Gulf News

Bahrain's effort to secure a U.N. resolution to authorise "all necessary means" to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz ran into new obstacles on Wednesday, underscoring divisions over how to deal with Iran's effective closure of the waterway that has resulted in the worst energy-supply disruption ever.Bahrain, which took over the presidency of the 15-member U.N. Security Council for the month of April, had circulated a fresh version of a draft resolution that dropped a previous explicit reference to binding enforcement…

China will at one point have to engage more directly on how to restore oil traffic flows in the Strait of Hormuz because the number of vessels it has going through is probably insufficient, France's navy chief said on Wednesday."We have not seen China’s navy step in to reopen the strait. On the other hand, there is direct political dialogue between Chinese and Iranian authorities to ensure that a certain number of vessels can pass. Will that be enough to restore normal traffic flows?

Oil tanker availability along the U.S. Gulf Coast has dropped sharply in recent weeks, as Asian and European refiners cut off from Middle Eastern supply have been snapping up vessels to import oil and fuel from the United States, shipping analysts and traders said.The Iran war has stalled tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz, curbing the flow of Middle Eastern oil to Asia and Europe, and prompting refiners there to buy replacement barrels from the United States, Brazil and West Africa.Wider discounts on U.S.

An oil tanker leased to state-owned QatarEnergy was hit by an Iranian cruise missile on Wednesday in Qatari waters, the defence ministry said.Qatar was targeted by three cruise missiles coming from Iran. Two were intercepted while the third hit the Aqua 1 fuel oil tanker, but caused no casualties.Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they had targeted the oil tanker because of what they said were its ties with Israel."Aqua One was precisely targeted in the central region of the Persian Gulf in a missile battle…

Bahrain has circulated a revised U.N. Security Council draft resolution on protecting commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, retaining language authorising “all necessary means” but dropping an explicit reference to binding enforcement.Shipping through the waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass and which underpins Gulf economies, has already slowed to a near‑halt after Iran struck vessels amid its conflict with the United States and Israel.Bahrain’s initial draft…

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…

Magnet Defense today announced beginning production of its first deliverable M48 unmanned surface vessel (USV), marking a pivotal milestone as the M48 transitions from an operationally validated prototype program to a production platform.The M48 offers a range of up to 17,000 nautical miles and the ability to self-deploy from San Diego to the Arabian Gulf, unassisted and without refueling. This performance is best-in-class and a significant differentiator amongst competitors in terms of combined range…

Transit through the Strait of Hormuz remains controlled rather than open, but throughput is increasing, according to Windward’s latest intelligence report.On March 30, six AIS-transmitting vessels crossed the corridor, while additional movements likely occurred under partial or fully dark conditions.At the same time, vessel activity at the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas provides visibility into how this system operates in practice. A coordinated pattern is emerging: outbound energy exports continue…

China and Pakistan on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, urging the swift launch of peace talks and the restoration of normal navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as their foreign ministers met in Beijing.Both countries have called for talks to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, now in the fifth week. Pakistan has previously said it is ready to facilitate peace talks between Washington and Tehran.Pakistan, which shares a more than 900‑km border with Iran, has emerged as a key mediator, building on its courtship of U.S.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have met representatives from Gulf States to address the ongoing conflict and its direct impact on seafarers and shipping in the Gulf.The meeting comes four weeks into the deadly conflict in which seafarers have been killed, ships have come under attack, and an estimated 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in conditions of fear and uncertainty, on ships unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz.Discussions focused on urgent practical…

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…

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…

The trade of global fertilizer and ammonia faces intense pressure due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz as diplomatic talks between the US and Iran remain uncertain. Rystad Energy’s 2025 trade mapping shows that the sale of 15% of global ammonia and 21% of urea, which is used as a high-nitrogen fertilizer, are tied to exporters potentially impacted by the closure. This includes leading producers Saudi Arabia and Qatar, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Iran and Iraq.

Two Chinese container ships sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday on their second attempt to leave the Gulf after turning back on Friday, ship-tracking data showed.The critical waterway has effectively been shut since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.The vessels sailed in close formation out of the strait and into open waters, data on the MarineTraffic platform showed."Both vessels successfully crossed on a second attempt today, marking the first container vessels to leave the Persian Gulf since the start of the conflict, excluding Iranian flag vessels," said Rebecca

Oil prices extended gains on Monday, with Brent heading for a record monthly rise, after Yemeni Houthis widened the Iran war by launching their first attacks on Israel.Brent futures rose 66 cents or 0.6% to $113.23 a barrel at 1031 am ET (1431 GMT) after settling 4.2% higher on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $2.2 or 2.2%, at $101.83 after gaining 5.5% in the previous session.Brent has soared by about 58% this month, the steepest monthly jump in LSEG data going back to 1988, exceeding gains made during the 1990 Gulf War. U.S.

Oil prices extended gains on Monday, with Brent headed for a record monthly rise, after Yemeni Houthis launched their first attacks on Israel over the weekend, widening the U.S.-Israel war with Iran in the Middle East.Brent crude futures LCOc1 jumped $3.94, or 3.5%, to $116.51 a barrel at 0703 GMT after settling 4.2% higher on Friday.U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was at $102.14 a barrel, up $1.86, or 1.87%, following a 5.5% gain in the previous session."The market has all but discounted the prospect of a negotiated end to the war…

The global marine insurance market continues to show resilience and is maintaining the availability of cargo, hull, liability and offshore energy cover despite increasing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, says the International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI).Cargo insurers across global markets remain committed to supporting trade flows, including in high-risk areas such as the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.Although the evolving situation in the Middle East has prompted adjustments - particularly in war risk pricing and policy structures – significant capacity is still available.

Two Chinese container ships turned backed after trying to exit the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, ship-tracking data showed, despite assurances from Iran that Chinese vessels could pass.The operator, China's COSCO, had said in a March 25 client advisory that it had resumed bookings for general cargo containers for shipments from Asia to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.The CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, both Hong Kong flagged, have been stuck in the Gulf since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb.

The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies it would participate in a multinational maritime taskforce to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.The UAE is trying to push dozens of countries to create a “Hormuz Security Force” to defend the strait from Iranian attacks and escort shipping, the report added.The UAE has faced more Iranian attacks than any other country in the region, including Israel.Several U.S.

BIMCO has released its Container Shipping Market Overview & Outlook March 2026 saying the Iran war amplifies outlook uncertainty."Following the start of attacks on Iran on 28 February, transits through the Strait of Hormuz have effectively stopped, severing Persian Gulf ports from global container services. As a result, around 130 container ships, totalling about 1.5% of the global fleet’s capacity, are stranded in the gulf. The war has added uncertainty to an outlook that was already obscured by ever changing US tariffs…

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…

India has bought its first cargo of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas in years after the U.S. temporarily removed sanctions on Tehran's oil and refined fuels, LSG trade flows and three industry sources said.India had shunned energy purchases from Iran in 2019 under pressure from Western sanctions. The tanker was initially bound for China, according to LSEG data.Sanctioned tanker Aurora carrying Iranian LPG is expected to shortly reach the west coast port of Mangalore, the sources…

Oil prices slid about 4% on Wednesday on reports that the U.S. had sent Iran a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the war, prompting talk of progress toward a ceasefire.Brent futures fell 3.96, or 3.8%, to $100.53 a barrel at 10:41 a.m. EDT (1441 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $3.57, or 3.9%, to $88.78.Pakistan has delivered a U.S. proposal to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be a venue for discussions to de-escalate the war, a senior Iranian…