A recent string of Houthi attacks have reignited concerns about the Red Sea crisis, raising the floor for tanker rates.
The Russia-Ukraine war led to enduring changes in shipping routes. War in the Middle East looks likely to do the same.
The initial effect of Houthi attacks was on containerized consumer goods. The attacks are now snarling seaborne fuel flows.
Container-ship diversions from the Red Sea will likely last for months. Are large-scale tanker diversions imminent?
Red Sea escalation would juice tanker rates, but rates would fall if the conflict spilled into the Strait of Hormuz.
Ocean shipping kept the world’s cargo flowing amid two wars and disruptions at both the Panama and Suez canals.
As war rages in Europe and the Middle East, a new flashpoint in South America could pose more complications for shipping.
U.S. crude exports have never been higher. Overseas buyers are incentivizing American producers to pump more “black gold.”
U.S. diesel exports to South America’s west coast are heavily exposed to Panama Canal delays. Tanker rates have skyrocketed.
As the Panama Canal scales back on reservation slots, more ships without reservations wait longer to get through.
There has been a surge of attacks and threats targeting Israel-linked ships, including one incident where the U.S. Navy came to the rescue.
Panama Canal restrictions force more ships to transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen, where they face a hijacking risk.
A leading exec in liquefied gas shipping gives his take on war in the Middle East, market fundamentals and shipping stocks.
The volume of Russian crude exports is growing and the price is rising, spurring the U.S. and its partners to begin sanctions enforcement.
Geopolitics has always been a key driver of global shipping markets. How could the war in Israel affect rates?
Tanker giant Frontline is poised to dramatically expand its fleet, while Euronav is on a path to privatization.
Diesel is an essential fuel for the global economy. The world’s second-largest seaborne supplier, Russia, just halted exports.
This was supposed to be a banner year for crude tankers, but output cuts and the Russian price cap are keeping rates under pressure.
Have shipping stocks been a good bet? Here’s a look at their performance year to date and versus pre-COVID.
Average CEO compensation rose as ocean shipping company earnings increased, fueled in many cases by share-based compensation.
Price caps have been breached, discounts on Russian exports are dwindling, and more money is flowing to Russian coffers.
Spreads between high- and low-sulfur fuels are down to pandemic levels and LNG has become much more economical.
Tanker shipping sanctions compliance is getting a lot more complicated as the price of Russian crude oil rises.
The agreement should keep tanker and bulker orders in check, while increasing the risk of a future carbon tax on container shippers.
Declining demand for Chinese exports and reduced stimulus options threaten bulk commodity import prospects.
The Wagner mutiny is drawing attention to what happens after the war in Ukraine ends. When it does, shipping will see major changes.
The International Energy Agency predicts Asia will buy growing volumes of U.S. crude through 2028. That’s good news for supertanker demand.
Mainstream European tanker owners that are willing to load Russian oil are far outperforming the broader market.
Five years after bringing dry bulk freight futures to the masses, Breakwave makes a splash in tanker investing.
Older ships are being kept in service longer in pursuit of profits, heightening the risk of accidents and spills.
Despite a slow Memorial Day start, summer demand is expected to hike tanker rates in the months ahead.
Large liquefied petroleum gas tankers are riding high on rising U.S. exports and higher Chinese import demand.
Is the sharp decline in shipping stocks a canary in the coal mine or an opportunity for investors to buy the dip?
In 1975, two identical ore/bulk/oil (O/B/O) ships underwent efficiency experiments. During one of these experiments, a new propeller concept broke midjourney, but the ship continued its duty with no changes in performance and the crew had no idea until it reached its destination.
The price of crude oil is now lower than it was when OPEC announced its latest cuts, fueling more concern on tanker demand.
Tanker investors have been disappointed before. Is the current stock pullback a bump in the road or something more?
Mainstream tankers have moved into the Russian crude export trade. The price cap might push them back out again.
More Western tankers are jumping into the Russian trade — legally, under the price cap — to pocket big freight premiums.
Worsening China-U.S. relations underscore how pivotal geopolitics has become to global shipping and trade.
Container shipping just experienced a record boom. Some believe crude and product tankers are poised to follow suit.
Shipowners say they won’t order expensive new dual-fuel tankers without charters. They’re not getting charters, so they’re not ordering.
Tanker capacity for diesel is already tight amid war fallout. With very few ships on order, future transport capacity could fall short.
With virtually no new ships on order and demand strengthening, the tanker business seems poised for a bull run.
Larger crude tankers are moving more U.S. exports on shorter voyages to Europe as long-haul volumes to China stagnate.
After a year of sanctions and “self sanctions,” shipping cargoes caught in the crossfire continue to find their way to buyers.
Sanctions have split the world’s tanker fleet in two. On one side, those that follow Western rules; on the other, those that don’t.
The tanker industry has a storied history of corporate showdowns. The latest, a three-way tussle involving Euronav, looks far from over.
Russian crude restrictions are having the predicted effect on tanker trades, soaking up more vessel capacity as sailing distance lengthens.
Are falling commodity shipping spot rates the result of normal seasonality or a symptom of global economic malaise?
Sanctions on Russian crude exports have yet to boost tanker rates. Some question whether sanctions on Russian diesel will either.
