Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Renews Partnership with Shanghai Maritime University to Strengthen Maritime Development
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Renews Partnership with Shanghai Maritime University to Strengthen Maritime Development
in
Port News
23/04/2026
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen cooperation in maritime talent development and knowledge exchange. The MOU was signed by Mr Ang Wee Keong, Chief Executive of MPA, and Professor Chu Beiping, President of SMU.
Started in 2020, this partnership supports exchanges of students and maritime professionals and facilitates participation in high-level seminars and knowledge sharing platforms. These efforts provide valuable opportunities for participants to gain insights into development in maritime safety, digitalisation and decarbonisation in both countries.
Since 2023, MPA and SMU have enhanced collaboration through mutual participation in maritime leadership programmes, and by contributing expert speakers to high-level forums th
Iran Ship Seizures Show ‘Weaponization of Trade’ in Hormuz, Xeneta Warns
A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Iran Ship Seizures Show ‘Weaponization of Trade’ in Hormuz, Xeneta Warns
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 22, 2026
Iran’s reported seizure of two MSC containerships in the
Strait of Hormuz
is the latest sign the crisis in the strategic waterway has evolved beyond a shipping disruption into what one analyst is calling the “weaponization of trade.”
Hours after President Donald Trump
extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire
while maintaining a naval blockade, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was reported to have seized the 11,660-TEU
MSC Francesca
and the 6,690-TEU
MSC Epaminondas
, escalating concerns over retaliation against commercial shipping.
“This is the weaponization of trade,” said Peter Sand of Xeneta.
“The extended ceasefire can be seen as a
Congress Confronts U.S. Shipbuilding Crisis as Maritime Buildout Meets Reality Check
National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) under construction at Hanwha Philly Shipyard. Photo courtesy Hanwha Philly Shipyard
Congress Confronts U.S. Shipbuilding Crisis as Maritime Buildout Meets Reality Check
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 1
April 22, 2026
A rare joint House hearing on Wednesday laid bare both the ambition and the friction behind Washington’s growing push to revive American shipbuilding, as administration officials promoted an expansive maritime buildout while congressional watchdogs warned chronic delays, rising costs and industrial bottlenecks continue to undermine the effort.
The
joint hearing
, “Revitalizing Shipbuilding and the Maritime Industrial Base,” brought together the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, underscoring how commercial shipbuilding, naval readiness and industrial policy are increasingly converging in Washingt
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.
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
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
Total Views: 0
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
China Teases New Aircraft Carrier in Video, Vows to Build Up Islands
FILE PHOTO: Visitors look at replicas of aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong, displayed at the PLA Naval Museum on the 75th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, in Qingdao, Shandong province, China April 23, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
China Teases New Aircraft Carrier in Video, Vows to Build Up Islands
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 23, 2026
By Ryan Woo and Xiuhao Chen
BEIJING, April 23 (Reuters) – China teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims.
The video issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian.
Titled “Into the Deep,” it showed a 19-year-old named “He Jian” joining