Banking News

Maritime companies face rising sanctions and compliance complexity as regulators increasingly expect risks to be detected before violations occur, according to a new report published by Marcura.The report “The Fragmentation Problem in Maritime Compliance” points to divergence between US, EU and other sanctions regimes. Secondary sanctions have expanded, and a growing shadow fleet continues to obscure ownership, insurance and trading histories. Together, these factors increase…

European financial markets are under strain as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran revives concerns about an energy supply shock exacerbating inflation.ING says the euro zone is the most exposed major economy to the conflict, making the region, which has benefited from investor diversification out of U.S. assets, vulnerable to setbacks.Not Good, But 2022 Was WorseThe jump in oil and gas prices evokes memories of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which triggered a global energy crunch and hit Europe particularly hard.Since Friday…

The Supervisory Board of AS Tallink Grupp has appointed Peep Jalakas as the new Chairman of the Management Board of the Group. His term will begin on April 6, 2026, and will last for three years. As of tomorrow, February 27, Margus Schults will step down from the Group’s Management Board and will continue working in the company as the head of the Finnish unit. Jalakas has been a member of the Management Board of AS SEB Pank and Head of Corporate Banking since 2023. Over the past 20 years…

Royal Caribbean forecast annual profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, supported by strong demand from affluent travelers and a solid start to a key booking season.Shares of Royal Caribbean jumped about 16% in early trading, as the cruise operator also forecast double-digit revenue growth in 2026.Royal Caribbean said the first weeks of Wave, the key January‑to‑March booking period when cruise operators roll out exclusive deals, were among its strongest ever, as well-heeled customers continue to prioritize sea-based vacations."WAVE is off to a great start…

The Documentary Committee of BIMCO has adopted a FuelEU Maritime Clause and an ETS Clause for incorporation into Memoranda of Agreements (MoAs) for the sale and purchase of ships.The FuelEU Maritime Regulation and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) impact the sale and purchase of ships, and the clauses have been developed to help provide certainty for both parties during the process.“Regulations such as the FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS are complex and reshape our industry. Therefore, contractual clarity is essential.

The Panama Canal expects an increase in transits of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels and carriers of some agricultural commodities to help it compensate for a reduction in world trade next year, the waterway's chief told Reuters on Monday.The world's second-busiest interoceanic waterway registered a 14% revenue increase to $5.7 billion in the fiscal year ended in September and saw 19% more transits, with LPG vessels and container ships moving more cargoes through the canal that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans."LPG is a product that will be even more valuable in the next 20…

Global markets are getting too comfortable with risks like trade wars, geopolitical tensions and yawning government deficits, which, combined with already overpriced assets, increase the chance of a "disorderly" market correction, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.Underscoring the IMF's warning, President Donald Trump's revived threats on Friday to hike tariffs on China stoked investor fears of a major asset price correction. The comments sparked a sell-off in U.S.

TKMS, the defence business that German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp aims to spin off this autumn, plans to raise its profit margin to more than 7% to close a gap with rivals, banking on soaring military demand amid fears of Russian aggression.TKMS, which makes submarines, frigates as well as sensor and mine-hunting technology, has more than tripled its order backlog in five years. It now stands at 18.6 billion euros ($21.8 billion) as governments around the world beef up warship fleets.In the medium term…

President José Raúl Mulino met with more than 40 representatives of shipping companies from Japan’s Kanto region, where he presented Panama’s new ship registry strategy aimed at safeguarding its global leadership through enhanced safety standards and fully digitalized processes.Mulino emphasized that Panama’s registry is positioning itself as the flag of the future, driven by new policies aligned with international benchmarks for safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.The stakes are high for Japan: 7 out of 10 Japanese shipowners already fly the Panamanian flag…

China’s share of the tanker orderbook rose from 32.4% in 2022, to 62.6% in 2023 and then 71.2% in 2024. Its share of the container ship orderbook has shown a similar growth trajectory. The nation has ranked first in the world for new orders since 2012. Labor costs are about half of what they are in Korea and Japan, and China is the world’s cheapest steel manufacturer.Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO, says that during the past five years Chinese shipyards have built 50% of the ship capacity delivered, and Chinese shipyards now hold 66% of the ship capacity in the orderbook.

