically and energy trades generally are facing unparalleled disruption. Oil and gas production in theUShas risen to record levels this year, boosting exports both to Asia and Europe. But the volume increases make up only a fraction of the Mid East shortfalls. Even when Saudi’s East-West pipeline is recommissioned and exports from Yanbu begin again, VLCC owners face the prospect of shuttling across the Red Sea to Ain Sukhna, discharging part of their cargoes, transitingSuez, and reloading from the Sumed pipeline in Sidi Kerir on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. The only other option, if indeed the Bab el Mandeb Strait is passable, is the long voyage round the Cape, adding an extra 18-20 days on the voyage to Rotterdam and approximately $11-14m per trip in additional charterhire at today’s rates. Related:Navigator Gas contracts two more ethane conversions Read more about: Paul Bartlett Correspondent UK-based Paul Bartlett is a maritime journalist and consultant with over four decades of experience in international shipping, including ship leasing, project finance and financial due diligence procedures. Paul is a former Editor of Seatrade magazine, which later became Seatrade Maritime Review, and has contributed to a range of Seatrade publications over the years including Seatrade’s Green Guide, a publication investigating early developments in maritime sustainability initiatives, and Middle East Workboats and Offshore Marine, focusing on the vibrant market for such vessels across that region. In 2002, Paul set up PB Marine Consulting Ltd and has worked on a variety of consultancy projects during the last two decades. He has also contributed regular articles on the maritime sector for a range of shipping publications and online services in Europe, Asia, and the US. Subscribe and get the latest industry news, analysis and more straight to your inbox.

Malaysia’s Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP) paused terminal operations for several hours after it was hacked shortly before midnight on Wednesday. Aspokesperson for AP Møller Maersk, which operates PTP in a joint-venture with Malaysian conglomerate MMC, confirmed the incident toThe Loadstar,describing it as a “cybersecurity incident”. The spokesperson added: “PTP has confirmed that the affected systems have been restored and operations are progressively resuming. “Maersk remains in close coordination with PTP and is actively managing any operational impacts. While some vessels may experience delays, recovery efforts are progressing well. Our priority is to minimise disruption to customers and support the continued normalisation of operations and supply chains.” He continued: “We will continue to update our stakeholders with relevant information.” While PTP did not respond toThe Loadstar’senquiry at press time, we had sight of an advisory from the terminal operator to shippers, in which it said it was “working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident and implement additional security measures”. The advisory added that there was no evidence of unauthorised access to PTP’s customers’ data. In aninterviewwithThe Loadstarin February, Amar More, CEO of Kale Logistics Solutions, said ports were regular targets for hackers because they were a conduit for global trade – indeed he called them a “hackers’ paradise”, because they concentrate trade, data, and critical infrastructure. In June 2017, 17 of APMT’s terminals, including Rotterdam and New York, were hit by Notpetya ransomware, resulting in online booking tools being disabled, phone lines unanswered, and cargo handling suspended at several ports. Thousands of computers and servers had to be restored over the following weeks. In July 2021, South African port operator Transnet also fell victim to a ransomware attack, causing it to shut operations in several box terminals, including Durban. In February 2022, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal was hacked, causing a five-day shutdown and in July 2023, Russia-based ransomware group Lockbit 3.0 attacked Nagoya Port in Japan, resulting in a two-day outage.

Low water on major rivers and canals is becoming a structural logistics risk, forcing cargo shifts and raising pressure across connected supply chains. September 8, 2026 Recurring drought and falling water levels are becoming a structural supply chain risk as restrictions on major waterways cut vessel capacity and push cargo onto already stretched alternative transport networks, TT Club has warned. The transport and logistics insurer said companies reliant on inland waterways need to plan for prolonged periods of restricted navigation rather than treating low water as an exceptional event. Low river levels can force barges to sail part-loaded, restrict access to sections of waterways and increase delays and freight costs, with the effects spreading into connected ports, warehouses and land transport networks. “Inland waterways remain an essential component of efficient, lower-emission freight transport. However, the assumption that these corridors will always provide a dependable alternative to road and rail must now be challenged,” said TT Club risk assessment manager Neil Dalus. Related:Dual-fuel ships solve only half of shipping’s green fuel dilemma “Drought should no longer be considered a rare environmental issue. It is a business continuity risk with the potential to affect vessel capacity, route availability, port operations and the wider transport network. The question for operators is not whether low-water conditions will occur, but whether they have the visibility, flexibility and contingency arrangements required to manage them.” The warning comes as low rainfall once again restricts capacity at thePanama Canal, one of the clearest examples of water availability becoming a constraint on global shipping. The Panama Canal Authority cut the number of available daily transit slots from around 38 to 34 from 3 September, with a further reduction to 32 due from 15 September after rainfall in the canal watershed fell below expectations. The Panama Canal Authority's new administrator, Ilya Espino de Marotta saidthe canal's Rio Indio water supply project is her top priority. Draught limits remain in place at the Panama Canal, although the authority this weekpostponed a planned October reduction after Gatun Lake levels proved better than forecast. The maximum authorised draught for vessels using the Neopanamax locks remains at 14.63 metres Tropical Fresh Water. The canal suffered much more severe disruption during the 2023-24 drought, when restrictions reduced daily transits from the normal level of around 38 to as few as 22 and forced ships to reduce cargo intake. Similar problems have repeatedly affected European inland transport. Low water on the Rhine has forced barges to cut loads and increased demand for road and rail capacity, adding pressure to hinterland connections serving major ports including Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges. Related:Bow Olympus results give Odfjell confidence for second eSail project Previous periods of low Rhine water have shown that the impact is not confined to barge operators, with the transfer of cargo to trucks and trains increasing demand and supporting land transport rates. Severe drought has also disrupted cargo movements in the Amazon basin. In 2023, operators on the Madeira and Tapajós rivers cut barge loads by as much as 50% and 40%, respectively, as water levels restricted navigation and delayed agricultural exports. TT Club said the availability of water for navigation could increasingly become part of a wider competition for scarce resources. It pointed to Romania, where authorities have had to consider the water requirements of Danube navigation alongside other uses including power generation. During severe droughts governments could face similar choices between transport, agriculture, drinking water and energy production. Competition for limited water resources could add another source of uncertainty for ship operators. As the pressure to reduce supply chain emissions increases, governments and cargo owners looking to shift more cargo onto inland waterways may come up against climate-related restrictions. Related:Maersk in breakthrough rotor sail on a container ship TT Club said waterborne transport would remain an important lower-emission option, but companies increasing their dependence on inland shipping should factor greater variability in water levels into their supply chain planning. That could include identifying alternative road and rail routes in advance, increasing visibility of river forecasts, reviewing inventory and storage requirements and testing how supply chains would cope with extended reductions in barge capacity. “The most resilient organisations will be those that understand their dependencies, can activate alternative transport options quickly and have already considered how their supply chains will perform under persistently constrained conditions,” Dalus said. Read more about: Seatrade Maritime Our news reporters and editors draw on over 40 years experience of covering the maritime and shipping industries and bringing you the latest news and insights. Subscribe and get the latest industry news, analysis and more straight to your inbox.

Seaports in Germany and the Netherlands are braced for industrialaction this week, with German dockers set to strikefrom later today (2 September) and their Dutch colleagues joining in on the action on Friday. German trade union ver.dihas issued a strike call, its members having yesterday rejected the latestpayoffer from the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS) in what it described as an“escalating”dispute. Contacted byThe Loadstarthis afternoon,ver.disaid it was once again calling on workers at portsin Lower Saxony,BremenandHamburgto take part in a warning strike from the Wednesday evening night shift (2 September) to the end of the Friday evening night shift on 4 September. The union staged similar action on 18 August. “The feedback is clear: the offer is not enough,”commented one of ver.di’s lead negotiators,Sylvi Krisch. In a statement earlier today,Christian Warnke,a ver.di union spokesperson who works at the Port of Hamburg’sBurchardkaisaid:“More than 6,000 employees took part in the feedback round, which lasted just under a week. A large majority voted against accepting the employers’ offer. This means that negotiations must continue. We are still waiting for a new date for negotiations. But there has been radio silence from the employers. Anyone who does not want to come to the negotiating table must feel the pressure from the streets. That is why we are now going on strike.” In a message issued to customers this afternoon, Kuehne + Nagel (K+N) said that“according to current information, the strike is due to begin today, 02 September, with the start of the late shift at approximately 2200 local time, and it is expected to continue for 48 hours”. During this period, container terminals are expected to suspend operational activities. Container deliveries and pick-ups will not be possible while the strike is in effect, it warned. “The disruption may result in delays, cancellations and handling interruptions at port terminals. These developments come at a time when German ports andtransport capacities are already heavily utilised, while terminal utilisation remains high,”K+N added Meanwhile, tri-modal transport operator Contargo is warning customers of potential disruption to freight traffic and intermodal services on 4 September due to strike action at seaports in the Netherlands, notably Rotterdam. The industrial action is understood to form part of wider union opposition to plans by the Dutchgovernment to reduce social welfare spending. “A strike has been announced in the Dutch seaports for 4 September. Based on the information currently available, we expect terminal operations in Rotterdam to be severely restricted or completely suspended between approximately 1030 and 2000 local time,”Contargo said. In addition, a nationwide 24-hour stoppage has been called in the rail sector for 9 September 2026.

