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Black Sea CPC blend daily oil exports to decline in May according to sources
Two industry sources reported that the Black Sea CPC blend oil exports through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system (CPC) were reduced to 1.5 million barrels a day (or approximately 6 million metric tonnes) in May. This is down from 1.6 million barrels a day (or around 1.6 million metric tons) in April. The Kazakhstani energy ministry stated on Tuesday that it was committed to the OPEC+ accord and would continue to fulfill all of its obligations to ensure stability in the global energy markets. Calculations showed that CPC Blend oil could see a drop of 6% per day in May compared to the previous month. April is one day less than May. CPC does comment on the monthly crude shipments that pass through its system. The CPC pipeline connects Tengiz in western Kazakhstan, as well as a few other fields, with the CPC terminal at Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, near Novorossiisk. CPC shareholders include Chevron, ExxonMobil, and the Russian oil major Chevron.
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Algeria offers to purchase soft milling wheat of nominal 50,000 T
European traders reported on Monday that Algeria's state grain agency OAIC had issued an international tender for the purchase of soft milling wheat from origins other than Algeria. Algeria usually buys more than 50,000 tons in their tenders. The deadline to submit price offers for the tender is May 14th. Price offers must remain valid through May 15th. Wheat is shipped in two phases from the main regions of supply, including Europe: July 16-31 and July 1-15. The shipment date is one month earlier if the wheat comes from South America or Australia. Algeria is an important customer of wheat imported from the European Union and France in particular, but Russian exporters as well as those from other Black Sea regions have seen a strong expansion on the Algerian market. Traders claim that a diplomatic split between France and Algeria caused the grains agency's tacit exclusion of French wheat and trading firms from its tenders. The OAIC purchased an estimated 570,000 tonnes of milling wheat in its last reported tender on 16 April. This was largely sourced from the Black Sea Region. (Reporting and editing by Susan Fenton, with Michael Hogan)
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Ford German workers strike amid rising tensions over planned cuts
Ford workers in Cologne and Germany will strike on Wednesday. Their works council chief announced this on Monday. Tensions are rising over the planned job cuts at Ford's European operations. Ford announced in November of last year that it would be cutting around 14% from its European workforce. This was mainly in Germany and Britain. The company blamed the losses on the weak demand for electric cars and the lack of government support to help the transition to new technology. The company refused to comment citing ongoing discussions with unions. Union IG Metall didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Volkswagen, Nissan, and GM, among others, are cutting jobs due to the new competition coming from China, the weak demand and the high costs of electrification. Ford, along with other automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, has pulled its 2025 forecast amid the turmoil caused by Donald Trump's tariff policy. Ford workers in Cologne voted in favor of industrial action last week. Labour representatives insisted at every stage of the talks that management come up with alternative measures to restructure their business. IG Metall protested when Ford agreed in March to inject $4.8billion into its cash-strapped German subsidiary, overriding a 2006 agreement that Ford would cover losses. (Reporting and writing by Ilona wissenbach, Victoria Waldersee. Editing by Rachel More and Ludwig Burger.
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Ukraine increases minimum export prices of corn and wheat
Data from the ministry on Monday showed that Ukraine's agricultural ministry had cut the minimum export price for corn and wheat, which are the key agricultural commodities of the country, while slightly increasing the prices for the former. In December, Ukraine banned the shipment of important agrarian products, such as grains, below the prices set by the Ministry of Agriculture. According to data from the ministry, it reduced the minimum price of wheat for export to $188 per ton in May. It was $201 in April. The ministry has also raised the minimum price of corn to $189 per metric ton, up from $185 in March. Since their introduction in Decembre, minimum prices have remained largely unchanged. However, they increased dramatically last month. The ministry will not comment on any changes in its pricing. The ministry calculates its prices based on data from the state customs service, while taking into consideration the terms of delivery of the previous month. It also uses a 10% discount. Ukraine is one of the world's leading grain exporters. It has shipped more than 36,4 million tons of different grains overseas in this season from July 2024 through June 2025. This included 14,3 million tonnes of wheat and 19,3 millions of corn. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey; Pavel Polityuk)
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Saade Holding Company buys Pathe Cinemas
Pathe, a privately-owned company, announced on Monday that Rodolphe Saade’s family holding Merit France had acquired a 20 percent stake in the French cinema chain Pathe. The amount was not disclosed. Why it's important Saade's shipping company CMA CGM has already established itself as a major player in the French media scene in recent years. It owns Altice Media which includes BFM TV, a 24-hour news channel. The family's interest in media and culture is reflected in the investment in Pathe. CONTEXT Pathe is owned by French businessman Jerome Seydoux and is one of the oldest film companies in the world. It is also a major producer and movie theater operator in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The statement stated that the investment would help Pathe to accelerate its production of films and series with international appeal, as well as modernise their movie theatres. KEY QUOTE Rodolphe S.aade said, "We are committed in contributing to the growth of the film industry and promoting French culture throughout the world."
