Shipping Company News

Iran said it had captured two container ships seeking to exit the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after firing on them and another vessel, in its first seizures since its war with the United States and Israel began in February.Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the seizures and added its Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy had warned that any disruption to order and safety in the strait would be considered a "red line."The seizure of one of the ships, the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the Strait of Hormuz was open following the agreement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come "soon", although the timing remains unclear.Araqchi said in a post on X the Strait was open for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the U.S.-brokered 10-day truce between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah agreed on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon.A…

For much of its modern history, shipping has relied on experience, instinct and relationships as much as data. Decisions were – and in many cases still are – informed by spreadsheets, phone calls, intuition and experience built over decades. Today, that foundation is being reshaped by digital tools designed to bring clarity, visibility and confidence to some of the industry’s most complex challenges.Few companies sit more squarely at the intersection of shipping expertise and digital innovation than Klaveness Digital, part of the Torvald Klaveness Group.

Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison's Panama unit has launched an arbitration against Maersk after the takeover of two strategic ports near the Panama Canal which are at the center of a legal battle that has embroiled Beijing and Washington.In a statement, Panama Ports Company (PPC) said Maersk broke a long-term contract by siding with the Panamanian government to help remove PPC from its operations at the Balboa port and replace it with a Maersk-affiliated operator."Contrary to the contract…

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…

A unit of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison said on Tuesday it had widened its claims in an international arbitration case against Panama, saying damages had now risen to more than $2 billion.Panama Ports Company, which for nearly three decades operated the Balboa and Cristobal terminals near the Panama Canal, said it had supplemented its claims in proceedings under the International Chamber of Commerce's arbitration rules, a month after what it described as the state's illegal…

Following successful pilot projects and the first full-scale installation on a seagoing vessel, the Vertom Tula, Wattlab is now taking the next step: scaling its Solar Flatrack solution towards the international bulk shipping market.Currently, Solar Flatracks can be deployed on vessels up to and including the Supramax segment. In parallel, Wattlab has started the development of seaworthy solar solutions for Panamax and even Capesize bulk carriers.Wattlab, a specialist in solar power for shipping…

CK Hutchison posted a 7% rise in 2025 underlying profit on Thursday, as the market awaits updates on the company's proposed sale of its ports business and other spin-off plans.The Hong Kong ports-to-telecoms conglomerate reported underlying profit of HK$22.3 billion ($2.85 billion) on a post-IFRS 16 basis. That compared with an HK$22.9 billion LSEG SmartEstimate and the HK$20.8 billion booked a year earlier.Including a one-time non-cash accounting loss, net profit fell 31% from a year earlier to HK$11.84 billion.The conglomerate…

Europe should keep an open mind on helping to ensure freedom of navigation for ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz even if the continent did not support the U.S.-Israeli decision to go to war with Iran, Denmark's foreign minister said on Monday.President Donald Trump said on Sunday his administration was talking to several countries about protecting ships in the waterway that Tehran has mostly blocked to oil tanker traffic."We must face the world as it is, not as we want it to be…

NYK Group has reached an agreement with the Norwegian shipping company Westfal- Larsen Group to fully acquire Saga Welco.Saga Welco, a Norwegian shipping operator specializing in transporting cargo via open-hatch vessels, is currently jointly owned by NHE and the Westfal-Larsen Group, with each party holding a 50% stake. The transaction is expected to be finalized within 2026, subject to regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions.Saga Welco operates a fleet of 48 open-hatch vessels and offers worldwide semi-liner services originating principally from the east coast of South America.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) signed a 45-year sub-concession agreement with Nigerdock to develop, operate, and maintain an exclusive container terminal spanning 30 hectares within Snake Island Port (SIP), Lagos.The new container terminal will be completed by 2028 with a 910-m quay, six Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, two ship berths, three barge berths, and up to 18 meters of draft.“We are thrilled to take this step forward in our partnership with MSC to develop a world-class container terminal within Snake Island Port," said Nigerdock CEO, Maher Jarmakani.

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, is rolling out NexusWave across Exmar’s growing fleet of gas carriers to meet the Belgian shipping company’s evolving commercial and crew connectivity demands.With the tech adoption, Exmar is seeking to close the gap between its ship- and shore-based teams while enhancing seafarer welfare on board its vessels. NexusWave fully managed connectivity service intelligently bonds multiple network underlays (GX Ka-band, LEO, LTE and L-band) to help ensure a consistent uninterrupted connection.

