Capital Link News

Russian crude oil producers are enjoying the cheapest costs to ship to refiners in China and India in almost a year thanks to a growing number of vessels plying the routes, according to trading and shipping sources.The arrival of new shippers working outside the purview of Western governments allows Russian firms to earn more than the $60 per barrel cap that the U.S. and its allies had aimed to impose on Russia through sanctions. It also means that enforcing the price cap will have a limited impact on Russian revenues.On Thursday, the U.S. imposed the first sanctions on owners of tankers carrying Russian oil above the cap, one based in Turkey and one in the United Arab Emirates…

The cost of chartering a supertanker to load Middle Eastern crude oil for Asia has rebounded from a 19-month low in September, but industry sources expect output supply cuts, led by Saudi Arabia, to cap freight rates for the rest of the year.The world's benchmark very large crude carrier (VLCC) export route from the Middle East Gulf (MEG) to Japan, known as TD3, rose to W50.46 on Monday in the Worldscale measure of freight rates, LSEG data showed. It fell to W35.60 in September…

The maritime industry is exploring whether nuclear fuel can be used to power commercial ships as advancements in technology open up such options, industry officials said. Nevertheless, any possible nuclear fuel solutions for ships are at least 10 years away, they added.Shipping accounts for nearly 3% of global CO2 emissions and the industry is under pressure from investors and environmentalists to find cleaner fuel solutions, which include ammonia, methanol, and wind. Nuclear energy has been used in the past to power military submarines and icebreakers…

The path to decarbonization is defined by partnership and fueled by government funding. This month we examine the players, partnerships, and evolution of Hydrogen Hubs in the Gulf of Mexico.The Green Shipping Challenge, organized by the United States and Norway at COP 27 held in late 2022, brought about dozens of announcements on maritime decarbonization. Among these was a joint statement from the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition (BSMC) – a consortium of North American shipowners and…

Prospects for the crude oil tanker market are expected to stay strong for at least the next year helped by low ship ordering, despite the loss of some trade from Russia due to Western sanctions, leading ship operators say.Russia has increased exports to Asia, Africa and South America following the imposition of Western sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.

Shipowners are struggling to know what trades are still legal as a raft of sanctions against Russia and tough measures on other countries including Iran remain confusing, leading Greek shipowner George Procopiou said on Monday.Sanctions imposed on Moscow after it invaded Ukraine in February, including a U.S. ban on its oil imports, have prompted Russia to pivot to customers in India and China who are picking up cargoes at a steep discount, according to industry data and traders.Existing restrictions on Iran have also driven their oil trade towards Asia, with increasing due diligence required by shipowners to avoid falling foul of U.S.

Surging shipments into the United States are fueling record high freight costs and logjams at seaports, but transportation executives say the rally will lose steam with a second wave of COVID-19 restrictions on the cards.Container shipping companies, which move goods for customers including Amazon.com and Walmart, got stung late last year and early this year when COVID-19 halted trade around the world, and they question whether the U.S. import boom can be sustained."Let's not get carried away," Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive of Germany's Hapag Lloyd, told reporters.

Hundreds of thousands of weary seafarers stuck on ships for many months and unable to go home due to the coronavirus pose a risk to the safe operation of the world’s merchant fleet, the UN’s shipping chief said on Tuesday.About 90% of world trade is transported by sea and continued complications with changing over ship crews due to restrictions in some jurisdictions is still affecting supply chains despite an easing of lockdown in many parts of the world.Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the UN’s International Maritime Organization…

Oil traders are storing as much as 80 million barrels of oil on tankers at sea, with further ships being sought as land storage sites fill up fast due to a global glut of stocks, shipping industry sources say.Traders rushed for storage after global oil demand collapsed by a third due to the coronavirus outbreak, and as top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia have refused to curb output so far, creating what is believed to be the biggest oil glut in history.The last time floating storage reached similar levels was in 2009…

The environment in oil patches onshore and offshore alike has been challenging throughout 2019; worries about an economic slowdown – whether cyclical or induced by a trade war – have weighed heavily on oil prices, even in the face of reduced production by the big producers. Though storm clouds persist, there appears a clearing on the horizon.The fate of Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) is, naturally, closely tied to the price of oil. Seacor Marine’s John Gellert, in reviewing its Q2 results, said: “Activity levels in the U.S.

Robust Asian demand for West African crude is fueling a worldwide surge in shipping rates for the largest oil tankers that is being felt from Houston to Singapore. Chartering rates for Suezmaxes and very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have recovered rapidly in recent weeks after plunging to their lowest in more than year this summer. The spike in rates comes as Asian refiners return to the market after a seasonal turnaround period, and as several key streams of West African crude are finally loading for export after supplies were constrained because of pipeline disruptions in Nigeria. The higher rates, which imply fewer imports into the United States, could support benchmark oil prices in coming weeks.

Efforts by Iran to start exporting oil to Europe are being held up as foreign tanker owners are still struggling to secure insurance for cargoes, leading shipping players said on Tuesday. A nuclear deal between world powers and Iran earlier this month led to the removal of curbs on Tehran's banking, insurance and shipping sectors. Since then, Iran has ordered a 500,000 barrel per day (bpd) increase in oil output, of which 200,000 bpd will go to Europe. But many foreign firms remain wary of violating other sanctions that were imposed by the United States and have not been lifted. Measures still in place from Washington prohibit most business between U.S. persons, U.S. companies and Iran as well as no dollar trades.

Dry bulk shipping faces more earnings pain as a slowdown in commodities demand and a glut of ships are expected to pile on the pressure well into 2016, ship industry players said on Wednesday. The dry cargo shipping industry has been hit hard this year by the global commodities meltdown with average earnings for large capesize ships - which haul iron ore and coal - barely covering operating costs this year and overall dry bulk rates falling to their lowest levels in decades. "Our…

The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) and Capital Link announced today a strategic cooperation to promote best practices in marine and environmental issues. NAMEPA, officially launched in 2007, is a maritime industry-led initiative which engages maritime businesses, government and the public to "Save our Seas" by promoting sound environmental practices. NAMEPA operates as a nongovernmental organization committed to preserving the marine environment through educating seafarers…

Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NasdaqGM: SBLK), a global shipping company focusing on the transportation of dry bulk cargoes announced that the company entered into a new one-year time charter agreement for the Star Theta, a 52,425 dwt 2003-built Supramax vessel, at a gross daily rate of $11,300. On May 18, 2009 the vessel was delivered to its new charterer, Cargill. The company also entered into a new time charter agreement with the existing charterer for the Star Kappa, a 52,055 dwt 2001-built Supramax vessel, for a minimum of 63 months and a maximum of 65 months at a gross daily charterhire rate of $25,500. The new time charter agreement is effective as of April 7, 2009 and replaces the existing charter.