Clarksons News

Crude oil exports from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Yanbu port rose to nearly 4 million barrels per day last week, a sharp increase from export levels before the Iran war broke out, shipping data shows.The jump shows that Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil exporter, is making progress on a plan to send crude along its East-West pipeline to Yanbu to keep supplies flowing and offset the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict.Aramco can pump up to 7 million bpd to Yanbu through the pipeline…

Two tankers bound for India sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran’s power plants unless Tehran drops threats that have effectively closed the Gulf.Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have seen exports blocked since the war in Iran began on February 28 and Tehran launched attacks on ships and threatened any passing through the Gulf’s southern strait.The two India-flagged tankers were carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used mostly for cooking in India.

AkzoNobel’s marine coatings brand, International, has launched Intergard 6788, a new aluminum-pigmented universal primer developed to meet the demands of the global newbuilding market. The launch in Asia will take place at the Asia Pacific Maritime conference in Singapore, with availability in China and Vietnam as key markets.Epoxy technology enables a higher solids content for the product, proactively meeting increasingly stringent global Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) regulations.

The outlook for the offshore support vessel (OSV) business has brightened considerably since the dark days of the previous decade and is possibly in a “Goldilocks moment” — not too weak and not too strong. While strengthening, it has not yet reached the point of significant new vessel ordering. Paradoxically, across maritime markets, observers are often concerned when exuberance gets out of hand. For now, newbuild activity remains limited.On the Q3 2025 earnings call for listed company Tidewater (NYSE: TDW)…

LNG and methanol create path dependencies that divert investments from shipping’s long-term decarbonization pathway, a new study by UCL academics finds.While LNG and methanol use as alternative fuels generate some knowledge spillovers and procedural regulatory learning useful for green ammonia, the main scalable zero emission shipping fuel, these benefits are likely outweighed by capital lock-in and the entrenchment of fossil fuel infrastructure, which then compete with, rather than enable the long-term solution.The research paper…

The shipping industry's biggest players are shrugging off Trump administration opposition to a global carbon price and are forging ahead with billions of dollars in emissions-reducing investments, according to company officials and a Reuters analysis of data.Europe, Brazil and a host of other nations are pushing the sector, which is responsible for nearly 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to go green. But, in October, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the world's two largest oil producers…

The shipping industry's biggest players are shrugging off Trump administration opposition to a global carbon price and are forging ahead with billions of dollars in emissions-reducing investments, according to company officials and a Reuters analysis of data.Europe, Brazil and a host of other nations are pushing the sector, which is responsible for nearly 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to go green. But, in October, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the world's two largest oil producers…

Shipping groups Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk will resume some transit routes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal this month under their shared services network, Maersk said on Tuesday.Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor after vessels were rerouted around Africa in late 2023 following attacks in the Red Sea, which Yemen's Houthis said were to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's joint ME11 service, a route connecting India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean, will resume routing through the Red Sea and the Suez Ca

Asia Pacific Maritime (APM), Asia’s premier exhibition and conference for Shipbuilding & Marine, Workboat, Offshore, and Electric & Hybrid Marine, will return for its 19th instalment, from 25-27 March 2026 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, with its largest edition to date. Anchored by the theme “Future of Vessels, Solutions for Tomorrow”, APM 2026 is set to convene the global leaders to examine how the next energy technologies and innovation are driving the future of maritime.As decarbonisation targets intensify and digital innovation accelerates…

Maersk said on Thursday that one of its services will resume using the Red Sea and Suez Canal this month, marking a key step towards ending two years of global trade disruption due to attacks on ships by Yemeni Houthi rebels.The Danish shipping group's share price fell more than 5% on the news, reflecting the likelihood of lower freight rates as vessels gradually return to the shorter Suez route.Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor…

Danish shipping company Maersk said on Friday that one of its vessels had successfully navigated the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the first time in nearly two years, as shipping companies weigh returning to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor.The company stated that while it had no firm plans to fully reopen the route, it would take a "stepwise approach towards gradually resuming navigation" via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Maersk declined to further elaborate on its plans.Maersk and rivals…