The latest news and commentary on how the US/Israel-Iran conflict is affecting the global maritime industry and shipping markets. Tehran has warned charterers against dealing with 45 vessels accused of violating Hormuz transit rules, with at least 14 previously targeted in attacks. August 24, 2026 Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has published a blacklist of vessels it alleges have violated Iran’s rules for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, threatening the vessels with detention, confiscation, or fines. PGSA warned cargo owners to check the 45-vessel list before chartering vessels. TheUSsanctioned PGSA in late May and has questioned the legality of requiring tolls to receive vessel transit permits for the Strait of Hormuz. “Vessels that, from this date onward, engage in ship-to-ship transfers, transhipment, etc., with vessels on this list will themselves be added to this list,” PGSA said on 23 August. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited, with 121 crossings last week, according to intelligence platform Kpler. Laden transfers were down 26% and sanctioned crossing were up from nine to 16., while the share of crossing via Iran's routing scheme grew to 46.3% Of the 45 vessels, at least 14 have been the target of an attack in and around the Strait of Hormuz in recent months. In an apparent error, the 46-line list included crude tankerVadinand the same ship’s previous nameLila Vadinare. Related:Warning of mines in Hormuz after Trump claimed it was clear The shipowner with the most vessels on the list isADNOCLogistics & Services, with eight vessels directly under its management includingLNGcarriers,VLCCs, a bulker, and a chemical/products tanker. TheUAE-headquartered group also owns 80% of Navig8, owner ofNavig8 Messi. Al Bahyahwas hit on 14 July and suffered significant damage whileNavig8 Messiwas struck on 14 August by a drone. ADNOC also operatesMombasa Bunder a timecharter agreement from Sinokor; the VLCC was attacked on the same day asAl Bahyah. Abu Dhabi is further linked to the list through AD Ports Group, owner of Global Feeder Shipping (GFS), Safeen Feeders and Noatum.GFS Galaxy, a 7,000 teu boxship, is on the PGSA list and was attacked on 11 July, resulting in the death of one seafarer.Safeen Feeders 10is owned by Safeen Feeders and managed by Noatum. Sinokor is linked to at least five of the vessels.Cyprus Prosperity, which was struck by a projectile on 7 July, ADNOC L&S-operatedMombasa B,Singapore Prosperity,Sweden Prosperity, andRotterdam Energy. Saudishipping giantBahriis linked to three of the vessels, VLCCWedyan, which was struck on 7 July, chemical tankerMaria, and chemical/product tankerLubna. Nakilat’s LNG carriersAl RekayyatandRasheedaare both on the list;Al Rekayyatwas hit by a projectile on 7 July. Other well-known shipping names represented on the list include Stolt-Nielsen, Klaveness Combination Carriers, Shipping Corporation of India, Dynacom, and GasLog. Related:How Iran is shaping the new navigational order in the Strait of Hormuz Stolt-Nielsen’sStolt Magnesiumwas attacked on 13 July, Dynacom’sKavomaleaswas attacked on 19 July, and GasLog’sGaslog Shanghaiwas attacked on 31 July. No. Vessel Name IMO Number 1 KIKU 9329796 2 MUBARAZ 9074626 3 MINOAN PIONEER 9471630 4 VADIN 9324100 5 HAFEET 9928009 6 AL REKAYYAT 9397339 7 WEDYAN 9524970 8 CYPRUS PROSPERITY 9595216 9 AL RAWDAH 9734513 10 RASHEEDA 9443413 11 LEBRETHAH 9976927 12 LILA VADINAR 9324100 13 MAHA ROOS 9231004 14 GFS GALAXY 9401271 15 AL BAHYAH 9937799 16 MOMBASA B 9739501 17 STOLT MAGNESIUM 9739317 18 AL WATAN 9615030 19 NAVIG8 MESSI 9482859 20 SINGAPORE PROSPERITY 9419967 21 DISHA 9250713 22 GASLOG SHANGHAI 9600528 23 LUBNA 9489065 24 HAZI 1 7802598 25 RYUJIN 8206818 26 ANNA BARBARA 9407500 27 SUNBIRD ARROW 9323821 28 MINOAN DIGNITY 9294484 29 MARIA 9917828 30 KAVOMALEAS 1042823 31 MARDAN 9360453 32 SWEDEN PROSPERITY 9588392 33 JARNAIN 9823546 34 KAIFAN 9656046 35 NISSOS KEA 9920758 36 ROTTERDAM ENERGY 9508859 37 AL HAMRA 9074640 38 UMM AL ASHTAN 9074652 39 MARIGOLD LNG 9230062 40 BANASTAR 9228045 41 NAVARA 9241798 42 NISSOS HERACLEA 9419618 43 BLUE STAR I 9215115 44 ASHLEY 9258466 45 MRAWEH 9074638 46 AL LULU 9583627 Gary Howard Middle East correspondent Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events. Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Ports of Refuge: Strengthening Maritime Resilience, at Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East 2025 Debunking LEO and Cloud for Maritime Industry, December 2022 (watch on-demand recording) Making Data Work for Shipping at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is the Zero-Carbon Future a Slow Shipping Future?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is Ship Finance Transforming Faster than Shipping?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021

Ascolta la versione audio dell'articolo 3' di lettura English Version Translated by AI. For feedback, please contact english@ilsole24ore.com «L’economia del mare è una priorità per lo sviluppo del Mezzogiorno, che può fare da volano per la competitività e la crescita del paese». La blue economy è una realtà che Mario Zanetti conosce bene, nel suo ruolo di Special advisor di Confindustria per l’Economia del mare, presidente di Confitarma e AD di Costa Crociere. «L’Italia è un paese manifatturiero di trasformazione, il 60% dell’interscambio internazionale viaggia via mare. Le merci movimentate ogni anno nei porti italiani sono oltre 500 milioni di tonnellate e l’economia del mare vale 224,9 miliardi di euro. La ricchezza prodotta dalla filiera è aumentata di quasi il 16%, con una velocità di crescita pari a circa 2,5 volte la media nazionale». Il peso del settore lo dimostrano anche i dati sulla forza lavoro: «gli occupati diretti sono oltre un milione, con un incremento dell’occupazione “blu” quattro volte quello del totale complessivo. Non solo: ogni euro generato nella blue economy ha un effetto moltiplicatore pari a 1,8 volte. È evidente il potenziale per l’Italia e per il Mezzogiorno in particolare». Chiedilo al Sole Le domande sono suggerite automaticamente da 24Ore AI sulla base del contenuto visualizzato. Domande di approfondimento generate da 24Ore AI Per il Sud, affacciato nel Mediterraneo, si aprono in questa fase grandi opportunità di crescita, a vantaggio di tutto il paese. Siamo in grado di coglierle? Loading... Il Mediterraneo rappresenta l’1% delle acque a livello mondiale e il 27% del trasporto marittimo. Il sistema portuale meridionale movimenta tra il 47% e il 50% del traffico marittimo nazionale complessivo. I porti del Mezzogiorno movimentano il 51% dei container nazionali e il 52% del traffico Ro-Ro, cioè gomma-container. A questo si aggiunge il turismo, con un traffico crocieristico che raggiunge quasi il 20% nel Mediterraneo. Da questi numeri è evidente il ruolo del Sud come piattaforma industriale del Mediterraneo. Una posizione geografica strategica: come farne una vera e propria leva di politica industriale? La geografia da sola non basta. L’economia del mare oggi va considerata una leva di politica industriale perché incide sulla resilienza delle catene di approvvigionamento, sulla sicurezza energetica, sulla digitalizzazione dei flussi commerciali e sulla capacità di trattenere valore lungo le filiere nazionali. Il mare non trasporta solo merci, ma anche energia, dati, connettività e sicurezza industriale. La blue economy diventa una questione di sovranità economica e competitività tecnologica, insieme alle infrastrutture e alla logistica, come ha evidenziato Leopoldo Destro nell’intervista di ieri su questo giornale. Il Mezzogiorno può diventare un hub a 360 gradi, un polo di attrazione per gli investimenti, al centro non solo dei corridoi europei Ten-T, ma anche dei corridoi internazionali, a partire dall’Imec. Qui è la vera sfida anche in funzione della competizione con i grandi porti, come quello di Rotterdam, che da solo movimenta più merci di tutti i porti italiani. L’obiettivo non deve essere competere su dimensione dei porti e volumi delle merci, ma costruire un sistema più efficiente e integrato capace di valorizzare la posizione strategica dell’Italia nel Mediterraneo e di creare valore aggiunto per il territorio. Dobbiamo superare gli ostacoli e quindi investire non solo nei porti ma anche nei retroporti, nei collegamenti ferroviari e nell’ultimo miglio. L’Italia, infatti, è il paese europeo con il miglior rapporto tra superficie e costa: a ogni km di costa corrispondono circa 40 km quadrati di territorio. È un vantaggio unico che va valorizzato.

