Al News

Bahrain Hopes for Council Vote on Hormuz Resolution by Friday

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday he hopes for a council vote on Friday on a resolution Bahrain has drafted to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.Oil prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran at the end of February, kicking off a conflict that has now exceeded a month and effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic.Bahrain has presented Security Council…

ASRY, stc Bahrain Launch Vehicle Fleet Management System

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) completed the implementation of its vehicle fleet management and tracking system, developed in partnership with stc Bahrain, a digital enabler in the Kingdom.This project, which forms part of a broader series of strategic initiatives between the two parties, aligns with ASRY’s ongoing efforts to enhance operational excellence and drive its digital transformation through the adoption of emerging technologies and the execution of high impact projects that support the company’s continued growth and development.

How Many Ships have been Attacked in the Gulf Since Start of Iran War?

The Iran war has threatened Gulf ports and disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned that ships passing through the narrow Strait will be targeted, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on the country on February 28.Below is a list of reported attacks:MARCH 1A crew member was killed on board Marshall Islands-flagged crude tanker MKD VYOM after it was hit by a projectile as the vessel sailed off the Omani coast…

Drone Strike on Kuwaiti Oil Tanker off Dubai Signals Further Escalation in Gulf

Tehran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Tuesday, despite a threat by President Donald Trump that the U.S. will obliterate Iran's energy plants if it does not agree to a peace deal and open the Strait of Hormuz.Authorities in Dubai said the fire on the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi had been brought under control following a drone attack, with no oil leak and no injuries to the crew. Kuwait Petroleum Corp, the ship's owner, said the vessel's hull was damaged.The attack was the latest on merchant vessels in the strait…

Golden Pass LNG Reaches First Production Milestone in US

Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, has produced its first liquefied natural gas from the initial train of its export facility in Texas, marking a step toward full operations.The project, located in Sabine Pass, has a total capacity of 18 million tonnes per annum across three liquefaction trains. The start of production is expected to pave the way for the first LNG cargo, with exports targeted to begin in the second quarter of 2026.“First LNG is of a particular importance for one of the largest single investment decisions in U.S. LNG history.

Kuwaiti Tanker Ablaze in Dubai Port

Iran attacked a fully-loaded crude oil tanker at Dubai Port's anchorage on Monday, setting it ablaze and damaging its hull, Kuwait's state news agency reported, citing Kuwait Petroleum Corp, which warned of a possible oil spill.The apparent strike is just the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.U.S. crude futures CLc1 rose more than…

Ship Recyclers Face Market Confusion

As the world's ship recycling markets emerge from the Eid al-Fitr holidays, they do so into an environment that continues to generate more questions than answers, says cash buyer GMS.“The post-holiday reopening, always anticipated as a potential catalyst for pent-up activity, has instead delivered something more characteristic of the broader 2026 narrative: confusion. Steel plate prices played opposite roles in Pakistan and India this week, as Indian levels recorded an impressive jump while Pakistani levels continued to bleed, declining non-stop over the course of the last month now.

Pakistan Prepares for Talks on Ending Iran War

Pakistan said on Sunday it was preparing to host "meaningful talks" to end the conflict over Iran in coming days even though Tehran earlier accused Washington of preparing a land assault while seeking negotiations.Speaking after talks between regional foreign ministers, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said they had covered possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region as well as potential U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad."Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days…

Houthis Stand Ready to Join Iran War, Additional Shipping Risk

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, whose attacks on the Red Sea caused international shipping and trade chaos during the Gaza war, stands ready to strike the key waterway again in solidarity with Tehran, one Houthi leader told Reuters, a move that would deepen a global oil and economic crisis brought on by the Middle East war.If the Houthis open a new front in the conflict, one obvious target would be the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen, a key shipping chokepoint…

Libyan Coast Guard Tows Drifting Russian LNG Tanker Away From its Shore

Libya’s coast guard has begun towing away a damaged liquefied natural gas tanker that several Mediterranean countries warned posed an environmental risk after drifting unmanned for weeks, the Tripoli‑based Government of National Unity (GNU) said.The Russian-flagged Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, has been adrift since early March, when Russia's Transport Ministry said it was hit by Ukrainian naval drones.With no crew aboard, it eventually drifted close to the shores of the western Libyan port of Zuwara.Italy…

Hadrian Opens Alabama Facility to Support Submarine Production

Manufacturing company Hadrian has opened a new facility in Cherokee, Alabama dedicated to the U.S. Navy's Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs.Known as Factory 4, the Cherokee facility is an advanced, highly automated manufacturing plant that will mass-produce components needed for submarine construction, including parts, assemblies, and finished products.These products have been identified by the industry as the largest drivers of submarine schedules, so increasing…

US Energy Secretary: Oil Prices Are Not High Enough to Cause Demand Destruction

Global oil prices have not climbed enough to cause demand destruction, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Monday at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas, even as markets continued to gyrate and global oil prices remained near $100 a barrel due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.The world is enduring one of the worst energy crises in decades following the closure of a key shipping channel and attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East that have caused long-term damage. Oil prices have climbed to multi-year highs and fuel prices in the U.S.