The predicted boost to tanker rates from Russian crude disruptions has yet to materialize. Instead, rates have declined.
Just as the pandemic wound down, another market-altering event for shipping — the Ukraine-Russia war — ramped up.
Backers of a shipping regulation that begins Jan. 1 believe it will reduce carbon emissions. Critics warn it could backfire and increase them.
Faster easing of China’s COVID restrictions could provide eventual support for container and dry bulk markets and a more immediate boost for tankers.
Declining ship fuel prices equate to savings for containerized cargo shippers and lower costs for tanker and bulker owners.
Even if no oil moves under price caps, Russian exports could face deep discounts and continue to flow via “shadow tankers.”
Hopes that China will relax its zero-COVID policy are fading, raising concerns about shipping volume fallout.
Global energy trades face even more tumult ahead. “This could get crazy,” says Scorpio Tankers’ Robert Bugbee.
Some VLGCs carrying propane and VLCCs carrying crude have joined LNG carriers in shipping’s six-figures-per-day club.
Europe must replace all seaborne crude imports from Russia within the next few weeks. Crude tanker owners stand to gain.
Product-tanker share prices are up triple digits year to date as investors position for sanctions upside.
The “shadow fleet” is not large enough to save Russian oil exports from Western sanctions, according to multiple analysts.
As container shipping stocks get battered by collapsing rates, tanker shares could be poised for a long bull run.
The Biden administration has approved a controversial Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.
The EU is going to ban imports of Russian crude and petroleum products. It still has a long way to go to find replacement supplies.
The G-7 plan to squeeze Russia’s oil profits hinges on the EU revising its own sanctions. Those revisions face opposition.
“Right now, shipping companies around the world are looking at this and scratching their heads,” says sanctions expert Bruce Paulsen.
Tanker stocks are proving to be a shelter from the Wall Street storm as demand grows for ships that transport oil and natural gas.
Shipping volumes are weakening in and out of China. Is this a temporary pullback or a sign of more serious trouble ahead?
Container and dry bulk shares soared last year, leaving tanker stocks behind. This pattern has now reversed.
If the U.S. curbed gasoline and diesel exports, tankers would sail longer distances to replace lost volumes — a plus for tanker earnings.
Just two supertankers have been ordered in the past 14 months, raising the risk of a future shortfall in oil transport capacity.
The cost of marine fuels is down sharply from the wartime peak, except for ‘clean’ LNG, which is getting even more expensive.
The latest shipping company poised to delist has a market cap of $3.5 billion. The latest new entrant’s market cap is under $20 million.
Tankers stocks are doing great. Dry bulk and container stocks temporarily stopped the bleeding. “Maxim stocks” still underperform.
It looks increasingly likely that war-driven changes to global crude flows will persist for an extended period.
Last year was historically strong for some maritime businesses, terrible for others. No matter what the sector, maritime CEOs made millions.
Exhaust gas scrubbers are allowing tankers, bulkers and container ships to keep burning dirtier — and much cheaper — marine fuel.
Tankers are very busy loading up with American crude oil and refined products sold to overseas buyers.
From crude tankers to product carriers to dry cargo ships, the largest vessels are earning less than their smaller counterparts.
The first half has been phenomenal for product tankers. How much of shipping upside is due to the war?
Bulk commodity shipping stocks held up well before this month. Now they’re falling alongside container shipping stocks.
It took longer than expected, but the IMO 2020 investment pitch — save on ship fuel by installing scrubbers — is paying off big time.
Tankers are loading up on American crude, diesel and gasoline exports. Can the free market withstand political pressure?
Without sanctions, tankers will keep loading Russian oil. ‘We’re not taking a moral high ground,’ says Frontline’s CEO.
Safety stats show resilience despite aging ships, cut corners on maintenance and rising pressure on seafarers.
East Coast gasoline inventories are alarmingly low. Gasoline imports from Europe could help but may not be enough to fill the gap.
It has been a terrible year for the stock market, a great one (so far) for product tanker and dry bulk shipping stocks.
Shares of ocean shipping companies have given back much of their 2022 gains after another big sell-off.
Retail stock pickers seem increasingly nervous about shipping. Shares of dry bulk, tanker, container and mixed-fleet owners all fell.
Tanker, bulker and LNG shipping stocks rise as domestic freight and container stocks face pressure.
The biggest deal in tanker shipping history would merge Euronav and Frontline, but consolidation is no panacea.
The ports of Corpus Christi, Galveston and Brownsville will receive federal funding to complete ship channel improvement projects aimed at increasing cargo capacity.
Some shipping shares are rising because of war tailwinds. Others are rising despite war headwinds.
Cost of shipping crude oil remains cheap, but tanker rates could jump if the war doesn’t end by fall.
Invasion and price spikes could destroy demand, weaken consumer confidence and curb cargo volumes, warns BIMCO.
The cost of the fuel consumed by the world’s commercial ships has skyrocketed — and it’s still rising.
Tanker stocks favored by retail traders post big gains, while most container and dry bulk stocks hold steady.
Container lines and tanker owners rapidly and preemptively suspend business with Russia.
Tanker and dry bulk trades could be disrupted; container shipping faces heightened risk of cyberattacks.
