Tight VLGC supply drives rates to multi-year highs

Panama Canal congestion and longer Cape routings constrain vessel availability, supporting elevated freight markets VLGC freight rates have climbed to their highest levels in roughly 2.5 years, driven by a sharp tightening in available vessel supply. Ongoing congestion at the Panama Canal and elevated transit fees are pushing more ships onto the longer Cape of […]

Hormuz standoff enters critical phase as ceasefire deadline nears

Diplomatic fractures and a hardening blockade keep tanker market risk elevated Talks advance but the strait remains closedThe US and Iran are moving closer to extending a ceasefire and restarting negotiations toward a longer-term peace deal, even as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz intensifies. The two sides have reached an in-principle agreement to […]

Fuel price shock accelerates EV trade, supporting car carrier demand

Fuel price shock accelerates EV demand while Middle East closures have limited impact on the segment Higher fuel prices drive EV demand, boosting PCTC cargo outlookRising fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict are accelerating consumer interest in electric vehicles, with a direct and measurable impact on PCTC cargo flows. China’s EV and hybrid exports […]

Structural tightness builds as Hormuz flows remain constrained

LPG leads gains as disrupted flows and longer voyages tighten vessel supply Tankers: VLCC earnings rise to $225,000/day as Hormuz blockade keeps East-West rates sharply splitVLCC earnings rose 12% this week to around $225,000/day, but the number tells only part of the story. Ships loading in the Atlantic are earning closer to $130,000/day, while vessels […]

Ammonia transition gains commercial traction as green shipping buildout accelerates

Across engines, vessels, and bunkering infrastructure, ammonia is moving from concept to execution A fuel transition gaining real commercial tractionThe ammonia-as-marine-fuel story has shifted meaningfully in recent months, with several developments confirming that the technology is crossing from pilot stage into early commercial reality. First ammonia dual-fuel engine deliveries are now underway, with established shipowners […]

Trump announces two-week ceasefire subject to Hormuz reopening

Iran agrees to pause its blockade of oil and gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz A last-minute deal stabilizes the immediate outlook, but the Strait reopens into a highly imbalanced marketFollowing the ceasefire announcement, oil prices reacted sharply, plummeting albeit remaining higher than pre-war levels. According to ship tracker Kpler, there were 187 laden […]

Ceasefire announced, but shipowners stay cautious ahead of Hormuz reopening

Reopening signals easing dislocation, but vessel positioning and risk appetite will shape the pace of normalization Tanker: Earnings remain elevated, but VLCC rates experience near-term correction on Hormuz reopeningCrude tanker earnings have spiked to dislocation-driven highs following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with limited Middle East Gulf liftings concentrating available tonnage in a […]

Iran signals conditional Hormuz access as US pressure mounts

Tehran’s carve-out for “enemy-linked” vessels leaves the strait’s status deeply ambiguous for tanker operators Iran frames partial passage as diplomacy, but the conditions remain uncertain for most tradersIran’s representative to the IMO has stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to vessels not linked to “Iran’s enemies,” offering a narrow diplomatic signal while stopping […]

Hormuz closure triggers historic energy shortages as IEA mobilises emergency response

Strait closure removes a fifth of global oil flows A crisis without modern precedent forces an emergency policy responseMore than three weeks of conflict in the Middle East have produced what the IEA’s executive director Fatih Birol describes as a disruption on par with the combined impact of the 1970s oil shocks and the 2022 […]

Hormuz disruption drives tanker earnings to recent highs

Global shipping markets restructure as Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed Tankers: Earnings at highest levels since 2022 as Gulf flows reroute through alternative corridorsAverage VLCC earnings stood at approximately USD 227,000 per day as of March 20, reflecting a fundamental restructuring of crude trade flows, with most cargoes now loading from Yanbu, Fujairah, and […]