Transport Infrastructure

According to data from tanker monitoring and documents of the state-run PDVSA energy company, Venezuelan oil exports dropped slightly last month?to 1.24 million barrels per daily from 1.24 bpd in may?as a result of two deadly quakes causing?minor delay at terminals operated. The vast PDVSA infrastructure was mostly unaffected by the twin earthquakes, which left nearly 2,000 dead and hundreds of buildings damaged according to official statistics. The power issue must be resolved before all the oil refineries, including El 'Palito, can resume operation. Documents show that the main oil terminal for the state-owned company in the eastern part of...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed Thursday that the government should 'end its requirement for self-driving vehicles to have manual brake pedals. This would make it easier to deploy such vehicles on U.S. highways. The proposal does not apply to cars with a human driver. NHTSA has also stated that it will not abandon braking requirements for self-driving cars, such as strict standards on stopping distance. The?agency has proposed a number changes to help facilitate the introduction of self-driving cars. NHTSA has begun developing "safety performance" tests for self driving vehicles, as part of an independent standard. Automakers...

The White House asked Congress for $1 billion on Wednesday to increase the pensions of former General Motors Auto Parts Unit Delphi workers that were reduced during a bankruptcy restructuring in 2009. As part of a supplemental request, the?White?House also wants to raise $1 billion for reconstruction work at New York's Penn Station. It is also requesting $500 million to continue construction on Washington's World War II Memorial and Tidal Basin. The White House wants Congress to allow the Federal Aviation Administration to reallocate funds from the $12.5 billion modernization of air traffic control effort approved last year, to any...

In a London court document, the Baltic Exchange defended the flagship oil 'tanker benchmark' saying that it accurately reflected the market conditions during the U.S. - Israel conflict with Iran, despite the?disruption of the Strait of Hormuz. The benchmark is used to 'price and settle billions in freight trades around the world. Its reliability is at issue with Mercuria, one of the largest commodity traders in the world, who claims it has mispriced market. Mercuria filed a court document on April 30 stating that it was suing the Baltic Exchange for losses caused by incorrect pricing data. The company claimed...

U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner said to Congress on Wednesday that the financially struggling agency had a broken business?model and needed help from legislators to re-energize its.operations. "The bottom line is that we're out of money." Steiner said in his written testimony to a U.S. Senate Committee that they were borrowing money from the retirement funds of their employees to continue operating. He warned it would run out of funds if it didn't stop deferring payments. Congress must act to fix the Postal Service's broken business model. Steiner wants Congress compensated for "money-losing" operations and to make other reforms. Steiner...

A spokesperson announced on Wednesday that ships have started sailing through the 'Strait of Hormuz' under a new scheme by the U.N.'s shipping agency in order to evacuate vessels trapped there by the conflict. International Maritime Organization announced on Tuesday that the initiative, which took months to complete, would allow hundreds of ships and 11,000 seafarers stranded at the Gulf of Mexico to pass through Hormuz. A spokesperson for the IMO said that "ships have already started to pass under this plan", refusing to give any details about the vessels that have crossed. LSEG ship-tracking data showed that at least...

A spokesperson for the U.N. shipping agency said that ships have already passed through 'the Strait of Hormuz' under a newly-launched evacuation scheme. A spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a U.N. agency, said that "ships have already started to pass under the plan." He declined to give any 'details' on the ships that had passed. LSEG's ship tracking data revealed on Wednesday that two dry -bulk ships, and one cargo -ship, have sailed through Hormuz in the past 12 hours. According to LSEG & MarineTraffic'ship tracking data' based on an analysis of ship movement, at least 35 commercial...

Shipping data and sources indicate that oil tanker operators have made record profits this week after almost doubling the cost of hiring vessels to travel through the Strait of Hormuz or the wider Gulf region. This is due to the increasing demand for the waterway as it slowly begins to pick up. The strait's traffic has been relatively low since Iran lifted the effective blockade after agreeing on a 60-day truce with the U.S. last week. Meanwhile, talks are continuing to reach a permanent agreement to end the war. The number of vessels passing through Hormuz has dropped to a...

Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday it has awarded an $875,000,000, 12-year contract with Air Space Intelligence for the overhaul of U.S. flight schedules to improve how flights in the United States are managed. The 'FAA will utilize a new system to provide data and ensure that the?capacity is adequate for the?demand for air traffic. The FAA said that the system would use data to avoid significant delays and congestion "by strategically co-ordinating schedules and trajectories prior to aircraft departure". SMART is a system that uses data to analyze air traffic, weather, airport capacity and operational constraints. It can predict...

The Transportation Security Administration has issued friendly advice for those who wish to bring home ranch dressing after visiting the United States to watch the World Cup. The 'TSA' decided to issue a helpful warning after receiving numerous posts on social media from fans who love Ranch dressing. They wrote on Instagram: "If you are visiting a large sporting event, and you discover RANCH during your stay... pack it into your CHECKED BAGGAGE on the way home." If you are travelling within the U.S.A., keep all carry-on sauces to 3.4 ounces (100ml or less) and put any larger containers into...

The 'top Democrat' on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee urged Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reject White House pressure for approval of President Donald Trump’s proposed 259-foot tall Independence Arch. She said it could present risks to commercial flight. "The FAA should commit to the highest safety standards, and reject any inappropriate or irresponsible pressuring from President Trump in order to prioritise the construction of this gaudy 'vanity arch. This is not in the best interest of the American people," wrote Senator Tammy Duckworth in a letter to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Thursday. Last week, the FAA stated that it...

Waymo, the self-driving division of Alphabet, is recalling 3,900 robotaxis from the U.S. due to a software issue that could cause them to drive into a construction zone on a freeway. This is the second?recall?by?Waymo?in just over a week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall for more than 12 incidents that occurred in California and Arizona since early April, in which Waymo autonomous cars (AVs), did not recognize and drive past ramp closure signs in pre-planned "freeway construction zones" and freeway lanes where active construction was taking place. The company initially implemented?restrictions on freeway driving until...

Four industry sources have said that the London Metal Exchange is looking at easing its rules to promote Hong Kong as a "metals location". This is in response to China's desire for greater control over global metals markets. Hong Kong became an LME warehouse in July 2025. However, very little metal was deposited since then. Two sources claimed that HKEx executives asked warehouse companies to remove any barriers in order to make Hong Kong a viable storage location. In a consultation paper published in March, the 149-year old LME suggested outside storage for aluminum "on a site-by-site basis". Four sources...

Tropical storms passing through Taiwan caused torrential?rains? that shut down southern Taiwan, forcing more than 5,000,000 people to miss work or school. Japan also issued flood and landslide alerts. The outer bands of Typhoon Mekkhala - now a tropical storm - are bringing heavy rains to some parts of Taiwan. This is especially true in Kaohsiung and Tainan in the south. On Friday, the governments of three Taiwanese regions with more than five million residents ordered all offices and schools to close. Flooding in Tainan caused a section of main north-south rail line to be closed. Japan also experienced heavy...

The major Gulf stock exchanges rose in the early trading on Wednesday, amid signs of progress in U.S.Iran negotiations. However, there was still uncertainty about?the durability? of the agreement. The two countries that concluded the first round of negotiations on Monday in Switzerland gave contradictory accounts of some key elements of the Framework Agreement signed last week for the end of the war. These included financial incentives to Iran, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel's war in Lebanon. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that Iran agreed to nuclear inspections in "infinity" on Tuesday. Tehran denied this concession...

Cobalt ambitions of the Democratic Republic of Congo are becoming more and more apparent. Export restrictions were used by the world's biggest producer of the strategic metal used in everything from stealth bombers to mobile phones, to "drain" the market and raise prices. Kinshasa, as it gains more control of its cobalt industry, is also trying to lessen its reliance on Chinese operators, and pivot toward the West, particularly the United States. The rebalancing is accompanied by new attempts to integrate the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), a minefield of ethical issues for Western cobalt purchasers, into official sector. MOVING...