BGN has opened its first US marine fuel supply business in Houston and plans to expand its physical bunkering operations to other major ports. July 29, 2026 Energy product trader BGN has launched its firstUS-based marine bunkering business in Houston and has ambitions to expand to other major international ports. The new location will supply high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and marine gas oil (MGO), initially supporting BGN’s own fleet of around 40 LPG vessels, with services also available to third-party shipowners in the region. BGN has a large fleet of dual-fuel LPG carriers and has been active in its fleet expansion in recent years, including through the order of four 90,000 cu mVLGCsat HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in April. BGN is the largest lifter of US LPG and has partnered with Houston-based marine petroleum transportation and bunkering company Centerline Logistics for the new venture. Two barges have been chartered,Jackson EadesandMGI 2100. BGN said it was pursuing a strategy of expanding its marine fuels business in key global shipping hubs. Related:CIMC wins Sinopec LNG bunkering vessel contract Harry Thwaites, Head of Fuel Oil, Feedstocks and Marine Fuels, BGN, said: "The US Gulf Coast is one of the world's most important shipping and energy hubs, making it the ideal location to establish our first retail bunkering operation. We are also pleased to be working with world-class partners such as Centerline Logistics, whose advanced fleet of oil barges will support our ambition to grow BGN’s bunkering operations across the Americas. “Going forward, we will look to expand into other major international ports as we continue to strengthen our marine fuels trading platform globally." BGN trades marine fuels globally and has storage and blending infrastructure in several global maritime hubs, including Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Fujairah. Read more about: Gary Howard Middle East correspondent Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events. Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Ports of Refuge: Strengthening Maritime Resilience, at Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East 2025 Debunking LEO and Cloud for Maritime Industry, December 2022 (watch on-demand recording) Making Data Work for Shipping at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is the Zero-Carbon Future a Slow Shipping Future?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is Ship Finance Transforming Faster than Shipping?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021

The acquisition of Icelandic carrier Samskip’s UK-continental Europe container shipping services by ro-ro and multimodal operator CLdN has halved the seller’s intra-North Europe market share. According to new analysis from Alphaliner, the June transaction meant Luxembourg-based CLdN, which moved its shipping operations HQ to London in May, “made the biggest jump in the league of North Europe’s largest operators” over the past year. “Fuelled by the acquisition of Samskip’s Northwest Continent-UK business, CLdN climbed four positions, propelling it from 17th to 13th. “As a consequence, Samskip’s own capacity nearly halved, down 40% from 9,600 teu to 5,800 teu, and its rank fell from 7th to 14th – the steepest drop of any operator,” Alphaliner writes today. Source: Alphaliner Operated container capacity at CLdN – its con-ro vessels can carry containers on deck – jumped from 2,750 teu in July 2025 to 6,300 teu today, and said the purchase “aligned with CLdN’s strategy of providing complementary ro-ro services for mixed cargo and lo-lo services specifically for containers”. It added: “These services carry out more than 1,000 port calls every year, transporting cargo for a broad customer base, including blue-chip consumer goods manufacturers… and the transfer of the lease agreements for more than 5,000 multimodal cargo units.” Over the past 12 months, total capacity on the intra-North Europe trade grew 20,000 teu, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.8%, with 243 vessels with an average capacity of 1,294 teu deployed, compared with 235 averaging 1,253 teu a year earlier. In terms of the ten biggest carriers, Maersk saw the largest growth rate, its offering to market now 50,800 teu, compared with 39,800 teu this time last year. Its intra-North Europe market share thus increased from 13.5% to 16.2%, while market leader MSC’s marginally contracted, from 21.3% to 21.2%, its capacity increasing 4,000 teu during the period – this represented a 6.2% increase, slightly below the market average. Source: Alphaliner “Maersk’s disproportionately high growth in capacity and market share again stems from the ‘hub and spoke’ concept that the carrier implemented last year with its Gemini partner Hapag-Lloyd,” Alphaliner writes. “Its newest additions are two Maersk-operated Baltic feeder services connecting Germany with Poland, with a total of four ships of between 2,100 and 4,800 teu accounting for 14,300 teu of extra capacity,” it adds. One of these is Maersk’s eco-flagship, the 2,100 teu methanol-poweredLaura Maersk(pictured above). Third-placed DP World Shipping Services – operating as Unifeeder until earlier this year – saw its market share decline, from 12.2% to 11%, with the reduction of two vessels, while CMA CGM also saw declines in both capacity and market share, the former down 14.4%, to 30,200 teu, while market share “slipped from 12% to 9.6%, leaving it in fourth spot”, according to Alphaliner. While it continues to operate six standalone North Europe feeder services, the French carrier appears to have plugged the gap with a series of slot-charter agreements with non-mainline feeder operators – according to Xeneta’s eeSea liner database, CMA CGM is a slot charterer on eight BG Freight Line strings between continental Europe and the UK and Ireland, as well as EUCON’s Antwerp-Belfast shuttle. According to eeSea, 20% of the slots are estimated to be reserved for the French carrier on the 1,400 teuBG Orange, which last week was hit by the multipurposeWind Orcawhile alongside the quay in the UK port of Tyne. The force of the collision prompted a quay crane to collapse onto the deck of theBG Orange, and salvage operations are currently under way. The vessel is deployed on the Peel Ports-owned carrier’s Butterfly 1 service (marketed as ECUK56 by CMA CGM), which has a triangular port rotation of Rotterdam-Tyne-London Gateway.

The waters of the Rhine have hit perilously low levels, reducing barge activity on the river almost to a complete halt, and forecasts indicate minimal chances of rain this week and another temperature spike next week. Barge operator Contargo is reporting water levels at all four gauges of the north European river as between 10% and 64% below the point at which movement is only possible on a case-by-case negotiated basis. Nonetheless, it added that “inland navigation had not come to a complete standstill”, even with water levels of just 13cm and 29cm on the Emmerich and Kaub gauges – 57% and 64% below where the maximum low-water surcharge applies. The spokesperson toldThe Loadstarit was “ultimately up to the barge operators to decide when operating their vessels is no longer economically viable, or becomes unsafe”, adding: “This also depends on the type of vessel. Some of those operating for Contargo are specifically designed for low-water conditions and are therefore able to continue.” Even so, sources toldThe Loadstar,with all four gauges well below what are considered safely navigable levels, and little improvement seen in the near-term, the situation for shippers was looking perilous. One barge owner noted that shippers had been paying low-water surcharges for several weeks and were now having to prepare for significant disruption resulting from traffic along the Rhine “comingto a standstill”, at least on the Emmerich and Kaub gauges. They reiterated the views they gave toThe Loadstarearlier in the month, after negotiations with barge operators willing to work below the usual navigable levels resulted in rates that “were not worth considering”, stressing that “all modalities will suffer” as capacity is sought. Contargo’s spokesperson noted that the company was “working closely with transport service providers to develop and establish suitable alternative transport services”, adding: “Our primary focus remains on maintaining connections between the seaports of Rotterdam and Antwerp and the Rhine hinterland, either by increasing the frequency of existing rail services or by introducing so-called bypass services. “These rail bypass services bridge the Upper and Middle Rhine sections, but securing capacity remains extremely challenging. The standard diversion corridors (the left-bank Rhine line and the Siegerland route) are already operating full.” This is a consequence of those corridors already handling excess traffic generated by ongoing major refurbishment of the right-bank Rhine railway line, with remaining alternative routes some 200km longer and requiring substantially more resources. “These include locomotive crews, locomotives, and wagons, meaning that the result is that our rail service providers are reaching the limits of their available resources, and train rotation concepts have to be redesigned accordingly,” the spokesperson noted.