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Sources and tanker tracking say that traders rebrand Venezuelan crude oil as Brazilian for China.
According to documents, two tanker tracking companies, and four traders, traders have rebranded over $1 billion in Venezuelan crude oil shipments into China as Brazilian crude during the last year. This has helped buyers cut costs on logistics and avoid U.S. sanctions. Independent refiners are the biggest buyers of oil from sanctioned countries in China. Malaysia offshore is a major transshipment hub, especially for Venezuelan crude and Iranian crude. Since July 2024 however, traders also rebranded Venezuelan crude oil as coming from Brazil. Tankers can now sail directly from Venezuela into China without stopping in the waters near Malaysia, thereby reducing the journey by four days. Washington has been imposing sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports since 2019. The goal is to reduce the revenue from oil exports that finances the government of Nicolas Maduro. He has been in power for over a decade, and has won elections that many observers claim were fraudulent. Maduro, along with his government, has rejected the sanctions imposed by the United States as illegitimate and akin to an "economic war". They claim that they are intended to cripple Venezuela. Oil traders are moving oil between ships at sea in order to hide the origin of Venezuelan oil before it is sent to China, the world's largest crude importer. TankerTrackers.com, a monitoring service, has compiled and analysed maritime data, satellite images and shoreside photographs to show that shippers are altering the location signals of tankers to make them appear to be sailing from Brazilian ports, when in fact they are sailing from Venezuela. This is called spoofing. China's customs data shows that between July 2024 to March 2025 it imported mixed bitumen worth $1.2 billion, which is about 2.7 metric tons or 67,000 barrels a day (bpd). According to Petrobras, the state oil company, China buys Brazilian crude regularly but Brazil exports bitumen blends very rarely. Brazilian customs data shows that no bitumen blend has been exported to China since 2023. A mixed bitumen or bitumen mixture is a residue similar to tar that can be processed into asphalt. Brazil's crude oil exports are typically classified as a medium-sweet oil, which is derived from the prolific offshore fields called pre-salt. Magda Chambriard, CEO of Petrobras, told reporters at a Houston conference last week that the crude oil we export to China comes primarily from pre-salt and is not bitumen. According to trading sources, Vortexa Analytics, and documents from the Venezuelan state-run PDVSA, many crude cargoes labelled as Brazilian bitumen are actually Venezuela's Merey. This flagship heavy crude is typically purchased by China's independent refining companies through Venezuela's PDVSA. Chinese traders claim that Merey has been branded as a bitumen mix for years, since refiners don't need to meet government import quotas in order to import the tar like oil. Three traders claimed that to make the switch, the dealers simply change the documents of the shipments from Brazilian origin to a new certificate for the oil without having the vessels go near Brazil or undergoing any ship-to vessel operations. According to documents from PDVSA and data collected by TankerTrackers.com, this year several vessels chartered as intermediaries of Venezuelan crude by Hangzhou Energy "spoofed" the signals, placing them artificially in Brazil, while loading in Venezuela. I was unable find a contact at Hangzhou Energy which, according to PDVSA documents, has been loading crude oil from Venezuela since 2021 as an intermediary. According to documents and TankerTrackers.com, the Liberia flagged tanker Karina filled 1.8 million barrels Venezuelan Merey-16 crude for Hangzhou Energy under the name Katelyn in February. The tanker spoofed the signal to make it look like it was leaving Brazil while it was in Venezuela. According to TankerTrackers.com, it discharged in China's Yangpu Port early April. China's Customs Agency did not respond immediately to a comment request. PDVSA and the Venezuelan oil ministry, as well as the Brazilian government, did not respond to requests for comments. COST SAVING One of the traders who is a regular seller of Venezuelan oil said that, in addition to reducing the journey and lowering the costs of ship-to-ship, presenting cargoes as Brazilian helps secure bank financing. The person stated that "the savings on the freight side are not very large, but they help secure financing and relieve traders' financial pressure during the two-month long voyages." Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, the traders refused to be identified. China, as Venezuela, has said repeatedly that it is opposed to unilateral sanctions. Venezuela's crude oil exports mainly go to China. Venezuela exported 351,000 bpd last year of heavy fuel and oil to China. According to PDVSA documents, and data collected by shipping companies, volumes increased to 463,000 barrels per day in the first four month of 2025. Traders have reported that the majority of China's Venezuelan oil imports are still being declared as Malaysian crude, mixed bitumen or Malaysian crude, and less than 10% is officially reported as Venezuelan.
