Xeneta Weekly Ocean Container Shipping Market Update: Spot Rates Are Easing
Xeneta Weekly Ocean Container Shipping Market Update: Spot Rates Are Easing
in
International Shipping News
20/04/2026
The ocean freight market is sending very different signals depending where you look across global supply chains. Spot rates on European trades are easing.
Xeneta analyst insight
Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst
“The ocean freight market is sending very different signals depending where you look across global supply chains. Spot rates on European trades are easing – Far East to North Europe is down around 4% over the past week, Mediterranean down nearly 5%.
IEA Head Pitches Iraq-Turkey Pipeline To Bypass Hormuz
A drone view shows the Zubair Oil Field in Basra, Iraq, April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Mohammed Aty
IEA Head Pitches Iraq-Turkey Pipeline To Bypass Hormuz
Bloomberg
Total Views: 16
April 19, 2026
By Selcan Hacaoglu
Apr 19, 2026 (Bloomberg) –International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol proposed building a new oil pipeline linking Iraq’s Basra oil fields and Turkey’s Mediterranean oil terminal in Ceyhan to shift the balance away from the
Strait of Hormuz
, according to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.
“I believe a Basra–Ceyhan
pipeline could be extremely attractive
and a very important project for both Iraq and Turkey, as well as for regional supply security—especially from Europe’s perspective,” Birol said in an interview with Hürriyet, published on Sunday. “I also believe the financing issue can be overcome.
Tanker Market: All Eyes on Hormuz Strait
Tanker Market: All Eyes on Hormuz Strait
in
Hellenic Shipping News
20/04/2026
T
he resumption of crude oil flows and ships from the Strait of Hormuz is the catalyst of any future move in the tanker market, as oil supply is currently being restricted. Meanwhile, just as things started looking rosier by Friday afternoon, Saturday proved to be a different case, with IRGC closing the Strait once again, as long as the US Naval blockade continues. As a result, dozens of ships were forced to turn back, while there were reports of firings against at least two vessels.
In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Gibson said that “given the importance of Middle East Gulf trade flows, everything else pales in comparison.
US Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship, Tehran Vows To Retaliate
A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska as USS Spruance (DDG 111) conduts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video released April 19, 2026. CENTCOM/Handout via REUTERS
US Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship, Tehran Vows To Retaliate
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 19, 2026
By Daphne Psaledakis, Trevor Hunnicutt and Saad Sayeed
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 19 (Reuters) – The United States said on Sunday that it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that
tried to run its blockade
and Iran said it would retaliate, raising the possibility that the ceasefire between the two countries might not last for even the two days it is set to remain in force.
Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the U.S. had hoped to kick off before the
ceasefire
expires on Tuesday.
A weeks-long
blockade of shipping
that has driven global oil p
Hormuz Traffic at Standstill as US Vessel Seizure Widens Risk
A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska as USS Spruance (DDG 111) conduts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video released April 19, 2026. CENTCOM/Handout via REUTERS
Hormuz Traffic at Standstill as US Vessel Seizure Widens Risk
Bloomberg
Total Views: 0
April 20, 2026
By Weilun Soon
Apr 20, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a virtual standstill on Monday after a brief and confused reopening over the weekend ended with the first US
seizure
of an Iranian vessel — underscoring just how difficult it will be to restore activity in the vital strait.
Transits through the waterway have reduced to a trickle over seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, as Iran tightens control in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes. On Friday, that paralysis appeared to be at an end as Iran and the US announced a reopening, prompting oil to plunge and vessels to rush for the crossing — only for the situation t
FX Daily: Looking for a new steady state for the dollar
FX Daily: Looking for a new steady state for the dollar
in
Daily Currencies Ratings
20/04/2026
USD: Searching for a new steady state
Friday’s headline from Iranian authorities that the Strait of Hormuz was ‘fully open’ gave us a vision of where the dollar could be trading were this crisis over. That equated to around the 97.50/98.00 area in DXY and just over 1.18 in EUR/USD. In our April release of FX Talking, we expect the dollar to stray not too far from those levels for the remainder of the quarter.
