U.S. and Iran Edge Toward War Deal as Hormuz Talks Advance
A map showing the Strait of Hormuz and a 3D printed oil pipeline are seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
U.S. and Iran Edge Toward War Deal as Hormuz Talks Advance
Reuters
Total Views: 581
May 6, 2026
By Ariba Shahid, Steve Holland and Alexander Cornwell
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV, May 6 (Reuters) – Iran said on Wednesday it was reviewing a new U.S.
Shipowners Stay Cautious on Hormuz as Iran Says ‘Contact Us’
Photo by Anatoly Menzhiliy/Shutterstock
Shipowners Stay Cautious on Hormuz as Iran Says ‘Contact Us’
Bloomberg
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May 6, 2026
By Alaric Nightingale, Weilun Soon and Grant Smith (Bloomberg) –Shipping companies remain cautious about sending vessels through the
Strait of Hormuz
, despite signs that Iran may be willing to reopen the channel.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that “safe, stable passage” through the waterway — a vital passage for oil supply — will be possible with “new protocols in place.” That came soon after a report that the US had proposed a peace deal, which Tehran is now considering.
Details of the demands or restrictions Iran intends impose on shipping, and whether the US will accept them, remain unclear.
“The shipowners I’ve spoken to have said they’ll believe it when they see it,” Halvor Ellefsen, a London-based director at Fearnleys Shipbrokers UK Ltd., said of the possibility of Hormuz traffic resuming. “It’s not the first time th
India’s bunker demand slows in April on tight credit, market uncertainty
India’s bunker demand slows in April on tight credit, market uncertainty
in
International Shipping News
07/05/2026
Bunker demand across India’s west and east coasts slowed in April compared with March amid tight credit and ongoing market uncertainty due to the Middle East war, while supply was moderate throughout April, traders, suppliers, and other market participants told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, on May 4.
Traders and suppliers said elevated March prices quickly exhausted buyers’ credit lines, limiting purchases to one or two stems and keeping many out of the market in April until limits reset. Weaker vessel activity about the Strait of Hormuz and idle ships further weighed on demand. The market remained volatile amid ceasefire developments, with buyers securing volumes during price rises but retreating as prices softened, expecting further declines.
“In Mumbai, demand was moderate in April, with average volumes at around 4,000-5,000 metric tons for high sulfur fuel oil and
U.S. Navy Jet Fires Upon, Disables Iranian Tanker Accused of Violating Washington’s Blockade
Air Force F-16 fighter jet patrols near the Strait of Hormuz. Navy Jet Fires Upon, Disables Iranian Tanker Accused of Violating Washington’s Blockade
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 2
May 6, 2026
U.S. forces disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday after CENTCOM said the vessel attempted to violate Washington’s blockade on ships entering or departing Iranian ports.
According to U.S.
Maersk Holds 2026 Outlook as Ocean Volumes Surge Despite Rate Pressure
FILE PHOTO: Container vessel Maersk Hangzhou sails in the Wielingen channel, Westerschelde, Netherlands, July 15, 2018. Rene van Quekelberghe/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Maersk Holds 2026 Outlook as Ocean Volumes Surge Despite Rate Pressure
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
May 7, 2026
A.P. Moller – Maersk
reported solid first-quarter 2026 results on Thursday, posting strong volume growth across all business segments despite continued pressure on
container freight rates
and ongoing geopolitical volatility.
The Danish shipping and logistics giant reported underlying EBITDA of $1.8 billion and EBIT of $340 million for the quarter, as higher volumes and operational efficiencies helped offset weaker freight rates in an oversupplied container shipping market.
Ocean volumes rose 9.3% year-over-year, outperforming the broader container market, while Logistics & Services revenue increased 8.7% and terminal volumes climbed 4.3%.
Hijacked Tanker Off Yemen Deepens Fears of Somali Piracy Resurgence
The Iranian-flagged dhow ALWASEEMI, pictured by EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta
Hijacked Tanker Off Yemen Deepens Fears of Somali Piracy Resurgence
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
May 7, 2026
European naval forces have confirmed the hijacking of an oil tanker off Yemen after armed individuals reportedly boarded the vessel near Qana Port before steering it toward the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast, marking the latest sign that piracy threats in the western Indian Ocean are rapidly escalating again.
