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
Golden Pass Ships First LNG Cargo, Launching Major New U.S. Export Supply
An LNG carrier departs the Golden Pass LNG terminal in Sabine Pass, Texas, escorted by tugboats in a ceremonial water salute as the project ships its inaugural export cargo. Photo courtesy Golden Pass LNG
Golden Pass Ships First LNG Cargo, Launching Major New U.S. Export Supply
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 23, 2026
The departure of the first export cargo from the Golden Pass LNG terminal marks the formal entry of one of America’s largest new liquefied natural gas projects into global trade, adding substantial new supply capacity as buyers navigate geopolitical risk and shifting gas flows.
Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, announced Wednesday the safe loading and departure of its inaugural cargo from Sabine Pass, Texas, a milestone marking the long-delayed project’s transition from commissioning into commercial trade.
“The safe and successful departure of our first LNG export cargo is a defining moment for Golden Pass, our workforce, the community
Satellite images reveal oil spills from Iran war, experts warn of environmental disaster
Satellite images reveal oil spills from Iran war, experts warn of environmental disaster
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
Satellite images show multiple oil spills in the region following US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil facilities and vessels, CNN reports, citing data of European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 mission.
The spills, some spanning kilometers near Iran’s Qeshm and Lavan Islands, threaten marine life, coral reefs and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Experts warn of a potential ecological catastrophe.
Wim Zwijnenburg of Dutch peace organization PAX told CNN that spills are reaching protected areas like Shidvar Island in the Persian Gulf, home to turtles and seabirds, calling the hit on Lavan a “major environmental emergency.”
Zwijnenburg warned that these spills could affect thousands of people, especially those living along Iran’s coast, contaminating the fish they rely on.
Greenpeace Germany spokesperson Nina Noelle noted that cleaning the oil is extremely diff
The 1 million TEU question: Do Gulf overland ports have the capacity?
The 1 million TEU question: Do Gulf overland ports have the capacity?
in
International Shipping News
23/04/2026
Our analysis of approximately 35,000 vessel calls reveals that alternative ports with overland connections can absorb, at best, 62% of displaced Persian Gulf cargo. At their current average throughput, they cover just 48%. This structural deficit creates an unavoidable supply chain crisis that demands predictive intelligence rather than reactive tracking.
Key takeaways at a glance
• 128 container ships are currently trapped inside the Persian Gulf, representing over 470,000 TEU of capacity
• 1.16 million TEU per week was the pre-crisis average capacity calling Gulf ports, total vessel capacity serves as a proxy for gauging the scale of displaced trade
• 489,000 TEU per week is the combined average throughput of all alternative overland-connected ports
• 38% minimum capacity gap exists even if alternative ports operate at their all-time historical peak
• Single-point-of-failur
Hormuz Traffic Grinds to a Halt After Iran Seizes First Vessels
Tankers are seen off the coast of the Fujairah, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
Hormuz Traffic Grinds to a Halt After Iran Seizes First Vessels
Bloomberg
Total Views: 0
April 23, 2026
By Weilun Soon
Apr 23, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt on Thursday after Iran fired on commercial ships and said it had
seized
at least two vessels — a first in nearly eight weeks of war.
Only one ship, bulk carrier
LB Energy
, was seen moving through the waterway early Thursday, with none seen entering. Products tanker Ocean Jewel is currently idling at the entrance to the corridor, having aborted a transit not long after Iranian forces began firing at three ships.
Two of those attacked vessels, the
MSC Francesca
and the
Epaminondas
, were subsequently boarded by Iranian forces, marking a new stage in Tehran’s efforts to exert control over traff