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised a consortium of lenders on an ECA-backed JOLCO financing for Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) to finance four newbuild container vessels. The consortium comprised BNP PARIBAS (acting through its Tokyo Branch and as ECA Coordinator), The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Tokyo Branch and Citibank, N.A., Tokyo Branch (as mandated lead arrangers) as well as Japanese export credit agencies Japan Bank for International Cooperation…

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings signaled a demand rebound for its cruise vacations and maintained its annual profit target, sending its shares up 12% on Thursday.The company had earlier warned that geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty around tariffs had weakened consumer spending on its premium vacations, particularly for its longer itineraries in Europe.The 12-month forward booked position was ahead of historical levels in recent months after having softened in early April, while on-board spending was strong, CEO Harry Sommer said in a statement.The reaffirming of annual forecast was

Tanker company DHT Holdings, Inc. has entered into a $308.4 million senior secured credit facility for the post-delivery financing of the company’s four newbuildings.The vessels are currently under construction at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, in South Korea and are scheduled for delivery during the first half of 2026.The facility is co-arranged by ING Bank and Nordea Bank Abp, with ING Bank as Coordinator, Facility Agent, Security Agent and ECA Agent. The facility bears interest at a rate equal to SOFR plus a weighted average margin of 1.32%.

Royal Caribbean raised its annual profit forecast on Tuesday, banking on resilient demand for its luxury destinations, even as the cruise operator faces pressure from higher fuel costs.The company forecast current-quarter profit below estimates, sending its shares down about 7% in early trading. The stock has gained about 53% this year.Escalating Israel-Iran tensions as well as a recently announced trade deal between the U.S.

Most countries in the Group of Seven nations are prepared to go it alone and lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to opt out, four sources familiar with the matter said.G7 country leaders are due to meet on June 15-17 in Canada where they will discuss the price cap first agreed in late 2022. The cap was designed to allow Russian oil URL-E to be sold to third countries using Western insurance services provided the price was no more than…

The U.S. issued Iran-related sanctions targeting more than 30 individuals and entities it said are part of a "shadow banking" network that has laundered billions of dollars through the global financial system, the Treasury Department said on Friday.The sanctions, which target Iranian nationals and some entities in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, were announced as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is working to get a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Treasury said…

“Shipping is a people business”, so the saying goes. Jim Lawrence, who passed away at the beginning of June, truly embodied that. Certainly, he was a great participant at maritime events. When not up on the podium serving as the moderator, he would be walking around, shaking hands, talking about a particular transaction or development (and, sometimes, the intrigue behind it), along with everything that goes along with networking. He will certainly be remembered as a “people person” and deservedly celebrated for that aspect.

A South Korean maritime patrol aircraft crashed soon after takeoff near a military base in the southern city of Pohang on Thursday, killing all four crew members, the navy said.The P-3 aircraft went down about six minutes after it left the airfield on a training mission at 1:43 p.m. (0443 GMT), the navy said in a statement.Witness video footages aired on YTN television showed the plane banking at low altitude, then a plume of smoke and fire after it crashed.The remains of the crew members have been recovered and no civilian casualties were reported, the navy said.

Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenues have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.Here are some key points about these unregulated vessels.WHY IS THIS FLEET IN THE NEWS?Estonia on Tuesday tried to stop an oil tanker, which the UK sanctioned last week, for sailing without a flag against maritime rules, in international waters between Estonia and Finland in the Baltic Sea…

European Shipowners (ECSA) and Sea Europe have issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to include the maritime sector in the European Industrial Maritime Strategy as well as in the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP).“Both initiatives should ensure the international competitiveness of European shipping which is a prerequisite for a strong and competitive European maritime industrial cluster. Addressing the widening innovation gap in Europe is the only way to enhance the European industrial base.

French shipping major CMA CGM is seeking marine biofuel for term delivery in Singapore, the world's largest bunker hub, between January and December 2025, according to market sources.The company has been one of the top lifters of marine biofuel in Singapore this year, and is expanding its lifting period from half-year term supply this year to full-year supply next year, the sources said.It is looking to lift a monthly volume of 35,000 to 50,000 metric tons of the B24 blend, which comprises 24% used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) biofuel blended with conventional fuel. The tender closes on Dec. 16, the sources added.The shipping industry…

On January 1, 2025, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation will come into force. The regulation may require stakeholders to start taking measures now and the BIMCO FuelEU Maritime Clause for Time Charter Parties 2024 is developed to help stakeholders align their contractual frameworks. The clause was adopted by BIMCO’s Documentary Committee on November 25, 2024. The shipping industry faces an increase in decarbonization regulations from the EU and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), BIMCO continues to add to its portfolio of carbon clauses to support the industry.

The regulatory landscape is about to get a whole lot more complicated, with the advent of FuelEU Maritime from January 1, 2025. This ambitious framework, focusing on the ‘well-to-wake’ GHG intensity of vessels trading within Europe, laughs in the face of traditional methods of calculating and tracking emissions, making Excel sheets strictly yesterday’s news. However, argues NAVTOR’s Director of Performance Jacob Clausen, there may be a simple way to voyage to compliance.The easy way to achieve FuelEU Maritime compliance for your fleet is simple.