Marine Fuel Availability: FONAR Friend?
Marine Fuel Availability: FONAR Friend?
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Marine Insurance P&I Club News
21/04/2026
E
xecutive Summary
The continuing fragility of the security situation in the Middle East has materially disrupted global energy and marine fuel supply chains. As a vital energy corridor, disruption to the Strait of Hormuz has already resulted in vessel congestion, sharp increases in marine fuel prices, and growing concerns among Owners and Charterers regarding the physical availability of compliant marine fuels.
In this context, this article examines a number of recurring questions raised by Members since the outbreak of the Conflict, focusing on the following key operational, contractual, and regulatory risk areas:
Seaworthiness and due diligence: Where marine fuel scarcity is foreseeable, inadequate voyage planning and bunkering arrangements may expose Owners to allegations of unseaworthiness on delivery or at the commencement of a voyage.
Charterparty risk allocation: Disputes may arise as to which
Crisis in the Middle East waterway places alternative shipping fuels in sharp focus
Crisis in the Middle East waterway places alternative shipping fuels in sharp focus
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International Shipping News
21/04/2026
T
he escalation of conflict across the Middle East and the disruption to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz have introduced a variable into the maritime energy transition that regulatory frameworks were never designed to handle: the possibility that conventional marine fuel becomes unavailable because competing domestic priorities absorb the available supply. This changes the analytical framing for clean shipping in a big way.
Until now, the investment case for alternative marine fuels has been driven by compliance – organized around the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Net-Zero Framework (NZF), and the European Union’s (EU) FuelEU Maritime regulation and emissions trading system (EU ETS) – with energy security treated as background context. The Hormuz crisis forces this to the front, opening an arguably more durable investment rationale for al
Shipping Industry United in Support of IMO as its Global Regulator and Successful Implementation of IMO GHG Reduction Pathway
Shipping Industry United in Support of IMO as its Global Regulator and Successful Implementation of IMO GHG Reduction Pathway
in
International Shipping News
21/04/2026
In advance of a critical meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84) this statement is made jointly on behalf of BIMCO, CLIA, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERFERRY, INTERTANKO and WSC, representing the global commercial shipping fleet.
Following the postponement, in October 2025, of the adoption of new IMO greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations, the shipping industry highlights the vital importance of IMO Member States agreeing on a way forward.
The IMO consistently demonstrates a unique ability to deliver critical regulations for the safety and security of international shipping and protection of the marine environment.
The industry remains unified in its commitment to the value and effectiveness of the IMO as the global regulator for international shipping and remains comm
Why and how is US blockading Iranian ports in Strait of Hormuz?
Why and how is US blockading Iranian ports in Strait of Hormuz?
in
International Shipping News
21/04/2026
The US has attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship trying to get past its blockade of Iran’s ports, President Trump says.
The ship, called the Touska, was intercepted in the Gulf of Oman.
Earlier this month, US forces announced they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran’s coast.
Washington said ships coming or going from elsewhere would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway off Iran’s coast that Tehran effectively closed in response to US-Israeli strikes.
The US wants to restrict Tehran’s ability to profit from oil exports in an attempt to put pressure on the country.
Why did Trump decide to blockade Iranian ports?
Trump hopes to put pressure on Iran by targeting two economic drivers – the huge tolls it was demanding ships pay to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and its oil revenue.
The US president told Fox News
Trump Doubles Down on Iran Blockade as Peace Talks Hang in Balance
President Donald Trump looks on during a round table on collegiate sports in the White House in Washington, D.C., March 6, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
Trump Doubles Down on Iran Blockade as Peace Talks Hang in Balance
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 20, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his rhetoric on the Iran conflict, claiming the U.S.
Blueprint for a new trade era
Blueprint for a new trade era
in
International Shipping News
21/04/2026
As the dust settles on the last month’s National People’s Congress, the global shipping community is beginning to digest a document that could be much more than a legislative checklist. China has officially unveiled its economic playbook for the rest of the decade, outlining a strategy that could reshape global trade and investment flows, according to specialists at the World Economic Forum (WEF).
This 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), arrives at a pivotal moment for the world’s second-largest economy, signalling a transition from pure volume to what Beijing calls “new quality productive forces”.
The authors of a WEF analysis, Dan Cowen, lead for economy, trade and jobs content and programming, Greater China, and Oscar Yang, project fellow, trade, investment and services facilitation, suggest that this document is “more than an internal procedure”.
They argue that these plans are “high-level policy blueprints that h
Three Ships Including an Iranian Vessel Attempt Hormuz Transits
Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 18, 2026. REUTERS
Three Ships Including an Iranian Vessel Attempt Hormuz Transits
Bloomberg
Total Views: 0
April 21, 2026
By Weilun Soon
Apr 21, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Three vessels — two cargo ships and a fuel tanker — appeared to be attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday as US and Iranian blockades remained in place.
The
Shoja 2
, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, crossed the strait and moved into the Gulf of Oman, but has now stopped signaling its location. The progress of the ship is being closely watched after the US Navy seized another Iranian cargo ship on Sunday, the first capture since Washington imposed a blockade of the waterway last week.
The other two vessels have no clear links to Iran.
Rates: Mapping the war to markets
Rates: Mapping the war to markets
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World Economy News
21/04/2026
The markets and the war and bond yields
To understand market thinking on the war, one must recognise that markets are cold-hearted. The fact that negotiations broke down last week is important, of course, but it’s not the dominant factor for markets; wars between regional powers aren’t actually that important to them. What matters is an improved medium-term capacity to get back to a normal flow of stuff generally.
Energy shocks in Asia: diverging buffers, diverging growth
Energy shocks in Asia: diverging buffers, diverging growth
in
World Economy News
21/04/2026
Asia and oil – uneven exposure to energy shocks
Asia accounts for the bulk of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, with China, India, and Japan among the largest recipients. But exposure to this supply shock is far from uniform, with wide differences in reserve buffers, policy capacity and the energy mix.
Japan and South Korea are backed by deep strategic reserves and fiscal space to stabilise domestic fuel prices. By contrast, India, the Philippines and Indonesia sit closer to the economic fault line, with thinner buffers and greater sensitivity to imported energy costs.
IEC Telecom Introduces Voucher-Based Connectivity Model to Advance Crew Welfare in APAC
IEC Telecom Introduces Voucher-Based Connectivity Model to Advance Crew Welfare in APAC
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International Shipping News
21/04/2026
IEC Telecom, an international satellite service operator, has unveiled its new voucher-based connectivity solution, IEC Voucher System, during the Singapore Maritime Week 2026. The new crew welfare solution was among the key highlights of the French Pavilion, held under the patronage of the French Chamber of Commerce Singapore.
With increasing digitalisation and evolving workforce expectations, access to reliable internet at sea is no longer considered a benefit, but a fundamental requirement. As maritime operations across APAC continue to scale, crew welfare has emerged as a critical factor in ensuring operational stability, talent retention, and service performance in the industry.
Today, connectivity plays a defining role in crew wellbeing.