Hormuz: VLCC inbound transits continue despite overall traffic slowdown
Hormuz: VLCC inbound transits continue despite overall traffic slowdown
in
International Shipping News
17/04/2026
A quick follow-up to yesterday’s note with additional confirmed vessel movements for 15 April.
We recorded 8 confirmed crossings across dry bulk, tanker and gas segments, in line with the post-blockade slowdown highlighted previously. Activity remains below the 8–12 April peak window, but continues at a reduced pace rather than halting entirely.
The most notable development is the continued presence of large crude movements into the Gulf. Three VLCCs (280,000–300,000 dwt) were confirmed inbound on 15 April:
HONG LU (298,920 dwt, Hong Kong-owned)
ALICIA (281,396 dwt, China-owned)
AGIOS FANOURIOS I (299,996 dwt, Greek-owned), bound for Basrah
This represents roughly 880,000 dwt of crude-carrying capacity entering the Gulf in a single day.
U.S. natural gas exports to grow nearly 30% by 2027 as LNG facilities ramp up
natural gas exports to grow nearly 30% by 2027 as LNG facilities ramp up
in
Freight News
17/04/2026
I
n our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast that U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports will continue to increase as five LNG export projects start operations and ramp up production by the end of 2027. We also forecast increased natural gas pipeline exports, mainly to Mexico.
Shaky ceasefire has yet to unwind the war’s grip on dry bulk commodities
Shaky ceasefire has yet to unwind the war’s grip on dry bulk commodities
in
International Shipping News
17/04/2026
I
ron ore markets are poised for stronger exports as Australian and Brazilian shipments recover, though Chinese demand remains weak.
Coal prices softened following a ceasefire but remain supported by tight gas supply and potential European demand. Agricultural markets remain volatile, with Hormuz bottlenecks, US drought risks, and robust South American exports shaping the outlook.
Aluminium prices remain elevated due to Gulf supply damage, contrasting with weaker alumina amid oversupplies. Freight markets show Pacific-led strength in Capesize.
Iron Ore & Steel: Recovery in Australian and Brazilian flows set to lift global iron ore exports
Global seaborne iron ore exports finished at 29.74Mt in the week ending 5 April, down 3% y/y but broadly in line with the five-year average.
MABUX: Bunker Prices Could Keep Deflating Next Week
MABUX: Bunker Prices Could Keep Deflating Next Week
in
International Shipping News
17/04/2026
Since the announcement of the ceasefire in the Middle East on April 8, the global bunker market has entered a phase of temporary stabilization, accompanied by a moderate downward correction. By the end of the week, the 380 HSFO index declined by USD 14.86, falling from USD 771.58/MT to USD 756.72/MT. The VLSFO index dropped by a further USD 25.10, from USD 901.43/MT to USD 876.33/MT, breaking below the USD 900.00 threshold.
One Week Into the Ceasefire: A Maritime Intelligence Breakdown
One Week Into the Ceasefire: A Maritime Intelligence Breakdown
in
International Shipping News
17/04/2026
One week after the ceasefire was announced, the maritime system has not returned to open navigation. Instead, the ceasefire has introduced a more complex operating environment, with continued vessel movement but no consistent framework for access or navigation.
In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, transit through the Strait of Hormuz continued, but only under the same IRGC-controlled structure that had been in place since mid-March. Routing remained confined to alternative corridors through or alongside Iranian territorial waters, approval was still required, and vessels were explicitly warned that unauthorized transit could be targeted.
As the week progressed, it became clear that this was not a reopening, but a supervised pause.
U.S. Coast Guard to Homeport First Two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska
A rendering of a future Arctic Security Cutter awarded to Davie Defense, part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s expanded icebreaker fleet, operating in polar waters as Washington moves to close the U.S. Coast Guard to Homeport First Two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 1
April 16, 2026
The U.S.
Tankers: India Emerging As a Leading Market for Seaborne Crude Oil Imports
Tankers: India Emerging As a Leading Market for Seaborne Crude Oil Imports
in
Hellenic Shipping News
17/04/2026
C
rude tankers carrying oil into India have been in high demand since the start of 2026. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Banchero Costa said that “after a modest upturn in 2024, when global crude oil loadings increased by +0.8% y-o-y, things picked up further in 2025, with full-year volumes increasing by +2.0% y-o-y. In Jan-Feb 2026, global crude oil loadings increased by +6.3% y-o-y to 362.5 mln tonnes, excluding all cabotage trade, according to vessels tracking data from LSEG.
UN: Middle East conflict chokes end of supply chain as lights go out in the Pacific
UN: Middle East conflict chokes end of supply chain as lights go out in the Pacific
in
International Shipping News
17/04/2026
For Pacific Island countries, the Middle East crisis is not a distant geopolitical event. It is already showing up in higher fuel prices, electricity uncertainty and fears that communities sitting at the far end of global supply chains could be pushed into deeper economic insecurity.
“We are at the end of the supply chain,” Tuya Altangerel, a senior UN Development Programme (UNDP) official in the Pacific region, told UN News “so this energy crisis is really impacting our communities.”
With Fiji a significant hub in the Pacific Ocean, island nations that surround it extend thousands of miles into the world’s largest ocean, with the distance between some islands as much 3,000 miles.
Within this vast area, the isolation from the rest of the world is not only very challenging by also expensive.
From Fiji to Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands to the Marshall Islands, govern
Pakistan Oil Tanker Makes Rare Entry and Exit Through Hormuz
FILE PHOTO: Tankers sail 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//File Photo
Pakistan Oil Tanker Makes Rare Entry and Exit Through Hormuz
Bloomberg
Total Views: 0
April 17, 2026
By Weilun Soon
Apr 17, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weekend has become the first carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a crude cargo since a US blockade began on Monday, underscoring just how limited traffic through the vital chokepoint remains.
The
Shalamar
sailed just south of Iran’s Larak island and out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday with around 450,000 barrels of crude loaded at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. The Aframax tanker, only half full, is signaling Karachi as its destination.
Transits through the narrow
European Countries Have Capacity to Clear Mines in Hormuz, French Defence Minister Says
FILE PHOTO: A formation of Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships USS Devastator (MCM 6), USS Gladiator (MCM 11), USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Dextrous (MCM 13), the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) and an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter assigned to the “Blackhawks” of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HSM) 15 maneuver in the Arabian Sea, July 6, 2019. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS- THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo
European Countries Have Capacity to Clear Mines in Hormuz, French Defence Minister Says
Reuters
Total Views: 0
April 17, 2026
PARIS, April 17 (Reuters) – European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France have mine clearance capacity which could help secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin told French TV station TF1 on Friday.
“There are capabilities to provide fully supported escort services – that is to say, in no way offensive, of course – for s