Yesterday, a new ISO standard was published to help port authorities, shipowners and operators navigate rules on how ships should be cleaned in an environmentally sound way. Hull cleaning is gaining traction among shipowners, while countries are increasingly introducing regulations—but many ports still lack practical guidance on how to manage it. “Biofouling on ships’ hulls can spread invasive aquatic species and damage ecosystems. It also increases drag, reducing a vessel’s efficiency and leading to higher fuel consumption and increased greenhouse gas emissions…

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, is rolling out its NexusWave connectivity service across the fleet of Belgian gas shipping company EXMAR to support ship-to-shore communications and crew connectivity.The deployment targets EXMAR’s growing fleet of gas carriers operating globally in high-demand environments, where the company aims to strengthen links between vessels and shore-based teams while improving seafarer welfare.NexusWave is a fully managed connectivity service that bonds multiple network underlays including GX Ka-band, LEO, LTE and L-band to help ensure uninterrupted connectivity.

French shipping company CMA CGM expects first-quarter volumes growth of around 4.5%, despite major disruption to the global transport industry due to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran."Growth in CMA CGM's volumes in the first quarter should be around 4.5 percent.

China's COSCO Shipping has suspended operations at Balboa port which is located at the entrance to the Panama Canal, according to local newspaper La Prensa, which published a notice to clients from the shipping and logistics conglomerate.Balboa is one of the two ports at the center of a year-long saga involving Washington, Beijing and the Panamanian government. The move follows a ruling by Panama's Supreme Court in late January that annulled the contract to operate the port held by a unit of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison.APM Terminals…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has agreed to jointly own two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) with Cyprus-based shipping company Schoeller Holdings, marking the Japanese company’s first entry into the European offshore wind support vessel market.The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2027. MOL has also decided to invest in Germany-based offshore vessel developer and operator Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt (DOS), which will operate the ships.The move expands MOL’s offshore wind vessel business beyond Asia…

Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison said on Friday it has escalated its legal fight in Panama after the government seized its port operations, petitioning for a review of the decree behind the takeover.The company said Panama unlawfully occupied facilities, seized property and ignored consultations, prompting further national and international legal action.CK Hutchison's Panama Ports Company (PPC), which manages two terminals near the globally strategic Panama Canal, filed an…

Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco is attempting to reroute some of its crude exports to the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, where the risk of Iranian attacks has slowed shipping to a near halt, sources said on Tuesday.Saudi Arabia and other regional Gulf oil producers, such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, have been unable to move oil through the Strait since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Friday. Hundreds of ships have anchored on either side of the Strait as a precaution…

Insurance companies are cancelling war risk coverage for vessels in the Gulf as the widening Iran conflict disrupted shipping, leaving at least four tankers damaged, two seafarers killed and 150 ships stranded around the Strait of Hormuz.Shipping through the strait between Iran and Oman, which carries around one-fifth of oil consumed globally as well as large quantities of gas, has ground to a near halt after vessels in the area were hit as Iran retaliated to U.S. and Israeli strikes.The disruption and fears of prolonged closure have caused oil and European natural gas prices to jump…

Marine insurers are cancelling war risk coverage for vessels and oil shipping rates are set to surge further after the widening Iran conflict left at least three tankers damaged, a seafarer killed and 150 ships stranded around the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli strikes that began on Saturday with retaliatory attacks that have sharply increased risks to commercial shipping in the past 24 hours.In the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, at least 150 vessels including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers had dropped anchor…

Shipping companies Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM are rerouting vessels around Africa, away from the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."Due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East region following the escalating military conflict, we have decided...to pause future Trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the time being," Danish container shipping group Maersk said in a statement on Sunday.The company last month announced a gradual return of some services to the Suez route…

Arctic Gateway Group (AGG) has partnered with Canadian shipping company Fednav to examine the operational requirements that would be necessary to support year-round shipping from the Port of Churchill.The work for this review is underway and is expected to be completed this summer.Fednav’s work with AGG will focus on understanding the practical operational considerations of navigating ice-covered waters in Hudson Bay. This work is intended to inform Arctic Gateway’s long-term business planning…