The United Nations shipping agency announced on Tuesday that an evacuation plan is in place to allow hundreds of ships with 11,000 seafarers stuck?in?the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. This follows the agreement between Iran and the U.S. to end hostilities. A spokesperson for the United Nations said, "We've started to contact the ships in order to begin the evacuation." The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) spokesperson said that the evacuation would begin as soon as possible. The IMO stated that it had?secured the necessary safety assurances and verified conditions for safe sailing. In a press release, IMO...

Data from a ship tracking system showed that three supertankers flying the Saudi flag with?six millions barrels of crude aboard sailed through 'Strait of Hormuz' hours after U.S. president Donald Trump had signed a deal with Iran to end their war. On Thursday, other tankers revealed their positions as they sailed through the Strait via public ship tracking after weeks when ships had concealed their voyages while crossing the waterway. According to an analysis of shipping movements, the departures from Saudi ports represented the largest departures through the Strait in recent weeks. Analysis of shipping movements. Saudi Arabia has used...

Middle East oil producers will have to face the consequences. The Iran War exposed the dangers in relying solely on one chokepoint to export vital oil and gas. Gulf governments were left with a clear strategy imperative: diversify at all costs. A blockade by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz was long viewed as an "event of doomsday". It would never occur. Experts believed it would take a massive effort from the military and that Tehran wouldn't be willing to stop its exports. These assumptions were 'proven painfully incorrect. Iran used cheap drones and small vessels to impose a nearly...

Chaiyaporn?Arunrasamee, hunched with his nets over the Andaman Sea, is a Thai government official proposing a "Land Bridge", which will ferry goods from ports on either side of the peninsula. Chaiyaporn stated that he did not want the project to be implemented. The Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revived the project after the war with Iran and the closing of the Hormuz Strait revealed the countries' dependence on strategic maritime chokepoints. Plans envisage a '1 trillion baht logistics corridor ($30.45billion) to provide an alternative route through the Strait of Malacca, which is currently clogged with traffic. The corridor will connect...

Loss of?barrels, and increased prices are already signs that the Iran war has disrupted global crude oil and gas markets. With a U.S. peace deal with Iran expected to reopen Strait of Hormuz in the near future, it's time to assess whether this was a 'watershed moment or just another blip. Consider two precedents. Volkswagen's "Dieselgate", a scandal in 2015 over rigged emission tests, seemed innocent at first. But it signaled the end of diesel cars for passenger vehicles and the rise?of electric vehicle (EVs). The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a dramatic rise in energy prices. However, the...

A group of native Taiwanese paddled to the Philippines in a wooden canoe that they built themselves, revitalizing a route that had been dormant for hundreds of years and reestablishing a cultural connection. The indigenous Batanes Islands, located north of Luzon in the Philippines, are also closely related to Taiwan's Orchid island. The 20-seater canoe named Ovayan, or "Golden Friendship", was built by six communities in Orchid Island, as part of an official project. It will take 24 hours to complete the trip, with 60 people rotating between support ships and taking turns rowing. Maraos is the chairperson of Taiwan’s...

Ship-tracking data showed that three more liquefied gas tankers left the Strait of Hormuz without their transponders and were heading to destinations in 'Asia. However, it is unclear when exactly they made this 'transit. The United States and Iran exchanged air attacks on Thursday for the second day in a row, with U.S. president Donald Trump threatening further?strikes until Tehran accepts a peace agreement and Washington claiming it 'fired on an Iranian oil vessel. QatarEnergy-controlled tankers Lebrethah (left) and?Rasheeda (right) were last spotted west of the Strait on June 1, and April 30, respectively. They carried?cargoes that had been loaded...

Vingroup, a Vietnamese company, is speeding up construction of the world's biggest stadium in Hanoi. They are betting that future demand will make the 135,000-seat venue financially viable. A Vingroup representative said during a recent site visit that thousands of workers work around the clock on the site located about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles south of the central Hanoi) to finish the venue by the end of July 2027. The completion date is a year earlier than the original plan announced in December. Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest company by market capitalisation and working on a number of projects including a high-speed...