Ship Recycling Pauses for Eid

Eid al-Fitr has arrived to greet the world's ship recycling markets this week, and as is tradition, it came bearing the gift of silence, reports cash buyer GMS. “From Chattogram to Gadani, Alang to Aliağa, the holy festival has pressed pause on an industry that was already beginning to feel the compounding weight of war, currency volatility, and a stubborn absence of fresh tonnage offerings.”The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has now stretched into its third week following the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran…

Iran Trades Threats with Trump

Iran said on Sunday it would strike the energy and water systems of its Gulf neighbours in retaliation if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran's electricity grid in 48 hours, escalating the three-week-old war.The prospect of tit-for-tat strikes on civilian infrastructure could deepen the regional crisis and further rattle global markets when they reopen on Monday morning.Air raid sirens sounded across Israel from the early hours of Sunday, warning of incoming missiles from Iran…

US to Deploy Amphibious Assault Ship, Marines to Middle East

The U.S. military is deploying a large amphibious assault ship with thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, as Iran's new supreme leader hailed Iran's "unity" and "resistance".Reuters had reported that Washington, desperate to reopen the Gulf oil bottleneck of the Strait of Hormuz, shut by Iran since the U.S. and Israel attacked almost three weeks ago, was considering deployments up to and including landings.Oil…

Energy Prices Jump After Iran Attacks Qatar LNG Plant

Energy prices surged on Thursday after Iran struck the world’s largest LNG complex, causing damage that Qatar said could take five years to repair, as the energy sector's worst fears about the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran came true.QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters the state-owned gas company may have to declare force majeure on long-term contracts to Italy, Belgium, South Korea and China after the attack meant a loss of around 17% of Qatar's liquefied…

Iran Fires Missiles at Qatar Energy Hub

Iran accused Israel of striking its facilities in the huge South Pars gas field on Wednesday in a major escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war that sent oil prices shooting higher, and retaliated by vowing attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf, firing missiles at Qatar and Saudi Arabia.Qatar's state oil giant QatarEnergy reported "extensive damage" after the Ras Laffan Industrial City, an energy-industry hub, was hit by Iranian missiles. Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted…

Iranian Oil Facilities Under Attack, Site Evacuations Advised

Iranian gas facilities in the Gulf came under attack on Wednesday, state media reported, prompting Tehran to say it would target a range of energy installations across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar "in the coming hours".Oil prices jumped on the news, with Brent crude futures gaining more than 6% to a session high just shy of $110 per barrel.The attacks on Iran's energy industry in South Pars and Asaluyeh have raised concerns that Iran could also target infrastructure of global energy majors across the Gulf…

List of Vessels Attacked Since Start of War in Iran

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has threatened Gulf ports and disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned that any ship passing through the narrow Strait will be targeted.Below is a list of reported attacks since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28:MARCH 1A crew member was killed on board Marshall Islands-flagged crude tanker MKD VYOM after it was hit by a projectile as the vessel sailed off the Omani coast…

Trump Upset as Other Nations Reject Call for Hormuz Warship Escorts

Several U.S. allies rebuffed Donald Trump's call on Monday to send warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing criticism from the U.S. president, who accused Western partners of ingratitude after decades of support.The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in sight. The critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flow, remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.The conflict has already imposed economic costs on U.S.

Six Vessels Attacked as War Puts Merchant Ships on Front Lines

Explosive-laden Iranian boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member on Wednesday, after projectiles struck four vessels in Gulf waters, said port, maritime security and risk firms.The latest attacks on ships linked to the U.S. and Europe mark an escalation in the conflict between Iran and U.S.-Israeli forces, raising the number of ships struck in the region since fighting began to at least 16.Shipping in the Gulf and along the narrow Strait of Hormuz…

Maersk Redistributes Bunker Fuel to Ensure Supplies

Container shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday it is redistributing fuel to ensure supplies for its vessels as the Iran war disrupts the flow and storage of maritime fuel in the Middle East.The Danish carrier, one of the world's biggest container shipping groups, has 10 ships stranded in the Gulf. U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have fueled hostilities that threaten one-fifth of the world's oil, which sails out of the region via the Strait of Hormuz - the globe's most important…

Tankers Ablaze, Iranian Oil Still Shipping

Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire, Iraq's director general of the General Company for Ports Farhan al-Fartousi told Reuters on Wednesday.Iraq evacuated the 25 crew members from the two vessels and fire is still ablaze on both ships, he added.This follows news that three vessels had been hit by unknown projectiles, with one of the strikes leading to a fire onboard a ship which forced most of its crew to evacuate it.Meanwhile…