Wavelength Podcast: Ceasefire Confusion in the Middle East
The latest Wavelength podcast highlights that a tentative ceasefire in the Middle East does not automatically reopen the Strait of Hormuz for safe commercial traffic. TradeWinds analysts discuss lingering insurance and casualty risks, even as the world’s largest marine insurer warns of heightened exposure. The episode also covers Exmar’s delivery of the first dual‑fuel ammonia carriers, promising up to a 95% emissions cut, and introduces the new US Federal Maritime Commission chair’s aggressive push to revive the US‑flag fleet. Finally, European shipyards lament a regulatory bottleneck in hull‑coating biocide approvals that threatens their competitiveness against Asian yards.
How to Regain US Maritime Dominance? MARAD Looks to Academy Students for the Answer
The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has launched a competition for students at federal and state maritime academies to devise a strategy for restoring American shipping dominance, echoing President Donald Trump’s executive order. Participants must propose a systemic overhaul of the...
Fight over Houthi Sinking Arrives in US Court — with an Unexpected Litigant
A Texas anesthesiologist, Dr. Hassan Chahadeh, has filed a U.S. federal lawsuit claiming the loss of the cargo vessel Rubymar, the first ship sunk by Houthi forces in the Red Sea. He alleges that Iran and a network of Chinese...
Death of Seafarer Crushed in Ro-Ro Accident Leads to Renewed Calls for UK Code of Practice
A fatal accident on the ro‑ro vessel *Laureline* on 13 July 2024 left Able Seaman Alain Canete crushed between a moving trailer and the ship’s structure. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch found that crew members did not fully understand the new vehicle‑deck safety...
Why Are 110 Certified Indian Ship Recycling Yards Frozen Out by Brussels?
The European Commission’s 15th edition of the European List of Ship Recycling Facilities names 41 approved yards, all outside South Asia, despite more than 110 Indian and 23 Bangladeshi yards holding Hong Kong Convention compliance certificates. South Asian facilities now process...
How the Strait of Hormuz Standoff Is Driving Demand for Offshore Service Vessels
The escalating standoff in the Strait of Hormuz is prompting oil producers to seek alternative logistics, driving a surge in demand for offshore service vessels. Purus, a maritime service provider, highlighted this trend as its commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV)...
Iran Hits Tanker with Drone for Violating Strait of Hormuz Passage Ban, IRGC Claims
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said a drone struck a tanker that breached Tehran's newly imposed Strait of Hormuz passage ban. The IRGC claimed the attack was a defensive response to the vessel's unauthorized navigation. The incident comes as Iran's...
Wavelength Podcast: Episode 100. War Risk, Rates and Bad Planning?
Episode 100 of TradeWinds' Wavelength podcast examines the shipping fallout from the US‑Israel attacks on Iran and the broader Operation Epic Fury. It details how the conflict has driven VLCC day rates toward record levels and sparked debate over war‑risk insurance coverage in...
Middle East War Jitters See Boxship Rates Jump 20% on Asia-Europe
Container freight rates on the Asia‑to‑North‑Europe lane have jumped sharply after the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Spot rates are up roughly 20%, while forward contracts for the next weeks and months are priced 20‑30% higher. The surge...
European Defence Ministers Plot Further Russian Oil Disruption
European defence ministers convened in Krakow to discuss escalating measures against Russian seaborne oil exports. France seized the 115,600‑dwt aframax tanker Grinch, carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, and released it after the shipowner paid a €3 million fine. Ministers aim to...
Here’s How Much Shipowners Have Saved up to Invest in US-Built Tonnage
U.S. shipowners and domestic shipyards have set aside roughly $2.59 billion in tax‑deferred Capital Construction Funds earmarked for new U.S.-built vessels, according to the Trump administration’s Maritime Action Plan. The plan touts the accounts as a successful incentive mechanism designed to...
Tanker Carrying Russian Crude Heads for Cuba as US Pressure Grows
A Hong Kong‑flagged tanker loaded with Russian diesel used offshore ship‑to‑ship transfers near Cyprus and repeatedly altered its AIS data to conceal a planned delivery to Cuba. The vessel’s draft increase and route changes suggest deliberate evasion of U.S. sanctions that...