The October delay at IMO of its Net Zero Framework continues to spark debate, and enthusiasm, about net zero fuel choices, including what LNG’s role should be.Debate is expected to continue too, as shipowners face a more complicated regulatory landscape now. Despite the uncertainty created by the delay, regulations continue to force emissions reductions, including existing IMO regulations such as CII and regional regulation such as FuelEU.With the number of dual-fuel LNG ships being ordered higher than methanol or ammonia alternatives…

As oil exploration and production goes, so goes the market for Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) and Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). Throughout 2025, the prices of oil- which drives exploration and production (E & P), have softened, moving down towards $60/barrel amidst economic uncertainty and a wider than anticipated opening of the taps by major oil producers. In the past year, the Baker Hughes overall count of U.S. rigs working has declined. September 2025’s U.S. Rig count of…

This week, Rolls-Royce announced that it has successfully tested the world’s first high-speed marine engine powered exclusively by methanol on its test bench in Friedrichshafen.Together with its partners in the meOHmare research project, Rolls-Royce says its engineers have therefore reached an important milestone on the road to climate-neutral and environmentally friendly propulsion solutions for shipping.Also this week, Everllence announced the world’s first conversion of its…

The U.S. and China on Tuesday began charging additional port fees on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil, making the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world's two largest economies.A return to an all-out trade war appeared imminent last week, after China announced a major expansion of its rare earths export controls and President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to triple digits.But after the weekend…

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.

Provaris Energy has received approval from its development partner Yinson Production to commence the front end engineering design (FEED) development for its proprietary large-scale low-pressure liquid CO2 (LCO2) tanks for integration with Yinson’s floating storage injection unit (FSIU).Yinson will fund 100% of the FEED phase, and first deliverables are scheduled for December 2025.Provaris and Yinson are progressing the formation of a new joint venture company (NewCo) to hold exclusive…

The military and Coast Guard budgets are established that will benefit the U.S. ship building and repair sector, but what will stimulate the commercial yards?This author has been scratching his head of late, after a thrilling dive into July’s U.S. Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has asked several colleagues where the funding for support commercial shipbuilding can be found? To answer that, we need to look elsewhere and to future programs.Setting the SceneMany column inches have been dedicated to the decline U.S. shipbuilding, whether signaled by the relatively small presence of a U.S.

Temile Development Company has signed a contract with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the construction of one firm plus one optional 88,000 cubic meter very large gas carrier (VLGC).The from HHI is the largest panamax-beam VLGC in the world and will be fitted with an LPG dual fuel main engine and a shaft generator. It features two deck tanks of 900 cbm total capacity, allowing seamless grade changes between propane and butane.The first vessel is expected to deliver in Q1 2028.Temile Development Company is a 100% Nigerian-owned and managed company…

Panama has achieved a 96.5% compliance rate with international maritime safety and environmental protection standards. The Panamanian fleet undergoes regular evaluations based on criteria established by key international frameworks, including various Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) such as Paris, Tokyo, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Caribbean, Riyadh, Abuja, and the Viña del MarAgreement.In its ongoing efforts to enhance fleet quality…

Clarksons Research have released their latest annual review of shipbuilding markets, including full year 2024 data points, tracking key developments across a strong year for the shipbuilding industry.Summarising the annual review, Steve Gordon, Global Head of Clarksons Research, commented: "With the largest order intake in 17 years, 2024 was an incredibly active year for the global shipbuilding industry with contracts totalling 66m CGT and $204bn placed. Container (4.4m TEU of orders)…

European Union marine fuel rules, effective from Jan. 1 as part of efforts to cut emissions, will raise shipping costs, although firms with vessels that can run on alternative fuels, such as biodiesel and LNG, will benefit, two shipbrokers said.The policy is the second major EU regulation focused on cutting the shipping industry's carbon emissions in as many years. Shipping transports over 80% of all traded goods and causes nearly 3% of greenhouse gas emissions.The FuelEU Maritime regulation requires commercial ships above 5,000 gross tonnage operating in EU ports to cut emissions from marine fuels, also called bunker fuels, or pay penalties.Biofuels and other alternative fuels for ships are in short supply, and there is competition from aviation and other sectors.