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Israel strikes Yemen's Hodeidah following evacuation warnings from the Houthis
The Houthi interior ministry stated on Sunday that Israel had attacked Hodeidah after Israel's army claimed it had warned residents in three ports controlled by the Houthi to evacuate. Israel had warned residents in Ras Isa and Hodeidah to leave the area, claiming that the ports were being used for Iranian-backed Houthis. Israel has not yet commented on the attack. The Houthis had launched a missile towards Israel a few days earlier, which was intercepted. The attack occurred ahead of U.S. president Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East in this week. Trump, who launched a military campaign intensified against Houthi-held strongholds in Yemen, on March 15, agreed with a ceasefire agreement mediated by Oman, which was claimed to exclude Israel. In a campaign they claim is meant to show solidarity with Palestinians living in Gaza, the Houthis launched missiles and drones against Israel. They also attacked vessels on global shipping lanes. Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in retaliation against Houthi targets.
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Container shipping companies cut Asia-US services as Trump tariffs disrupt trade
Maritime consultants say that major container shipping companies have suspended at least six weekly scheduled routes between China, the United States and Canada as a result of President Donald Trump's tariffs against the top exporting nation in the world. According to customer advisories, the ships along these routes can deliver 25,682 forty-foot containers per week, filled with toys, tennis shoe, car parts, and other items used by U.S. manufacturers to make goods. That's more than 1.3 millions 40-foot container a year. As hulking container ships move to minimize the fallout of Trump's unpredictable trade policies, they are cutting service and canceling individual voyages. Ocean trade is responsible for 80% percent of world commerce. It's a good indicator of the global economy. Simon Sundboell of Danish maritime data provider eeSea said, "This isn't a precursor; it's proof of a decline in economic activity." Sundboell stated that the route suspensions included scheduled weekly services operated MSC, Zim, and Ocean Alliance, which includes Cosco, Evergreen CMA-CGM, and Orient Overseas Container Line. He said that four of the cuts will affect ports on the West Coast, while one will impact the East Coast. The remaining one will hit the Gulf Coast. Container shipping companies that have ceased to provide these services either refused to comment, or didn't respond immediately. Maersk's Gemini Alliance and Hapag Lloyd's Gemini Alliance did not suspend services, even though both partners suffered significant booking reductions from China to the U.S. in April due to tariffs and swapped some ships with smaller vessels. After more than two months in a trade standoff, representatives from the U.S.A. and China will meet this weekend in Switzerland. BLANKETY BLANK Blank sailings are used by global shipping companies to protect their profits. They do this by cancelling or suspending individual voyages. This reduces overhead costs, keeps supply and demand balanced and supports competitive off-contract spot prices. Blank sailings grew significantly after the COVID outbreak disrupted global trade in 2020, and is part of the reason container ship operators are enjoying record profits. Amazon.com, Walmart, and other major U.S. retailers, who account for almost half of the global container trade, have responded to Trump's 145% tariffs against China by halting or canceling factory orders. These import duties doubled the price of goods manufactured in China. In a podcast released earlier this week, maritime consultancy Drewry reported that the number of individual voyages cancelled, or blanked out, on the Transpacific route, which connects Asia with North America, increased from 9% to 24% during the week ending May 4. Drewry's data indicates that blank sailings have reduced capacity by 20% on the Asia-West Coast North America routes in April, and by 12% in May. The consultancy reported that the cuts were slightly more severe on the North American East Coast. In April, they reduced by 22% and have been 18% so far in May. MSC, world's biggest container ship operator, cancelled 30% of its Transpacific scheduled voyages in April, more than any container carrier. Daniela Ghimp is project manager at Drewry for ocean freight rate benchmarking. Ghimp reported that the Premier Alliance consists of Ocean Network Express, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and Yang Ming Marine Transportation. The Premier Alliance has a 20 percent blank sailing rate so far this May. HMM and Yang Ming declined to comment. John McCown is a senior fellow at Center for Maritime Strategy. He said that the full impact of Trump's tariffs may not be felt until July when the overall U.S. import volume for containers could be 25% or higher than the previous year. Alan Murphy, CEO at supply chain advisor Sea-Intelligence, said: "Something has to give. I think either a lot more capacity will be cut, or spot rates are going to start to crash." (Reporting and editing by Marguerita Chôy in Los Angeles)