inInternational Shipping News25/07/2026 Why the statutory right falls short Since 2024, shipping companies operating in and out of the EU must buy and surrender emission allowances under the EU ETS. The Directive places that obligation on the “shipping company” — usually the registered owner or the entity holding the ISM safety management certificate — even though that party often has very little say over fuel choice, routing or speed. To compensate, EU law requires Member States to give the shipping company a statutory right to reimbursement from whichever party does control those decisions. The study finds three practical obstacles that undermine this right. First, in multi-layered charter chains, the Directive gives no clear rule for identifying which party must reimburse when responsibility for cargo, route, speed and fuel is split across several charterers. Second, most shipping contracts are governed by English law, and it remains uncertain whether a national reimbursement right can override that choice of law under the EU’s private international law rules (Rome I and Rome II). Third, disputes are typically referred to arbitration in London or Singapore, outside EU court jurisdiction — and English law does not provide for a reimbursement mechanism, whereas English courts can, in practice, block EU proceedings or refuse to recognise EU judgments. Together, the researchers conclude, these gaps leave the statutory pass-through mechanism with little practical value for the vast majority of the market. “The EU ETS gives the impression that shipowners and managers who pay the carbon bill can automatically recover it from the party actually responsible for the ship’s operation or fuel purchase,” said Hannah Mosmans, co-author and PhD researcher at the Department of Law and Markets, Erasmus School of Law, and Erasmus UPT, Erasmus University Rotterdam. “Our research shows that this is largely an illusion once you look at how shipping contracts actually work. For most of the market, effective cost recovery still depends entirely on what is negotiated into the charterparty, not on the statutory right at all.” What this means for contracts across the chain The paper examines the contractual response that has emerged to fill this gap, in particular the standard clauses developed by BIMCO for time charters, voyage charters, contracts of affreightment, ship management agreements and bareboat charters. It finds these clauses to be a useful starting point but incomplete on their own — a limitation BIMCO itself acknowledges. They operate bilaterally, so each contract in a chain needs its own aligned clause; they leave gaps around issues such as price volatility, credit risk, off-hire and demurrage; and, because their use is optional, whether they are included at all depends heavily on the relative bargaining power of owners and charterers. Shipping lines have separately begun passing ETS surcharges to cargo interests through bill of lading and sea waybill terms. The result, the study finds, is uneven protection across the market, with better-resourced parties securing stronger terms than smaller operators. “This is not just an academic point,” said Jolien Kruit, co-author of the study, endowed professor “Future of Maritime Law” at Erasmus School of Law and partner at Van Traa Advocaten. “If the statutory reimbursement right cannot be relied upon, parties throughout the shipping chain need to make sure their own contracts are watertight on carbon cost allocation. Expecting that the statutory mechanism will be sufficient is a risky strategy.” For owners, managers and charterers, the practical implication is straightforward: carbon cost allocation should be checked and negotiated at every link in the charter chain — not assumed to follow automatically from the Directive — and existing BIMCO clauses may need to be supplemented with bespoke drafting on volatility, off-hire and dispute resolution. Nishatabbas Rehmatulla, co-author and Principal Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Shipping and Oceans Research Group said: “By including the reimbursement right, the EU ETS Directive assumes that all emissions are the responsibility of the charterer. However, previous work shows that whilst most of the vessel’s emissions are based on its operational energy efficiency and mostly driven by the charterer, some portion of the emissions also relate to the vessel’s technical energy efficiency, where the investments are mostly by the shipowner. This indicates why there may be differences in private charter parties and statutory rights as not all emissions can be attributed to the charterer, especially when market premiums have been paid by charterers to compensate for more technically efficient ships.” EC’s EU ETS amendment proposal In its recent proposal for amendment of the EU ETS, the European Commission does not show awareness of the statutory reimbursement mechanism’s shortcomings. The EC considers the statutory mechanism a proper instrument to make corrections to the allowance reserve. Given the enforcement difficulties, the question is whether that would have the intended effect. As the commission indicated to regulate these aspects further in delegated acts, it may be a good moment to reconsider the reimbursement mechanism as such. A test case for regulation beyond the EU The authors argue the findings carry lessons well beyond the EU. The UK’s own domestic shipping emissions trading scheme, which took effect on 1 July 2026, does not include a statutory reimbursement right at all, leaving cost allocation entirely to charterparty drafting. And the IMO is separately working towards a global Net Zero Framework which would involve more complex carbon cost allocations due to the different levels of compliance and reward mechanisms. The study concludes that any future market-based measure for shipping — EU, UK, national or global — must be designed with the realities of private international law and the structure of the maritime supply chain in mind from the outset. Otherwise, these regimes risk repeating the same enforcement gap at a larger scale, whilst giving the impression that a contractual provision may not be necessary. Link to SSRN preprint:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7078178Source: UCL Energy Institute

After Covid ended in 2020/21 it was thought container shipping would return to ‘normal’. In fact, the new normal was just beginning, and successive crises have fundamentally changed trading patterns. July 10, 2026 The Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) scrutinised the fine tuning under liner shipping’s bonnet and found that successive crises during this decade have had a fundamental impact on trading patterns. Developed jointly by UN trade body, UNCTAD, and MDS Transmodal, the PLSCI measures how well ports are integrated into global liner networks across six components, including scheduled services, shipping companies, deployed capacity, and direct connections. The Red Sea crisis triggered a widespread structural redesign in global trading that has stabilised at the top, most connected ports, while the dynamism is seen in the less-established facilities, reflecting the major shifts in trading patterns. “Increasingly important changes in connectivity now reflect how networks are refined, rather than whether they are being fundamentally redrawn,” said MDS Transmodal’s senior analyst Antonella Teodoro. Related:CMA CGM Notre Dame takes on first European bio-LNG in Rotterdam One major change in trading patterns has been the growth in sub-Saharan connections since the disruption caused by the effective closure of the Red Sea andSuez Canalto most traffic in the latter part of 2023. “Scheduled capacity offered to Sub-Saharan Africa has increased significantly over the past three years, underlining the region’s growing strategic importance within global liner networks. Between July 2023 and July 2026, each of the 10 largest operators serving Sub-Saharan Africa increased the capacity they offer to the region, although growth rates varied considerably,” said Teodoro. MSChas strengthened its market leadership, increasing scheduled capacity by 60% to almost 585,000 teu/month.MaerskandCMA CGMalso recorded substantial increases of 31% and 28%, respectively, maintaining their positions among the region’s leading carriers. Among the established global operators,Hapag-Lloyd,PIL,COSCOandZIMall expanded capacity by between 37% and 57%, reflecting sustained confidence in Sub-Saharan African trade. It is, however, the operators with the least regional capacity that have made the greatest percentage increases withONEmore than doubling its deployment, +102%, whileEvergreenwas up 173%. Perhaps the most spectacular growth was fromAbu Dhabi Portswhich increased its offered capacity by 354%, “highlighting its rapidly growing presence in African liner services as it continues to strengthen its maritime and logistics footprint across the continent,” said Teodoro. Regional competition will intensify in the future as port and infrastructure investment ramps up, said Teodoro who added: “The increase in deployed capacity reflects both the continued expansion of African trade and carriers’ efforts to position themselves for long-term growth opportunities.” Related:Maersk deepens Red Sea return with MECL shift Away from Africa, global connectivity has entered a more stable phase as the world’s three most connected container ports remain firmly established, continuing even through the various crises in the Middle East, withShanghairegistering an increase in its index score from 2,106 -> 2,372,Ningboup from 1,817 -> 2,041 andSingaporerising to 1,834 from 1,732. Where the leading ports have shown stability, the facilities immediately beneath them in the hierarchy have been far more dynamic. Ports in South and Southeast Asia have significantly increased their connectivity over the past three years, in what Teodoro calls a “broad-based and structurally embedded in shifting trade and manufacturing patterns.” Colombo is the clearest example of what is described as a “sustained multi-dimensional expansion”. Colombo’s PLSCI score increased 12% from 643 in Q2 2023 to 719 in Q2 2026, supported by increases in services 72 -> 80, operators 33 -> 36, deployed capacity 18.7m -> 22.4m teu and direct connections 116 -> 132. “Importantly,” explained Teodoro, “Gains are distributed across all six components of the index, indicating genuine network deepening rather than isolated capacity expansion or cyclical recovery. Vietnam shows a similar trajectory, albeit from different starting points.” Related:Xeneta: ‘What a difference another crisis makes’ for container shipping Haiphong’s connectivity scores increased 20% from 577 to 690, Ho Chi Minh City was up 9% to 620, and Vung Tau has seen a significant expansion in deployed capacity from 14.1m -> 24.2m teu, reflecting its growing role in regional handling and transhipment. “Together, these trends point to a gradual but persistent redistribution of connectivity towards a broader Southeast Asian corridor. Rather than being concentrated inChina’sestablished gateways, incremental network growth is now being absorbed by secondary and emerging regional hubs embedded in manufacturing diversification strategies.” Read more about: Nick Savvides Europe correspondent Experienced journalist working online, in monthly magazines and daily news coverage. Nick Savvides began his journalistic career working as a freelance from his flat in central London, and has since worked in Athens, while also writing for some major publications including The Observer, The European, Daily Express and Thomson Reuters. Most recently Nick joined The Loadstar as the publication’s news editor to develop the profile of the publication, increase its readership and to build a team that will market, sell and report on supply chain issues and container shipping news. This was a similar brief to his time at ci-online, the online publication for Containerisation International and Container News. During his time at ci-online Nich developed a team of freelancers and full-time employees increasing its readership substantially. He then moved to International Freighting Weekly, a sister publication, IFW also focused on container shipping, rail and trucking and ports. Both publications were published by Informa. Following his spell at Informa Nick joined Reed’s chemical reporting team, ICIS, as the chemical tanker reporter. While at ICIS he also reported on the chemical industry and spent some time on the oil & gas desk. Nick has also worked for a time at Lloyd’s Register, which has an energy division, and his role was writing their technical magazine, before again becoming a journalist at The Naval Architect for the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. After eight successful years at RINA, he joined Fairplay, which published a fortnightly magazine and daily news on the website. Nick's time at Fairplay saw him win theSeahorse Club Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year 2018 awards. After Fairplay closed, Nick joined an online US start-up called FreightWaves.

