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
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
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
Strait of Hormuz reopening delayed
Strait of Hormuz reopening delayed
in
International Shipping News
24/04/2026
The latest joke about the Strait of Hormuz is that it is Schrödinger’s waterway: it is simultaneously open and closed, until you try to sail through it and find out for certain which it is. Over the weekend, several vessels put that question to the test and were given their answer: the strait is still mostly closed.
Despite recent encouraging signs of a possible end to the conflict in the Middle East, the US and Iran remain some distance apart on terms for a lasting peace agreement. The threat of prolonged disruption to energy and chemicals exports from the Gulf has grown.
Hopes of an end to the war had been rising.
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