Shippers around the world are waiting to hear if the US will be imposing port fees on vessels linked to China
The U.S. Trade Representative will announce on Thursday its plan to levy port fees on China linked ships, as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to revitalize domestic shipbuilding and combat China's dominance in the high seas. The USTR has a statutory deadline of April 17 to complete its remedies. After concluding that China is using unfair policies and practices in order to dominate global shipping, the agency concluded its investigation one year ago. U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer said last week that the agency will not implement all aspects of its initial fee proposal. The original proposal outlined a variety of options for penalizing China, including million dollar port fees for vessels with ties to China.
USTR did not comment immediately on its plans. This apparent revision was a result of a wave of public and privately expressed opposition by the global maritime sector, including domestic ports and vessel operators and U.S. importers and exporters of all kinds of commodities from bananas to coal.
Greer stated that the fees could not be cumulative, and were designed to prevent economic harm. Separately, it was reported that the administration had been considering different options to soften its proposed port fee after receiving feedback in private meetings with industry representatives or through hundreds of online comments.
Three sources who are tracking the issue and declined to identify themselves said that implementation could come as late November.
The industry executives warned that the U.S. taxpayers and workers, as well as the U.S. shipbuilders, owners and operators the government wants to support, could be hurt if the plan is adopted without any adjustments. This is because the vast majority of the global shipping fleet will be subject to these huge fees.
Ports of all sizes, including small-to-medium-sized ports, have expressed concern that ships would stop calling at their port if the USTR assessed a fee for each U.S. visit. Port executives warn that concentrating calls on larger ports will overwhelm these facilities and starve secondary ports, which have invested billions in infrastructure improvements.
In a press release, Scott Chadwick said that the rule, as it is currently written, could have a significant impact on supply chains, which may cause unintended effects that hurt U.S. port and those who depend on global supply chains.
The Southern California port houses General Dynamics' National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., which builds and repairs vessels. It also hosts cargo carrier Pasha with its U.S. built and flagged Jones Act vessel named Jean Anne, which makes two-weekly trips to Hawaii.
Chadwick didn't elaborate on the impact of fees, but fewer ports calls in San Diego could translate into less ship repair activities for NASSCO as well as financial stress for terminal operators who serve Pasha and others customers.
General Dynamics, as well as other U.S. military shipbuilders including Huntington Ingalls Industries, have standalone or in-port facilities. They didn't immediately respond.
The Shipbuilders Council of America (which represents the industry) said that it supported Trump's efforts to restore and strengthen shipbuilding and ship repairs in the United States.
In a letter addressed to USTR, Cary Davis, CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities, said that the proposed fees would undermine federal investments made in ports over many years, including dredging, new cargo handling equipment and expanded cargo terminals. He stated that some of these investments were made in Trump's first year.
Davis wrote: "This proposal could turn many of these valuable investment that have created thousands of jobs, into assets that are stranded." AAPA declined to comment further.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Ports of Los Angeles Long Beach and Seattle and representatives from USTR met with officials in advance of the public hearings on cargo diversion that took place late March.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents the longshore workers of Union Pacific and Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF on the West Coast, joined them.
Matt Leech is the CEO of Ports America in New Jersey, one of the biggest U.S. ports operators.
You can't increase capacity by building new railroad lines or relocating an entire trucking fleet overnight. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein, Andrea Shalal and Jonathan Saul from Los Angeles; editing by Matthew Lewis
(source: Reuters)