In terms of the immediate focus, the question is whether investors will receive further positive news on renewed peace talks in Pakistan, or whether both sides will talk tough and potentially act tougher ahead of tomorrow’s deadline on the two-week ceasefire.
Hormuz shipping chaos returns as Iran reverses transit reopening
Hormuz shipping chaos returns as Iran reverses transit reopening
in
International Shipping News
20/04/2026
The brief glimmer of hope for a resumption of normal energy transit through the Strait of Hormuz has been abruptly extinguished, as Iran once again reimposed strict controls over the critical maritime chokepoint just hours after declaring it open.
A reversal of fortunes
The strategic waterway, which carries approximately one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, saw a wave of tankers attempt to transit on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s Friday announcement that the strait was “completely open” in line with a ceasefire in Lebanon had triggered the attempted crossings.
However, the optimism proved short-lived.
Shipping data and maritime security reports confirmed that Iranian gunboats intercepted and fired upon several commercial vessels, including at least one container ship and a tanker, without prior radio challenge.
The sudden pivot came after
Ceasefire At Risk After US Seizes Iranian Ship, Iran Shuns Peace Talks
Marines from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) rappel onto M/V Touska. (Source: US Central Command)
Ceasefire At Risk After US Seizes Iranian Ship, Iran Shuns Peace Talks
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 20, 2026
By Parisa Hafezi and Hatem Maher
DUBAI, April 20 (Reuters) – A ceasefire between the
United States and Iran
appeared in jeopardy on Monday after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate, refusing for now to join new peace talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington has shown it was “not serious” about pursuing the
diplomatic process
and Tehran would not change its clearly stated demands, adding that it did not believe in deadlines or ultimatums when safeguarding national interests.
The U.S.
Cruise Ships Seized Brief Hormuz Reopening To Flee Persian Gulf
A German tourist stands on the cruise ship ‘Mein Schiff 2’ of TUI Cruises after it was docked at dawn in Malaga port, becoming the first cruise ship carrying tourists to arrive on Spain’s mainland since June 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Malaga, southern Spain, June 15, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Cruise Ships Seized Brief Hormuz Reopening To Flee Persian Gulf
Bloomberg
Total Views: 0
April 19, 2026
By Laura Alviž and Julian Lee
Apr 19, 2026, 11:31 AM (Bloomberg) –Several cruise ships trapped in the Persian Gulf as a result of the Iran war raced to exit through the
Strait of Hormuz over the weekend
, taking advantage of a brief reopening of the passageway.
Travel operator TUI Cruises said on Sunday that two of its vessels — Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 — had “successfully passed” the strait by early afternoon.
“The passage took place based on the relevant
coordination and approvals
from the authorities, in a controlled manner and with careful consideration o
China Deploys Warship For Combat Drills In Western Pacific
Chinese Navy’s guided missile destroyer Taiyuan takes part in a naval parade. REUTERS/Jason Lee
China Deploys Warship For Combat Drills In Western Pacific
Bloomberg
Total Views: 0
April 19, 2026
By Catherine Wong
Apr 19, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is pushing beyond a chain of archipelagos to hold rare military drills that could be seen as a challenge to US dominance in the Western Pacific.
The Chinese navy has dispatched a naval task group led by a
Chinese warship
— the Type 052D destroyer Baotou — to transit through the Yokoate Waterway and conduct training in the Western Pacific Ocean, according to a statement from the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command on Sunday.
The excursion signals
China’s efforts
in breaking through the first island chain, a string of Pacific archipelagos encompassing US allies and partners including
Japan
, Taiwan and the
Philippines
, forming a key defensive line aimed at containing Chinese maritime expansion.
The drills are designed to