Largest boxship in the French flag takes on greener LNG as deployment on Asia-Europe trade begins. July 10, 2026 The world’s largestLNG-powered container ship,CMA CGMNotre Damehas made its first call atRotterdamand bunkered its first European-produced bio-LNG. The call on 8 July followed shortly after the ship’s naming ceremony in Le Havre on 2 July.CMA CGM Notre Dameis the largest containership in the French-flagged fleet with a capacity of 24,212 teu, a length of almost 400 metres and a beam of 61 meters. The new delivery is the first in a series of 10 vessels, all of which will sail under the French flag. The ship called at Rotterdam as part of its deployment on the French Asia Line 3 (FAL3) service, which will see the ship callHamburg,Antwerp, Tanger Med,Port Klang, andNingboon the eastbound leg. During its first call at Rotterdam,CMA CGM Notre Damebunkered bio-LNG produced in Europe from organic waste from the agricultural and agri-food sectors, thePort of Rotterdamsaid. The greener, renewable fuel reduces lifecyclegreenhouse gas emissionsby at least 67% compared to traditional marine fuels, it said. LNG also has significant benefits in the reductions of SOx, NOx, and particulates. Related:Maersk deepens Red Sea return with MECL shift The bunkering operation was carried out by TotalEnergies'Gas Agility, a vessel with a history of bunkering record-breaking LNG-powered ships in Rotterdam after supplyingCMA CGM Jacques Saadein 2020 when the containership was the world's largest LNG-fuelled container vessel andGas Agilitywas the world's largest LNG bunkering vessel. Rotterdam is a major bunkering hub in Europe, supplying 10m tonnes of fuel per year. In 2025, the port bunkered 649,466 tonnes of bio-blended fuel, compared to a total of 9.06m tonnes of fossil fuels. LNG deliveries in 2025 were 992,911 cu m, with just 17,644 cu m of bio-blended LNG. Toon Pierré, general manager Benelux cluster, CMA CGM, said: “We are proud to welcome theCMA CGM Notre Dameto Rotterdam. This port call reflects the strength of our long-standing partnership with the port of Rotterdam and our shared commitment to a more efficient, innovative and sustainable maritime sector, while continuing to support our clients with world-class connections.” Image: Danny Cornelissen via CMA CGM Read more about: Gary Howard Middle East correspondent Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events. Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Ports of Refuge: Strengthening Maritime Resilience, at Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East 2025 Debunking LEO and Cloud for Maritime Industry, December 2022 (watch on-demand recording) Making Data Work for Shipping at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is the Zero-Carbon Future a Slow Shipping Future?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is Ship Finance Transforming Faster than Shipping?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021

The recovery in global container shipping schedule reliability lost momentum last month, although there was a marked improvement through the second quarter. According to Xeneta’s Global Reliability Scorecard, global on-time carrier performance averaged 39% in May, marking the third consecutive monthly increase, after rising from 36% in March to 37% in April. Average delays also fell, to 3.4 days, the lowest level since July 2025. However, Destine Ozuygur, senior market analyst at Xeneta, has warned that June saw the trend reverse, with on-time arrivals slipping two percentage points to 37% and average delays edging back up to 3.6 days. “Global on-time performance hit 39% in May… This was the closest reading to the 40% ceiling we’ve seen since December 2023,” said Ms Ozuygur. But she added: “June checked our collective optimism; no trade improved, on-time arrivals fell, 2pp to 37%, and delay crept back up to 3.6 days.” Keith Gaskin, MD and founder of ShiftX, said improving schedule reliability remained a difficult balancing act for carriers, amid the persistent port congestion. “Capacity is only usable if it can be deployed, removed at the port, and loaded at the port efficiently and on time, and it’s been a huge issue this year,” he toldThe Loadstar Podcast. Among carrier alliances, the Gemini Cooperation continued to outperform rivals, averaging 69% on-time performance during Q2, with average delays of just 1.1 days. The Ocean Alliance recorded the biggest improvement, lifting schedule reliability by 15 percentage points, to 43%. However, Mr Gaskin warned that carrier efforts to maintain schedules may come at the expense of customers whose cargo was ready to ship. “I think some of the alliances are trying to work really hard to bring their schedule integrity to a much higher percentage, and to that end, we’ve seen sometimes the vessel just cutting and running, because it was delayed and they couldn’t turn around the containers on the port quick enough because of congestion. “So, on the one hand they’re trying to improve schedule reliability, but if you’re a customer that delivered your container on time ad did all your customs clearance; through no fault of your own, you may have faced rolling boxes because the carrier is trying to improve its schedule reliability. So it’s very difficult balancing act,” he explained. On the carrier level, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd led the field, with Q2 averages of 58% and 57% respectively, more than 10 percentage points ahead of third-placed CMA CGM’s 46%. Wan Hai was the only major carrier to perform worse than in the first quarter, falling six percentage points, to 15%. Despite the “stall in momentum” in June schedule reliability, however, Ms Ozuygur underscored that “the global recovery is real”. Source: Xeneta Capacity management pressures appeared to ease during the quarter and global blanked sailings fell to 9% of planned teu in June, equivalent to around 890,000 teu, making it the first month this year to record fewer blanked sailings than in the corresponding month of 2025. Performance varied widely by tradelane. East Coast South America posted the strongest improvement, with schedule reliability jumping 17 percentage points quarter on quarter, to 54%, while West Coast South America reached 48%. Far East-Europe recorded the second-largest gain, climbing 14 percentage points, to 39%, while both the Far East-North America and Europe-North America trades improved by seven percentage points. “The Middle East was the obvious exception: on-time arrivals fell in May, even as every other trade improved, and the trade closed Q2 at just 25%,” Mr Ozuygur said. Mr Gaskin said congestion remained particularly acute in Northern Europe ports, with Rotterdam continuing to create knock-on disruption across networks. “I think people now just build-in a big buffer for some of these delays,” he added. This article is © The Loadstar. Reproduction, rewriting, or derivative use requires a license. Contact[email protected]for licensing enquiries.

