Windward and Vantor Partner to Eliminate Blind Spots in Maritime Domain Awareness with Always-On Intelligence
Windward and Vantor Partner to Eliminate Blind Spots in Maritime Domain Awareness with Always-On Intelligence
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
Windward, the leading Maritime AI intelligence company, and Vantor, the leading provider of unified spatial intelligence, today announced a strategic partnership to integrate Vantor’s space-based Sentry™ persistent monitoring system into Windward’s Maritime AI™ platform. The integration provides defense, intelligence, and commercial customers with an automated system that continuously detects and tracks maritime activity at global scale.
Maritime domain awareness (MDA) has long been constrained by fragmented sensors and siloed workflows. Detection happens in one system, identity verification and behavioral analysis in another, forcing analysts to manually connect signals across AIS, RF, SAR, and electro-optical imagery.
Panama Canal congestion worsens as LNG carriers crowd out dry bulk
Panama Canal congestion worsens as LNG carriers crowd out dry bulk
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
Panama Canal congestion intensified in early April, with LNG carriers booking up eastbound slots and some vessels facing worst-case waiting times of up to five weeks, according to regional port agents and brokers.
Only three LNG carriers (opens in a new tab)have transited the canal so far this month, despite 13 being scheduled, as unladen ships return from Asia and loaded shipments remain steady. Slot availability for unbooked vessels is now pushed into May, and market participants expect elevated congestion to persist into late Q2, tightening effective vessel supply and supporting freight rates.
Slot availability and operational constraints
According to a London-based dry analyst, “the next available first-come, first-served slots for Super vessels are quoted around May 24, and for Regular vessels around May 8. Scheduled maintenance in the old locks from April 7–9 has reduced d
Traffic recovery around Hormuz reversed after US counter-blockade
Traffic recovery around Hormuz reversed after US counter-blockade
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
A quick update from AXSMarine on vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz based on the latest AIS-derived data:
After a gradual recovery through late March and early April, crossings have now slowed again following the US Navy’s enforcement of a counter-blockade on 13 April.
Through most of March, confirmed crossings across dry bulk, tanker, and gas segments averaged fewer than 5 per day.
By the final week of the month, that figure had risen to around 10, continuing into early April — notably before any ceasefire was announced, suggesting traffic was already beginning to recover.
The early-April ceasefire added modest momentum, with crossings peaking at 17 on 12 April. However, within 24 hours of the counter-blockade enforcement, daily crossings fell back to single digits.
As of 15 April, 949 merchant vessels are tracked west of Hormuz inside the Gulf, with 307 operating witho
Half-Full Tanker Heading to Japan Highlights Scramble for Oil
FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Skipper, which British maritime risk management group Vanguard said was believed to have been seized on December 10, as well as another vessel, off Port Jose, Venezuela, November 18, 2025. 2025 PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via REUTERS
Half-Full Tanker Heading to Japan Highlights Scramble for Oil
Bloomberg
Total Views: 1
April 16, 2026
By Weilun Soon, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuji Okada
Apr 16, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A partially filled supertanker heading to Japan after receiving its Middle Eastern oil cargo via a ship transfer at sea highlights the desperate measures the nation’s refiners are taking to secure supply quickly.
The
Bright Horizon
, a very-large crude carrier, is currently sailing south from waters off Mumbai, signaling Japan’s Kiire as its destination, according to ship-tracking data. The tanker received the cargo of Omani oil from a Suezmax called
Shenlong
on Monday through an offshore transfer.
Japan has been in
U.S. Expands Iran Blockade With Global Boarding Powers, Broad ‘Contraband’ Crackdown
The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) on patrol as part of the U.S. blockade on ships underway to and from Iranian ports. Photo shared by US Central Command
U.S.
ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS Announce Planned Joint Venture to Advance Maritime Training
Sascha Gill, CEO of UNITED WATERWAYS, and Joshua Divin, ABS Senior Vice President, Marine Business Development
ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS Announce Planned Joint Venture to Advance Maritime Training
gCaptain
Total Views: 0
April 16, 2026
ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS (UW) have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture with River Academy, UW’s training and education subsidiary, to support crew competence and qualification across the European inland barge, river cruise and coastal vessel sectors.
The collaboration will enhance workforce readiness as European operators navigate evolving safety and decarbonization requirements in cruise, freight, and ferry shipping. Training programs align with recognized regional and national standards and continue to support consistent, high?quality competence management for inland navigation crews.
This initiative addresses strong market demand for fully licensed navigation officers across a global fleet of more than 16,000 vessels. A key component
ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS Announce Planned Joint Venture to Advance Maritime Training
ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS Announce Planned Joint Venture to Advance Maritime Training
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS (UW) have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture with River Academy, UW’s training and education subsidiary, to support crew competence and qualification across the European inland barge, river cruise and coastal vessel sectors.
The collaboration will enhance workforce readiness as European operators navigate evolving safety and decarbonization requirements in cruise, freight, and ferry shipping. Training programs align with recognized regional and national standards and continue to support consistent, high‑quality competence management for inland navigation crews.
This initiative addresses strong market demand for fully licensed navigation officers across a global fleet of more than 16,000 vessels. A key component is the ocean to river program, a successful program launched in 2025, which enables experienced ocean-going
Six-Week Container Spot Rate Rally Runs Out of Steam
Photo: By EvrenKalinbacak / Shutterstock
Six-Week Container Spot Rate Rally Runs Out of Steam
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 16, 2026
The six-week rally in global container freight rates has come to an end, with the latest reading from the
Drewry
World Container Index (WCI) showing a 3% decline to $2,246 per 40-foot container.
The pullback follows a sharp run-up driven by
rising bunker fuel costs
in the wake of late-February disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict. After weakening through January and early February, rates surged as oil markets reacted to supply shocks linked to instability around the
Strait of Hormuz. That momentum has now reversed.
Across the major east–west trades,
spot rates
softened.
U.S. initial jobless claims fall below expectations, signaling economic resilience
initial jobless claims fall below expectations, signaling economic resilience
in
World Economy News
16/04/2026
In a notable development for the U.S. labor market, the latest data on initial jobless claims has shown a decline, underscoring a potentially resilient economic landscape. The number of individuals filing for unemployment insurance for the first time came in at 207,000, according to the latest report.
This figure not only fell short of the forecasted 213,000 claims but also marked a decrease from the previous week’s tally of 218,000.
NYK Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Hokkaido Electric Power for Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Project
NYK Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Hokkaido Electric Power for Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Project
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
NYK has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. (“HEPCO”) to initiate a demonstration project in Tomakomai, Japan, related to an onboard carbon capture and storage (“OCCS”) technologies. Under this MoU, NYK and HEPCO will jointly conduct studies for a demonstration project to decarbonize maritime transport.
In the international maritime sector, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from operational vessels are essential to achieving a decarbonized society.