According to a new alert issued Thursday by the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean, armed individuals boarded the tanker
EUREKA
(IMO: 1022823) at approximately 0500 UTC on May 2 while the vessel was anchored off Qana Port in Yemen’s Shabwa province.
The advisory said the vessel was subsequently taken under the control of the attackers and is now believed to be underway toward waters off Somalia.
Operation ATALANTA, the European Union’s counter-piracy naval mission, later confirmed the hijacking
A New Front in Shipping’s Climate Battle: The Federal Maritime Commission
Container ships wait off the coast of the congested Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Long Beach, California, U.S., October 1, 2021. REUTERS/ Alan Devall/File Photo
A New Front in Shipping’s Climate Battle: The Federal Maritime Commission
Editorial
Total Views: 174
May 6, 2026
By Sean Pribyl, Michael Amy (Holland & Knight) –
Federal Maritime Commission (
FMC
) Chairman Laura DiBella recently
participated
in the U.S. delegation to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 84th Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84) session in London, marking an unprecedented development in U.S.
Cheap Spot Rates Now Could Cost Shippers at Peak Season
Stock Photo: Avigator Fortuner/Shutterstock
Cheap Spot Rates Now Could Cost Shippers at Peak Season
The Loadstar
Total Views: 0
May 6, 2026
By Alexander Whiteman (The Loadstar) – Despite the continuing deterioration in rates, ocean shippers are being advised to avoid the spot market and stick to their allocation with carriers.
Abandoning their contracted space could come back to bite them when peak season rears its head, they were warned this week.
Transpacific sailings to North America aside, east west sailings experienced a third
successive week of declining spot rates
, seemingly leaving no one able to predict which way the wind will blow.
One punter taking a shot, Flexport’s head of ocean for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Guillaume Caill, told those listening to the company’s European Freight Market Update, he thought the decline may be easing.
“The market has stabilised from April going into May, and I think the decrease in the spot market may have hit its bottom,” he said
Container Spot Rates Snap Back as Carriers Push Emergency Surcharges Amid Hormuz Tensions
A cargo ship full of shipping containers is seen at the port of Oakland, California, U.S., August 4, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Container Spot Rates Snap Back as Carriers Push Emergency Surcharges Amid Hormuz Tensions
Mike Schuler
Total Views: 0
May 7, 2026
Container spot rates rebounded this week after
three consecutive weekly declines
, as ocean carriers pushed through a new wave of emergency fuel and peak season surcharges tied to rising operational risks and continued uncertainty surrounding the
Strait of Hormuz crisis
.
According to the latest Drewry World Container Index (WCI), the composite index increased 3% to $2,286 per 40-foot container, driven primarily by gains on major Transpacific routes.
Rates from Shanghai to New York climbed 7% week-over-week to $3,721 per FEU, while Shanghai to Los Angeles rose 5% to $3,062 per FEU.
The increases come as carriers implement Emergency Fuel Surcharges (EFS) and Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) amid elevated bunker costs, longer
Gulf’s Fragile Trade Lifeline Hangs on Two Eastern UAE Ports
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
Gulf’s Fragile Trade Lifeline Hangs on Two Eastern UAE Ports
Reuters
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May 6, 2026
FUJAIRAH, May 6 (Reuters) – At the UAE port of Fujairah, conveyor belts offloaded grain from bulk carriers on Wednesday, while crude oil flowed through pipes and onto tankers berthed along its quay.
Dozens of loaded trucks lined up near the port and others parked outside waiting their turn, while offshore, vessels labeled Cosco, Gardenia and other shipping lines lay at anchor, service boats weaving between them.
Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, another eastern port with open access to the Indian Ocean, have become the UAE’s economic lifeline since the effective closure of the
Strait of Hormuz
.
They are now handling the bulk of the UAE’s seaborne trade in place of the major terminals on the western c