inInternational Shipping News23/06/2026 Excluding LNG carriers, more than 800 ships can run on LNG using mature, proven technology and established infrastructure, with over 600 more on order. Under the FuelEU Maritime regulation, LNG‑capable ships can remain compliant on fossil LNG until around 2035, depending on engine configuration. Ships fitted with two‑stroke high‑pressure dual‑fuel engines can remain compliant longer than those using four‑stroke low‑pressure dual‑fuel engines, which are more common in cruise ships and RoPax vessels. Extending LNG compliance with low-GHG options DNV’s Methane in Shipping white paper indicates that a potential compliance pathway is the use of LNG-compatible low-GHG fuels. LNG ships are compatible with alternatives such as liquefied bio-methane and e-methane. With tightening GHG intensity requirements, these ships are thus well positioned to transition towards lower GHG emission fuels without major retrofits for these alternatives. Bio-methane and e-methane can achieve very low, or even negative, life cycle emissions depending on how they are produced. LNG-fuelled vessels can progressively decarbonize by blending in or switching to these fuels,” explains Øyvind Sekkesæter, Senior Consultant at DNV and lead author of the paper. Demand for low-GHG methane will grow with tightening regulations According to demand projections outlined in the paper, compliance-driven low-GHG methane demand under FuelEU Maritime alone could reach 2–4 million tonnes by 2040, rising to as much as 40–95 million tonnes under the proposed IMO Net Zero Framework’s base target. On the supply side, current production of low-GHG methane is limited, but still higher than many other low-GHG fuel alternatives. Global bio-methane production reached around 7 million tonnes in 2024 and is projected to increase to about 15 million tonnes by 2030. E-methane remains nascent, with only 0.01 million tonnes of operational capacity today, but announced projects could lift this to 0.9 million tonnes by 2030. While there is significant potential to expand the global supply of low-GHG methane beyond today’s production levels, shipping will compete with other sectors for this supply. Most available supply is already absorbed by power generation and road transport, meaning access for shipping will largely depend on its willingness to pay relative to other users. Securing low-GHG methane in a competitive market Regulation will be decisive in shaping this competition. The paper notes that mechanisms such as the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and FuelEU Maritime are already incentivizing low-GHG methane uptake in shipping. Similar global measures could, over time, strengthen shipping’s willingness to pay to secure supply, while demand from less policy‑driven sectors may remain more price‑sensitive. “Securing access to low-GHG methane may require long-term offtake agreements, partnerships with fuel producers, or participation in emerging fuel value chains. Fuel procurement therefore becomes both a strategic and an operational consideration for shipowners,” explains Sekkesæter. LNG bunkering infrastructure applicable From a technical standpoint, existing LNG infrastructure is largely compatible with liquefied bio‑methane and e‑methane and can, in principle, supply these fuels without physical modifications. The more persistent constraint lies in economics and market access rather than infrastructure alone. As of late 2025, liquefied bio-methane in Rotterdam was priced at around USD 1,860 per tonne, almost three times the price of fossil LNG. However, when regulatory incentives are taken into account, most notably reduced exposure under the EU ETS and pooling revenues under FuelEU Maritime, bio-methane can already be cost-competitive on selected EU-to-EU voyages. Unlocking methane supply through flexible mechanisms Beyond production volumes, availability to shipping is shaped by how low‑GHG methane is accounted for and allocated across sectors. “This places chain-of-custody models at the centre of the discussion,” says Sekkesæter. “Flexible approaches, such as mass-balance and book-and-claim systems, allow low-GHG methane to be injected into existing gas grids and attributed to end users without requiring physical delivery to a specific location.” Such models can significantly reduce distribution costs and logistical complexity. In Europe, mass balancing is permitted under regulations such as FuelEU Maritime and the EU ETS, enabling shipping to access low-GHG methane through existing infrastructure. However, the absence of similar flexibility globally, combined with the need for liquefaction and dedicated distribution in the absence of flexible chain-of-custody models, can place shipping at a disadvantage compared to sectors that rely on already established gas. “Without the adoption of flexible chain-of-custody models in international regulation, shipping may face higher costs and consequently more constrained access to limited low-GHG methane supplies,” notes Sekkesæter. Methane slip can be managed by different measures While upstream discussions focus on fuel availability and cost, methane slip remains a key onboard challenge associated with LNG use. Slip levels vary by engine type, which influences a vessel’s well‑to‑wake emissions profile. In response, engine designers have significantly reduced methane slip in recent years through combustion optimization and hardware upgrades, particularly for low‑pressure engines. Importantly, the use of real-world measurement data, rather than conservative default assumptions, can improve the assessed methane slip, particularly for modern dual-fuel LNG engines. This has direct implications for regulatory compliance, because lower methane slip translates into better GHG intensity scores,” states Sekkesæter. Operational practices also play a critical role; measures like optimized engine tuning and load management can further minimize methane slip. After-treatment technologies, including oxidation catalysts, may also offer another layer of mitigation. Measures keeping LNG-capable vessels relevant in a net-zero transition LNG-capable vessels can, in both theory and practice, serve as a bridge to net-zero shipping, provided a supportive ecosystem evolves, including scaled production of low‑GHG methane, flexible chain‑of‑custody frameworks, and sufficient willingness to pay to secure supply in competition with other sectors. In the near term, owners of LNG-capable ships can focus on improving energy efficiency, optimizing engine performance, and reducing methane slip to lower both fuel consumption and compliance costs. It is also important to closely monitor regulatory developments, particularly forthcoming decisions on well‑to‑tank emissions and chain‑of‑custody models. Sekkesæter concludes: “Ultimately, LNG’s role in shipping will not only be defined by its status as a fossil fuel, but by its ability to enable a transition to low-GHG fuels like liquefied bio-methane and e-methane. As Methane in Shipping makes clear, the opportunity is real: there is already a pathway for today’s LNG-capable fleet to evolve into a lower-emission fleet if the right conditions are put in place. To support shipowners in managing risks and uncertainties related to fuel selection, the paper presents a two-step framework which includes an economic and a technical analysis.”Source: DNV,https://www.dnv.com/expert-story/maritime-impact/low-ghg-methanes-role-in-keeping-lng-capable-ships-compliant/?utm_id=701bH00000GvevbQAB&utm_campaign=MA_26Q2_GLOB_MI_ART_Ind_636_EXT_Biomethane_A&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

When economists want to take the temperature of global trade, they increasingly look not at GDP revisions or purchasing manager indices, but at a number that was largely unknown outside freight circles a decade ago: the container shipping rate. The price of moving a 40-foot steel box from Shanghai to Rotterdam has become one of the most watched figures in international commerce — a raw, real-time signal that cuts through the noise of lagging indicators and tells you, with reasonable accuracy, what is actually happening in the global economy right now. The framing isn’t new, but it has sharpened considerably. The effects ripple well beyond the carriers and freight forwarders most obviously exposed to rate movements. Businesses operating in the secondary container market — companies likeshippingcontainerservices.com.au, which sells retired units for construction, portable buildings, and storage — are among the less obvious but telling downstream indicators. When freight rates fall hard and carriers accelerate fleet decommissioning, the supply of ex-shipping containers entering the secondary market increases, prices soften, and demand from builders and developers tends to follow. It is the container economy at one remove, but it tracks the same underlying forces. Understanding why that shift has happened requires understanding what container rates actually measure — and what they don’t. The Drewry World Container Index, the Freightos Baltic Index, and the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index are the three benchmarks most closely watched by analysts. Each tracks spot rates across major trade lanes — transpacific, Asia-Europe, transatlantic — and each tells a slightly different part of the story. What they collectively capture is the balance between capacity and demand on the world’s busiest shipping corridors. When manufacturers are restocking, retailers are pulling forward inventory ahead of tariff changes, or consumer spending in destination markets is strong, demand for container space rises and rates follow. When factories slow, retail order books thin, or overcapacity floods the market, rates fall — sometimes sharply. The critical insight is directionality. It is not the absolute rate level that matters most but the rate of change and the sustained trend. A rate that doubles in three months and then stays elevated tells a different story than one that spikes and immediately reverses. The former suggests genuine demand pressure; the latter suggests a supply shock — a port congestion event, a canal disruption, a sudden carrier capacity withdrawal — that the market has judged to be temporary. The 2020–2022 container rate surge remains the most instructive case study in modern freight history. Rates on the Asia-to-US West Coast lane rose from roughly $2,000 per FEU pre-pandemic to over $20,000 at their peak in late 2021. Every major inflation report published in that period referenced supply chain pressure as a primary contributor, and container rates were exhibit A. What the rates were telling anyone paying attention was that the post-pandemic demand surge — heavily weighted toward goods rather than services — had collided with a container fleet and port infrastructure never designed to absorb it. The signal was clear well before the mainstream narrative caught up. Freight analysts flagged the early rate acceleration in mid-2020; it took most central banks until 2021 to fully price supply-side inflation into their models. The reversal was equally instructive. When rates began falling in late 2022, the signal preceded the widely reported inventory glut — retailers who had over-ordered during the shortage era found themselves sitting on excess stock precisely because they had ignored or misread what the moderation in rate growth was telling them. The current environment presents a more complicated read. Container volumes on the major trade lanes have been rising — China export growth has remained resilient despite headwinds, and some lanes are seeing demand levels that would ordinarily support firm rates. Yet spot rates have continued to soften or trade sideways on many corridors, creating an apparent disconnect that deserves examination. The most credible explanation is structural overcapacity. The orderbook of new container vessels placed during the rate boom of 2021–2022 has been delivering steadily, adding capacity to a market that the demand recovery has not fully absorbed. Carriers have responded with blank sailings and capacity management programmes, but the underlying supply surplus is significant enough that rates have remained under pressure even as volumes tick upward. This divergence matters beyond freight circles. An economy generating genuine demand for goods but facing artificially depressed freight rates due to overcapacity means the rate signal is partially distorted. Using rates alone as a demand barometer in this environment would lead to an underestimate of actual trade activity. The correction is to track rates alongside vessel utilisation rates, booking lead times, and equipment availability — a more complete picture of what is actually moving through the system. Adding further complexity in 2025 and into 2026 has been the wave of tariff announcements and revisions from the United States. Tariffs create front-loading behaviour: importers accelerate shipments ahead of implementation dates, generating artificial demand spikes that push rates up — followed by sharp demand cliffs when the front-loading window closes and order flow normalises or falls below trend. This means rate movements on the transpacific lane in particular have become harder to interpret at the signal level. A rate spike driven by tariff front-loading is not the same as a rate spike driven by healthy consumer demand, but the freight index will record both identically. Analysts distinguishing between the two have been paying close attention to the composition of what is actually being shipped, not just the aggregate volume. Container shipping rates have matured from a niche freight metric into a genuine macroeconomic tool. They are imperfect — distorted by capacity cycles, geopolitical shocks, and policy-driven front-loading — but so is every leading indicator. Used in conjunction with other data, and read with an understanding of what is driving direction rather than just the direction itself, they remain among the most honest and timely windows into the state of global trade. The next time a rate index moves significantly, it is worth asking not just what it means for your shipping budget — but what it might be telling you about what comes next. This post was sponsored by SCS Australia

