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
in
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
in
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.
Conservation Groups Urge Governments to Reject Biofuels in Shipping Decarbonization Plans
Conservation Groups Urge Governments to Reject Biofuels in Shipping Decarbonization Plans
in
International Shipping News
21/04/2026
As delegates convene today at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters for the 21st session of the Intersessional Working Group on Greenhouse Gases (ISWG-GHG-21), a number of conservation and environmental justice organisations – lead by Biofuelwatch and Global Forest Coalition – are issuing a call to member states to not allow biofuels to be counted as a green solution to shipping’s climate problem.
The group, representing organisations working across Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe, warns that endorsing biofuels within the IMO’s decarbonization pathway would accelerate deforestation, drive land grabs, threaten biodiversity and deepen food insecurity in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
“Biofuels are being promoted as a climate solution for shipping, but the reality on the ground tells a very different story,”
LNG shipping stocks: First growth phase complete
LNG shipping stocks: First growth phase complete
in
International Shipping News
21/04/2026
The UP World LNG Shipping Index lost 6.33 points (2.79%) last week, closing at 220.61 points, while the S&P 500 gained 4.54% — its best week in a year — on ceasefire optimism and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. The divergence is telling: good news for equities broadly is not necessarily good news for LNG shipping. The UPI has concluded its first growth phase of the year, with gainers outnumbering decliners 7:13 and a median change of -1.46%.
China Flexes Energy Leverage As the Philippines, US Start Annual War Games
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard stand alert as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocks their way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo
China Flexes Energy Leverage As the Philippines, US Start Annual War Games
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 21, 2026
By Joe Cash
BEIJING, April 21 (Reuters) – China on Tuesday implied energy assistance for the Philippines could be tied to Manila holding military drills with the U.S. and other allies, as its top newspaper showed Beijing’s readiness to leverage its reserves in diplomatic disputes.
In an editorial headlined “The Philippines should create conditions for deepening cooperation,” the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily accused the Philippines of hypocrisy for seeking the emergency supplies days before hosting
annual drills
involving more than 17,000 troops on a remote Philippine island near Taiwan.
China has the world’s largest strategic oil inventories
US Coast Guard Icebreaker ‘Polar Star’ Returns Home After Antarctic Mission
USCGC Polar Star escorts the motor vessel Stena Polaris, the largest fuel tanker ever to reach McMurdo Station, through the ice-covered Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. Pacific Air Forces operates on a 24-hour basis to provide the U.S. National Science Foundation complete joint operational and logistic support for Operation Deep Freeze.