Growing push for revisions adds uncertainty to IMO green bunker rules
Growing push for revisions adds uncertainty to IMO green bunker rules
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
A growing number of countries are seeking to revise the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework during the latest round of negotiations, but critics said changing the previously approved rules will lead to further delays or put the regulation in jeopardy.
Following technical meetings in London over April 20-24, the UN agency’s member states are scheduled to hold the 84th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee over April 27-May 1 to discuss the rules framework for decarbonizing marine energy.
The framework, designed to place a cost on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from marine energy use from 2028, was first hammered through in a 63-16 vote in April 2025.
But opponents successfully prevented the regulation’s adoption last October by winning a vote, 57-49, to delay the negotiation by a year.
Below are the current positions of some IMO member
Stockdraws, sanction/replacement oil, demand loss
Stockdraws, sanction/replacement oil, demand loss
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
T
he US and Iran failed to reach a deal over the weekend, with the US announcing a complete blockade of Iranian ports, further undermining the already fragile two-week ceasefire starting from 8th April 2026. If enforced, vessel transits via the Strait of Hormuz could come to a complete halt, as Iran may strive itself to block any other transits. The situation remains volatile, and most vessel operators will likely take a wait-and-see approach and delay entry to the Middle East Gulf.
With the Strait of Hormuz remaining mostly closed since the beginning of the conflict, about 17.7mbd of mainstream seaborne oil supplies (excluding those from Iran), based on 2025 averages, have been curtailed from the market.
When the Gulf Went Still
When the Gulf Went Still
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
Оn 28 February 2026, the Persian Gulf was running a normal book of business. Panamaxes were completing grain discharges at Bandar Imam Khomeini. Supramaxes were working fertilizer parcels.
The Orderbook Giants: China’s Top 10 Yards Revealed
The Orderbook Giants: China’s Top 10 Yards Revealed
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
C
hina’s shipbuilding industry continues to dominate the global orderbook, and the past year has seen its top yards cement their grip on global contracting. The top 10 Chinese yards have collectively attracted significant newbuilding investment across a broad range of vessel types, from VLCCs and LNG carriers to Containers and Bulkers.
Below, we profile the leading yards by order volume, highlighting the deals, vessel preferences, and values that define each yard’s position in today’s market.
Over the last year, Hengli Shipbuilding tops the list significantly ahead of the competition with 174 orders received, valued at USD 16 bil. Impressively, Hengli Shipbuilding is a relatively new yard, established in the early 2020’s, having taken over the former STX Dalian shipyard on Changxing Island, Dalian.
VLCCs are the vessel of choice at this yard, representing c.31% of en bloc orders.
Ship Recycling Market Showing Mixed Performance
Ship Recycling Market Showing Mixed Performance
in
Hellenic Shipping News
23/04/2026
T
he ship recycling markets have exhibited a mixed performance depending on each submarket. In its latest weekly report, Best Oasis (
www.best-oasis.com
), a leading cash buyer of ships, said that “Indian recyclers continue to face challenges in securing fresh tonnage, as higher price levels offered by Bangladesh are drawing vessels away from the market. Domestic steel prices remain under pressure, limiting buyers’ ability to match competing regional offers.
Strait of Hormuz traffic remains low as only Iran-linked ships transit
Strait of Hormuz traffic remains low as only Iran-linked ships transit
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
Only Iran-linked vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz April 20 as traffic levels stayed low amid the Middle East conflict, according to an April 21 report from S&P Global Commodities at Sea.
According to the report, 14 ships transited the strait on April 20, eight of which had exited the narrow waterway while six had entered it.
Hormuz traffic has been at around 10% of prewar levels after 29 vessels exited the strait over the weekend, the report said.
Fewer ships have attempted to make the crossing following a clampdown by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. and US forces firing on an Iran-linked vessel, with only nine ships transiting the strait April 19.
Amid competing US and Iranian blockades, US military forces interdicted a tanker, the Tifani, carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian crude April 21, the US defense department said in a statement on X.
The tanker loaded
Lloyd’s Register assesses AI navigation technology in live vessel trial with Orca AI
Lloyd’s Register assesses AI navigation technology in live vessel trial with Orca AI
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
The trial assessed the performance of an AI-based navigation platform, focusing on its role in enhancing situational awareness and supporting human decision-making at sea.
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has tested Orca AI’s AI-powered navigation system during a live vessel trial.
The assessment focused on how AI-based computer vision can support human decision-making in real operating conditions, particularly in complex navigation scenarios such as congested waters and reduced visibility.
The trial was conducted on a feeder containership during a five-day voyage through some of the Mediterranean’s busiest shipping lanes, from the port of Gioia Tauro in Italy to Marsaxlokk, Malta. The work tested the system’s object detection performance alongside radar, AIS and visual watchkeeping.
During the voyage, the platform detected close-range and low-signature targets that were
ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook
ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
Northwest Europe
Bunker availability is normal in the ARA hub, a trader said. Buyers are asked to enquire about stems around five days in advance to get good offers from a wide selection of suppliers.
The ARA’s independently held fuel oil stocks have fallen by 17% in April so far, according to Insights Global data.
At 4.31 million barrels, the region’s fuel oil stocks are below their five-year average.
The ARA hub has imported 241,000 b/d of fuel oil in April thus far, up from March’s 207,000 b/d, according to data from cargo tracker Vortexa. Most supplies have arrived from Venezuela (18%), Sweden (17%) and Mexico (12%).
The region’s independent gasoil inventories – which include diesel and heating oil – have decreased by 6% this month, compared to March.
Three ships attacked in Hormuz after ceasefire extension
Three ships attacked in Hormuz after ceasefire extension
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
Three ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension to a ceasefire agreement with Iran hours before it was due to expire.
State media in Iran reported that the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had attacked a ship in the strait, saying the vessel was “stranded” on the Iranian coast.
Shipping monitor U.K. Maritime Operation said a separate container ship in the strait was attacked, shortly after a boat belonging to the Revolutionary Guards struck a ship in the area. Iranian state media claimed that the Revolutionary Guards seized these two vessels.
Trump has also said an ongoing U.S.
Navy Secretary John Phelan Departs Abruptly in Surprise Pentagon Shakeup
Phelan speaks on current events during the WEST 2026 Conference at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, (U.S. Madisyn Paschal)
Navy Secretary John Phelan Departs Abruptly in Surprise Pentagon Shakeup
Mike Schuler
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April 22, 2026
In a surprise Pentagon shakeup, John C. Phelan is departing the administration effective immediately, the Department of War announced Wednesday, abruptly ending a turbulent tenure defined by ambitious shipbuilding plans, efforts to revive the maritime industrial base, and bold—at times controversial—visions for restoring American sea power.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell disclosed the move in a brief statement on social media, offering no explanation for the abrupt departure. Hung Cao, the former Navy EOD officer and current undersecretary, will assume the role of acting Navy secretary effective immediately.
The sudden exit comes just one day after Phelan appeared publicly at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space symposium, where shipbu