La nuova diga foranea, il completamento del Terzo Valico e la sfida della transizione ecologica stanno proiettando il porto di Genova verso una trasformazione storica. In questa intervista, il presidente di Assagenti Gianluca Croce analizza l'impatto di queste grandi opere dal punto di vista degli agenti marittimi, sottolineando come la competitività dello scalo non si giochi più soltanto sulle banchine, ma lungo l'intera catena logistica e terrestre. Tra i rischi di normative europee penalizzanti (come l'ETS) e la necessità di un'interoperabilità digitale sempre più spinta, emerge il ritratto di uno scalo che vuole governare il cambiamento, investendo con decisione anche sulla formazione dei giovani talenti in sinergia con l'Università e l'Accademia della Marina Mercantile. Presidente, parliamo dell'opera regina per il futuro dello scalo: la Nuova Diga Foranea di Genova. Dal punto di vista degli agenti marittimi e delle compagnie che rappresentate, in che modo questa infrastruttura cambierà davvero le regole del gioco nel Mediterraneo e quali nuove fette di mercato permetterà di aggredire una volta completata? “Questa domanda richiede necessariamente una risposta articolata. In termini generali, e non è cosa da poco, si può affermare, già solo per il suo impatto ingegneristico e operativo, che la nuova diga torna a collocare Genova a pieno diritto nel novero delle grandi capitali dello shipping. E ciò incide in modo determinante anche nel rapporto fra porto e città, in quanto la nuova diga con lo spostamento a mare di importanti attività di movimentazione delle merci, indubbiamente sortirà l’effetto indotto di guadagnare importanti spazi, metri quadri che saranno a disposizione della città. Ma i traffici non sono mai una dote acquisita: sono un patrimonio di lavoro e di professionalità che va difeso e al tempo stesso la base sulla quale costruire una crescita ricordando che le scelte degli armatori dipendono dal mercato, dall’efficienza e dalla competitività. In altre parole la nuova diga è un elemento di svolta sul quale costruire, e ribadisco, costruire il futuro”. L'estensione della tassa ETS rischia di favorire i porti del Nord Africa, ma Genova deve guardarsi anche dalla storica concorrenza dei porti del Northern Range (Anversa, Rotterdam, Amburgo). Ritiene che i costi legati alle nuove normative ambientali europee rischino di vanificare gli sforzi di recupero di competitività che lo scalo genovese sta portando avanti sul lato terra? “Sulle politiche di sostenibilità, tutti, ma in primis gli armatori, devono essere e in effetti sono molto vigilanti e attenti. In passato dietro norme apparentemente “ecumeniche” si sono celate, proprio in Unione europea, precise scelte distorsive del mercato che hanno penalizzato direttamente la portualità italiana. Questo non può e non deve più accadere. Come agenti siamo impegnati a fornire la massima assistenza agli armatori che rappresentiamo”. Il "collo di bottiglia" di Genova è storicamente l'accessibilità terrestre. Con il Terzo Valico ferroviario e il nodo ferroviario di Genova che si avvicinano al completamento, l'efficienza dello scalo si sposterà inevitabilmente sulla capacità della merce di uscire rapidamente dal porto. Le infrastrutture di ultimo miglio e i retroporti sono pronti a questo cambio di passo quantitativo e qualitativo? “La chiave di lettura per il futuro è l’approccio sistemico. Sono ormai lontani i tempi in cui la competitività ed efficienza si determinava essenzialmente sulle banchine. Oggi è l’intero sistema logistico che richiede un approccio sinergico e una capacità di leggere i flussi abbinando la competitività dei terminal, con quella dei collegamenti ferroviari e autostradali, e facendo dell’efficienza complessiva anche delle aree retroportuali il vero elemento discriminante sul mercato”. Sul fronte della transizione ecologica e dei nuovi carburanti green, le specificità geografiche e di spazio del porto di Genova (stretto tra la città e il mare) rappresentano una sfida complessa. Come si stanno muovendo lo scalo e la Capitaneria per garantire la sicurezza e la fattibilità delle future operazioni di bunkering di Gnl, metanolo o ammoniaca all'interno del bacino genovese? “Questo è un tema che vede impegnati sulla linea del fronte gli armatori. Per parte nostra possiamo rispondere come cittadini, ovviamente interessati a una convivenza anche ecologicamente compatibile, fra attività portuali, qualità dell’aria che si respira a Genova e più in generale standard di sicurezza. Sempre ricordando che il porto è e resta il vero motore economico e sociale della città”. La digitalizzazione sotto la Lanterna: Genova ha spesso fatto da laboratorio per nuove soluzioni di interconnessione tra gli attori della filiera (dogane, terminalisti, agenti, trasportatori). Quali sono i nodi informatici o burocratici che ancora oggi rallentano il lavoro quotidiano delle agenzie marittime genovesi sulle banchine dello scalo? “Il nostro impegno nella società Hub Telematica, che ha di fatto implementato e gestito il PCS nel porto di Genova negli ultimi vent’anni, è ormai costante e sempre più coinvolgente. Da anni abbiamo maturato la consapevolezza che la digitalizzazione (anche nell’ottica di una interoperabilità fra i vari sistemi) debba essere, specie dalla nostra categoria, gestita e non subita per diventare un valore aggiunto e un fattore di competitività ed efficienza del porto nel quale e per il quale lavoriamo. E su questo fronte siamo disposti da sempre a collaborare con le altre categorie dell’imprenditoria portuale e marittima”. Genova vanta una tradizione unica nella formazione marittima ed economica, ma il cluster dello shipping genovese fatica sempre di più a trovare e attrarre giovani talenti disposti a intraprendere la professione di raccomandatario o operativo di agenzia. Come sta lavorando Assagenti sul territorio per colmare questo gap generazionale e formativo? “Molti, specie quelli che sono i decani della nostra categoria, giustamente ricordano i corsi Papagno come un pilastro e un fattore di innovazione quasi preveggente della formazione, quale fattore chiave anche per attirare nuove generazioni e nuove risorse nella nostra professione. In questi anni Assagenti ha compiuto ulteriori salti di qualità proponendo una vera e propria evoluzione non solo tecnologica della figura dell’agente marittimo, in quanto collettore di professionalità diverse e diversificate. E in questo ambito si colloca anche la crescente collaborazione con l’Accademia della Marina Mercantile. Particolarmente proficua la collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Unige, e in particolare con il corso di laurea Economia e Management Marittimo e Portuale. Il Job Center di Assagenti svolge la preselezione per le nostre aziende associate presso la nostra segreteria e due career day (uno con Unige e l’altro con il Blue Skills Village) sono partecipati da Assagenti ogni anno”.

