Panama Canal Traffic Climbs as Officials Downplay Congestion Fears
Photo: Panama Canal Authority
Panama Canal Traffic Climbs as Officials Downplay Congestion Fears
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 23, 2026
The
Panama Canal
is pushing back against renewed concerns over congestion, telling the maritime industry it is handling rising traffic volumes efficiently even as geopolitical disruption and stronger demand drive up competition for transit slots.
In a market update hosted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Panama Canal Authority officials said the waterway saw higher transits and tonnage during the first half of fiscal year 2026 while continuing to operate without queues, underscoring what officials described as a return to stable and predictable operations.
During the October 2025–March 2026 period, the canal handled 6,288 transits, up 224 from the same period a year earlier, while cargo volumes climbed roughly 5% to 254 million PC/UMS tons. Performance strengthened in recent months, with daily averages reaching 34 vessels in January and 37 in Marc
Trump Moves to Extend Jones Act Waiver 90 Days as Maritime Industry Says Fuel Relief Never Came
Stock Photo: SOMKIET POOMSIRIPAIBOON / Shutterstock
Trump Moves to Extend Jones Act Waiver 90 Days as Maritime Industry Says Fuel Relief Never Came
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 23, 2026
The Trump administration is preparing to extend
its controversial Jones Act waiver
for up to 90 days, a move that would deepen an already contentious policy experiment launched during the Strait of Hormuz crisis and intensify a growing clash between emergency energy measures and the administration’s own maritime revival agenda.
Reuters, citing sources familiar with the decision, reported the White House could act as early as Friday to extend the waiver, which first took effect March 17. The exemption temporarily opened domestic coastwise trade to foreign-flagged vessels carrying fuel and other critical commodities in an effort to blunt energy disruptions tied to the Iran conflict.
But what began as a short-term emergency measure increasingly appears to be evolving into something broader.
A formal A
Trump Says Shipbuilding Clashes Led to Navy Secretary Phelan’s Firing
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing behind him, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Trump Says Shipbuilding Clashes Led to Navy Secretary Phelan’s Firing
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 1
April 23, 2026
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired following conflicts with senior Pentagon leadership over shipbuilding, offering the clearest explanation yet for the abrupt ouster that stunned Washington and raised questions about the future of the administration’s maritime agenda.
Phelan’s
departure
, first announced Wednesday without explanation by the Department of War, had initially been portrayed as a surprise leadership shakeup. But Trump’s comments now recast it as a power struggle over naval procurement, industrial reform, and the pace of the administration’s push to expand the fleet.
“He’s a hard charger, and he had some c
High claims risk persists for soya beans
High claims risk persists for soya beans
in
Marine Insurance P&I Club News
24/04/2026
Brazil remains the world’s largest soya beans supplier, accounting for close to 60 per cent of global trade and representing the country’s most valuable export commodity. The Brazil–China corridor continues to dominate seaborne flows, with China firmly established as Brazil’s leading buyer.
After severe disruption in late 2025 driven by intensified phytosanitary enforcement by Chinese customs authorities, Brazilian soya bean exports to China are now gradually stabilising. However, with production and export volumes forecast to set further records in the 2025/26 season, carriers should expect continued regulatory scrutiny and sustained claims exposure.
Record exports
In 2025, Brazil exported a record 108 million tonnes of soya beans, of which approximately 85 million tonnes (68 per cent) were shipped to China.
DNV and SIT sign new agreement to advance Singapore’s remote and autonomous maritime capabilities
DNV and SIT sign new agreement to advance Singapore’s remote and autonomous maritime capabilities
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
DNV and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) have signed a new Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) to jointly support the development of remote and autonomous maritime capabilities in Singapore. The RCA builds on a Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)-funded Joint Industry Project (JIP) focused on shore‑based Remote Operations Centres (ROC) for bunker vessels and strengthens Singapore’s ongoing efforts to boost next‑generation maritime operations.
Under the RCA, DNV and SIT will work together to identify and develop the required technical, operational, and training capabilities that will enable SIT’s Future Ship and System Design (FSSD) Lab to support remote and autonomous vessel functions. The JIP, supported by MPA, will bring together industry and research partners to study how selected vessel functions can be safely monitored
As the shipping industry monitors the Strait of Hormuz, EmissionLink warns UK ETS preparations cannot wait
As the shipping industry monitors the Strait of Hormuz, EmissionLink warns UK ETS preparations cannot wait
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
The events unfolding in and around the Strait of Hormuz are understandably commanding the industry’s attention. Whilst management attention is focused on one of the world’s most strategically important trading corridors, another major challenge is rapidly approaching.
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme will extend to maritime on 1 July, adding to an already intense regulatory burden for owners, operators and chartering teams. With many companies still managing FuelEU administration, reporting deadlines, verifier submissions and wider decarbonisation compliance requirements, maritime emissions compliance provider, EmissionLink, says there is a real risk that UK ETS preparations could slip down the priority list.
Philippos Ioulianou, Managing Director of EmissionLink, comments:
“Shipping is dealing with serious and immediate pressures, and it i
BIMCO: Documentary Committee meets on 29 and 30 April
BIMCO: Documentary Committee meets on 29 and 30 April
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
The BIMCO Documentary Committee will meet in Copenhagen next week to review ongoing projects and consider items for adoption. The two‑day meeting highlights the DC’s structured and collaborative approach to developing BIMCO’s contractual standards.
The extensive agenda for this DC meeting includes both revision and novel contractual projects: Energy Saving Device Retrofit Addendum, HEAVYLIFTVOY, WINDSEACON, Standard Clause for Carriage of Electric Vehicles, RECYCLECON, WRECKHIRE, CO2TIME and Biofuel Clause for Time Charter Parties, Virtual Notice Clause for Voyage and Time Charter Parties and LAYUPMAN.
It will be the committee’s first in‑person meeting of 2026, bringing together Documentary Committee delegates from 26 different countries, industry experts and IG Clubs to review ongoing work and consider projects for adoption.
The meeting continues the DC’s evolving working model, combining p
IBIA statement concerning the forthcoming MEPC 84
IBIA statement concerning the forthcoming MEPC 84
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
The joint statement* issued on Monday 20 April 2026 by shipping associations representing the global commercial fleet, “Shipping Industry United in Support of IMO as its Global Regulator and Successful Implementation of IMO GHG Reduction Pathway,” reiterates full support for the IMO as the global regulator for international shipping.
It emphasises that decarbonization of the maritime sector is a multi-stakeholder endeavour which should and can only be achieved by all stakeholders of the global maritime ecosystem.
IBIA – The International Bunker Industry Association, representing stakeholders across the global marine energy supply chain, aligns with this position. It remains committed to providing meaningful and constructive input to support IMO Member States in developing globally consistent, fit-for-purpose regulations that deliver the Organization’s strategic vision.
IBIA recognises the need f
dship Carriers and NSB Group launchHinode Shipmanagement for new MPP vessels
dship Carriers and NSB Group launchHinode Shipmanagement for new MPP vessels
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
The German shipping company dship Carriers and ship manager NSB Group have joined forces by establishing the joint venture Hinode Shipmanagement to manage dship’s next generation of MPP vessels.
Based in Buxtehude, Germany, Hinode Shipmanagement is designed as a focused setup tailored to the specific requirements of a modern MPP fleet. It brings together dship Carriers’ commercial and operational expertise with NSB Group’s technical and ship management capabilities. At the same time, NSB Group continues to expand its maritime portfolio, partnering with dship Carriers, a well-established player in the MPP market.
At the center of the joint venture are six modern D500 newbuildings, currently under construction at Chinese shipyards and scheduled for delivery between June 2026 and the end of 2027.
Iran Seizes MSC Container Ships As ‘Weaponization Of Trade’ Continues In Strait Of Hormuz – Analyst Update
Iran Seizes MSC Container Ships As ‘Weaponization Of Trade’ Continues In Strait Of Hormuz – Analyst Update
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
Hours after the announcement of an extension of the US-Iran ceasefire, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is reported to have seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz — the MSC Francesca (11,660 TEU) and the MSC Epaminondas (6,690 TEU).
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta – the leading ocean and air freight intelligence platform – calls ongoing blockades and attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz ‘the weaponization of trade’.
He said: “The extended ceasefire can be seen as a positive step, but if it brings a calming of conflict in the skies, that has not reached the water because there is no safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. This is the weaponization of trade, with both sides recognizing the pain they can inflict with a bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The seized vessels were on