Iran War Pushes U.S. to Brink of Net Oil Exporter Status Not Seen Since WWII
The oil tanker Theo T departs the port of Corpus Christi with the first export cargo of US crude oil after the United States government repealed a 40-year ban on the export of crude oil in December 2015. Picture taken December 31, 2015. Photo credit: Port of Corpus Christi
Iran War Pushes U.S.
US-Sanctioned Supertankers Enter Gulf Despite Blockade
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. (DDG 121) sails in the Arabian Sea during Operation Epic Fury, March 18, 2026. Navy photo)
US-Sanctioned Supertankers Enter Gulf Despite Blockade
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 16, 2026
By Florence Tan
SINGAPORE, April 16 (Reuters) – A second U.S.-sanctioned supertanker has entered the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed, despite a U.S.
Energy prices set to rise as last Gulf Tankers reach Europe, analysts say
Energy prices set to rise as last Gulf Tankers reach Europe, analysts say
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
Energy analysts have warned of surging energy prices beyond already elevated levels, as the last vessels carrying oil and natural gas from the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict have reached Europe. Supply forecasts for oil and gas remain optimistic as US deliveries are expected.
Europe should prepare for a renewed surge in energy prices, as the last oil and LNG tankers to depart the Strait of Hormuz before the Middle East conflict have now reached their destinations, analysts warned.
EU countries have been relying on emergency oil reserves released by the International Energy Agency on 11 March, after losing supply to Asian buyers willing to pay more for the last cargoes leaving the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is a critical waterway that accounted for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG transit before the Middle East conflict.
The warning from analysts comes
US blockade on Iranian ports unlikely to impact container traffic through Strait of Hormuz
US blockade on Iranian ports unlikely to impact container traffic through Strait of Hormuz
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
US president Donald Trump on Sunday ordered a military blockade of Iranian ports, increasing the tension around the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping market intelligence firm Linerlytica expects the impact on container shipping to be negligible.
“The US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting from 13 April will further escalate the current tensions but the impact on the container shipping market is negligible as vessel traffic has been largely limited to Iranian linked ships over the past six weeks with just four outbound passages made by neutral operators since the war started on 28 February,” Linerlytica said.
Outside of the Middle East, container freight rates have corrected from their initial post-war peaks due to the lack of any space or equipment shortages, and cargo demand is starting to weaken given the macro-economic uncertainties that the w
Traffic recovery around Hormuz reversed after US counter-blockade
Traffic recovery around Hormuz reversed after US counter-blockade
in
International Shipping News
16/04/2026
A quick update from AXSMarine on vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz based on the latest AIS-derived data:
After a gradual recovery through late March and early April, crossings have now slowed again following the US Navy’s enforcement of a counter-blockade on 13 April.
Through most of March, confirmed crossings across dry bulk, tanker, and gas segments averaged fewer than 5 per day.
By the final week of the month, that figure had risen to around 10, continuing into early April — notably before any ceasefire was announced, suggesting traffic was already beginning to recover.
The early-April ceasefire added modest momentum, with crossings peaking at 17 on 12 April. However, within 24 hours of the counter-blockade enforcement, daily crossings fell back to single digits.
As of 15 April, 949 merchant vessels are tracked west of Hormuz inside the Gulf, with 307 operating witho
Half-Full Tanker Heading to Japan Highlights Scramble for Oil
FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Skipper, which British maritime risk management group Vanguard said was believed to have been seized on December 10, as well as another vessel, off Port Jose, Venezuela, November 18, 2025. 2025 PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via REUTERS
Half-Full Tanker Heading to Japan Highlights Scramble for Oil
Bloomberg
Total Views: 1
April 16, 2026
By Weilun Soon, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuji Okada
Apr 16, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A partially filled supertanker heading to Japan after receiving its Middle Eastern oil cargo via a ship transfer at sea highlights the desperate measures the nation’s refiners are taking to secure supply quickly.
The
Bright Horizon
, a very-large crude carrier, is currently sailing south from waters off Mumbai, signaling Japan’s Kiire as its destination, according to ship-tracking data. The tanker received the cargo of Omani oil from a Suezmax called
Shenlong
on Monday through an offshore transfer.
Japan has been in
U.S. Expands Iran Blockade With Global Boarding Powers, Broad ‘Contraband’ Crackdown
The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) on patrol as part of the U.S. blockade on ships underway to and from Iranian ports. Photo shared by US Central Command
U.S.
Six-Week Container Spot Rate Rally Runs Out of Steam
Photo: By EvrenKalinbacak / Shutterstock
Six-Week Container Spot Rate Rally Runs Out of Steam
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
April 16, 2026
The six-week rally in global container freight rates has come to an end, with the latest reading from the
Drewry
World Container Index (WCI) showing a 3% decline to $2,246 per 40-foot container.
The pullback follows a sharp run-up driven by
rising bunker fuel costs
in the wake of late-February disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict. After weakening through January and early February, rates surged as oil markets reacted to supply shocks linked to instability around the
Strait of Hormuz. That momentum has now reversed.
Across the major east–west trades,
spot rates
softened.
Breaking the Bottleneck: Building a Resilient Future for U.S. LNG and Global Maritime Fueling
Galveston LNG Bunker Port, as shown in this rendering, will be located on the Texas City Ship Channel in the Texas City industrial area. The small-scale LNG production facility will supply LNG by fuel barge to the rapidly expanding fleet of LNG-fueled vessels in the greater Houston-Galveston region.
Breaking the Bottleneck: Building a Resilient Future for U.S. LNG and Global Maritime Fueling
Editorial
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April 16, 2026
By Lou Sola (Editorial) – Amid escalating geopolitical disruptions at the
Strait of Hormuz
, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows, attacks, blockades, and strategic coercion are exposing the fragility of global maritime fuel supply chains.
How the U.S. Could Clear Mines From the Strait of Hormuz
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
How the U.S. Could Clear Mines From the Strait of Hormuz
Reuters
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April 16, 2026
April 16 (Reuters) – As the United States embarks on clearing mines from the
Strait of Hormuz
, it could draw on an arsenal of drones, explosive?laden robots and helicopters to reduce risks, though de-mining crews could still be vulnerable to Iranian attacks.
The U.S. is trying to secure the strait from mines as part of efforts to end Iran’s disruption of shipping, which has severely curbed global energy supplies since the U.S.