Study with Core Power explores feasibility and readiness for nuclear-powered feeder ships at the Port of Rotterdam. June 11, 2026 The main barriers to the adoption ofnuclear-poweredship port calls are regulatory alignment, governance, risk management integration and public acceptance, according to a new joint study fromLloyd’s Register, Core Power,Maersk, and thePort of Rotterdam. The study looked at a scenario where a high-level nuclear ship design carried out a port stay at an EU port, and its findings are aimed at informing decision making by EU ports and authorities. The partners’ desktop study found categories of barriers that apply to ports across the EU, including a lack of specific provision for nuclear ships in existing regulations, limited integration between maritime and nuclear safety regimes, and a lack of guidance for ports on how to interpret nuclear licensing, insurance and liability for visiting nuclear ships. The main output of the study is a roadmap of activities to overcome barriers to nuclear ship adoption, aimed at EU ports and authorities. “The assessment demonstrates that nuclear ships can be evaluated using the same safety themes and processes already applied to other high-risk maritime activities. Where gaps exist, they are typically due to a lack of guidance rather than technical incompatibilities,” said the report. Related:Exmar commissions first ammonia-powered deepsea vessel Near-term activities on the roadmap — those that should begin within the next five years if they haven’t already — are loosely grouped as development of nuclear ship designs and conducting risk assessments, publishing and communication of risk management activities, development of guidance for nautical safety and port security, and collaborative updates to international codes at IMO and IAEA, or development of new international codes. Addressing public perceptions of nuclear power are a priority, as early communication would make it easier to address regulatory, liability, and legal gaps. Port specific standards may need reviewing, the report said, such as Rotterdam’s temperature restriction for discharged cooling water. The medium-term activities are those that follow on from near-term activities and need to be in place before commissioning of the first nuclear-powered ship. They are development of public engagement strategies; producing recommendations for liability, training, and security in port; establishing measures for safety and security in ports; and national implementation standards. International and national guidance will be required for a wide range of activities, including emergency response, berthing, port-related safety aspects, operational procedures in port, and training of ship and port personnel to handle normal and emergency operations, said the report. Development of such guidance will require the inputs from the near-term activities on nuclear ship design and operation. Related:Partners ink MoU to develop wind-powered MR tanker design Liability and insurance frameworks for nuclear shipping will also require a certain level of understanding of technical and operational risks, and will therefore be a medium-term issue. Operation of the first nuclear-powered ships will require multilateral agreement between nations to accept nuclear operating licenses; valid insurance for ship and ports; marine regulatory approvals from class, flag and coastal states; certified and trained ship and port operators; and permits to enter ports with required preparations are in place. In the long-term, required activities will be the refining of regulations and policies in-line with technology development, and the establishment of mutual recognition of nuclear ship licenses at the national level. Ole Graa Jakobsen, head of fleet technology, A.P. Moller-Maersk said: “Civil commercial nuclear propulsion presents a number of significant challenges, including safety, waste management, regulatory alignment and public acceptance across regions. This study does not represent a decision to pursue nuclear propulsion, but contributes to further understanding of what would be required for ports and authorities to assess such vessels in a structured and responsible way. We continue to monitor and assess this technology alongside other low-emission solutions.” Related:Greek tycoon Procopiou takes aim at IMO Mikal Bøe, CEO of Core Power, said: “An obvious key to the success of civil maritime nuclear propulsion is the trusted confidence of port cities and their populations in ship calls by nuclear powered merchant ships. “Together with Rotterdam, LR and Maersk we've identified a port safety framework and created a credible starting point for assessments by the IMO as it revises the Safety Code for Nuclear Ships and for the IAEA as it launches its flagship ATLAS program this summer. We've highlighted where further work is needed, including modernised port guidance, inter-agency regulatory alignment, nuclear-specific safety, and security requirements and best in class emergency preparedness to build public trust.” Harbour master of the Port of Rotterdam, René de Vries said: “Ports need to understand how emerging energy and shipping technologies may interact with future port operations and industrial systems. This study represents an initial case-study assessment intended to better understand the regulatory, operational and safety considerations associated with nuclear-powered commercial shipping within a European port context.” Meg Albrecht, senior engineer - nuclear technology and alternative fuels, Lloyd’s Register, said: “The maritime energy transition will require the industry to examine a range of future fuel and propulsion pathways. This work contributes to a broader understanding of the regulatory and operational considerations associated with nuclear-powered vessels and helps establish a structured basis for further discussion and analysis.” The full reportEnabling Nuclear-Powered Feeder Ships: A Joint Development Project on Port Call Feasibility and Regulatory Pathwaysis available to download from the Core Power website. Read more about: Gary Howard Middle East correspondent Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events. Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars. Ports of Refuge: Strengthening Maritime Resilience, at Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East 2025 Debunking LEO and Cloud for Maritime Industry, December 2022 (watch on-demand recording) Making Data Work for Shipping at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is the Zero-Carbon Future a Slow Shipping Future?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021 Is Ship Finance Transforming Faster than Shipping?at Seatrade ShipTech Virtual 2021

Low water levels may be looming along Europe’s heavily trafficked inland waterways, but the real issue remains congestion across container terminals and the second-class status afforded to barges. As reported byThe Loadstar,last weekwater levels on the Rhine dipped below 150cm – which in 2023 prompted operators to begin implementing low-water surcharges (LWS) – and have fallen further since. SeasC4U’s Gunther Ginckels toldThe Loadstarboth the Emmerich and Kaub gauges were low, “but not extreme”, with these stretches of the waterway still navigable, albeit with reduced loading capacity. Until water levels on these two gauges of the Rhine dropped below 80cm, Mr Ginckels said, “low water has no impact on delays – merely on the capacity and intake of the barges”. But he added: “The real problem is still the congestion experienced along the deepsea container terminals, with the average congestion‑related delay typically more than 96 hours, depending on terminal and season.” Homing in on the issues being experienced by barge users at Rotterdam, which has experienced typical handling delays of four days, and over recent years more than a full week, Mr Ginckels said there were “three dominant causes of delay”. These he identified as terminal congestion, tidal windows, and lock scheduling constraints, noting that all three issues interacted to create “cascading delays”. For instance, he said, a missed lock slot would lead to a delay of eight to 24 hours – a consequence of having to wait for the next available window, leading to delays in reaching terminals, which, if already congested, left barges at anchorage longer. Sources have toldThe Loadstarthat part of the issue surrounding missed lock slots was caused by overcrowding on the waterways, the result of barges being underutilised, more being “half-empty than full”. It is an issue Mr Ginckels said was in most urgent need of addressing if European inland waterways are to improve, stakeholders and governments needing to come together to ensure better asset utilisation. Antwerp is also experiencing critical congestion, with berth waiting times rising from 32 to 44 hours (a 37% increase) and containers staying up to eight days on the quay instead of the ideal five days. “Not the port authorities, nor the container terminals such as MPET, PSA, DP World in Antwerp and APMT, RWG and ECT in Rotterdam, nor the shipping companies are taking responsibility for these situations, nor taking concrete measures to resolve this,” he said. “On the contrary, they continue to point fingers at each other, with, as result, excessive volumes moving by road, adding to the already heavy congested traffic and profound pollution.”

Redazione AnsaBRASILIA - Maggio 27,2026 - News (ANSA) - BRASILIA, 27 MAG - Brasile, Norvegia e Paesi Bassi hanno presentato il primo studio di fattibilità tecnico-economica per la creazione di corridoi marittimi verdi nell'Atlantico del Sud, con l'obiettivo di sviluppare rotte commerciali a basse emissioni tra il Sud America e l'Europa. Il progetto, presentato durante un evento all'ambasciata di Norvegia a Brasilia, punta alla realizzazione del primo corridoio oceanico in acque profonde alimentato con combustibili a emissioni nette quasi zero.Lo riferisce il quotidiano Valor Economico. Lo studio nasce da un memorandum di cooperazione firmato nel 2025 e 2026 tra i governi. Il Brasile punta sulla propria matrice energetica prevalentemente rinnovabile e su sei porti individuati come potenziali hub per i combustibili verdi, mentre Norvegia e Paesi Bassi mettono a disposizione tecnologie marittime avanzate e infrastrutture logistiche specializzate. Lo studio individua tre rotte prioritarie: Vila do Conde-Karm›y, Santos-Rotterdam e Pecém-Rotterdam. Il traffico marittimo tra Brasile ed Europa ha prodotto nel 2023 circa 4,7 milioni di tonnellate di CO2 equivalente. Per ridurre le emissioni sono stati analizzati tre combustibili alternativi: biodiesel, ammoniaca verde e metanolo verde. Attualmente, però, il costo operativo delle navi a emissioni zero resta tra il 43% e il 109% superiore rispetto a quello delle imbarcazioni alimentate con combustibili fossili. Secondo gli autori del rapporto, il nuovo quadro normativo dell'Organizzazione marittima internazionale, che introdurrà sanzioni per le navi più inquinanti, potrebbe però accelerare la competitività economica dei carburanti verdi entro il 2040. (ANSA).

The Megamax container ship newbuilding will be named in France in early July May 27, 2026 The 24,212 teuCMA CGM Notre Damehas started its maiden voyage from Shanghai arriving in France in early July. TheLNGdual-fuel container ship is the first in a series of 10 and the largest container ship to fly the French flag. TheCMA CGM Notre Damemade its maiden call at Yangshan Port inShanghaion 22 May and will be officially named in Le Harve on 2 July. Registered under the French International Registry theCMA CGM Notre Dameand the company have recruited 135 French seafarers to serve on board the 10 newbuildings. The other nine ships will be delivered progressively through 2026 – 2028. TheCMA CGM Notre Dameis deployed onCMA CGM'sFrench Asia Line (FAL) service calling at ports including Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Tanger Med. The vessel features an 18,600 cu metre LNG fuel tank, capacity for 1,600 reefer containers, and a fully digitalised bridge. Related:As container line reliability drops freight rates increase Read more about: