Asia

Rescuers in the Philippines recovered another 41 charred remains following a ferry fire. The death toll now stands at 76, and 13 people are still unaccounted for. Forensic teams face the difficult task of identifying victims. The painstaking task had already started after 30 bodies were recovered on Friday and brought to Coron Town, where tents were set-up for forensic teams who would process and identify the deceased. As anxious relatives waited for the news, responders wearing protective suits carried black body bags into tents. Anelyn, 37, was one of those victims. Her husband, who was visiting their children in...

Ayten Bicer felt her daughter, 12, slip from her hand and 'disappear' as a ferry capsized near northern Cyprus on Sunday. At least eight people were killed. Search teams were still looking for survivors Monday in the waters of more than 500 metres (1.640 feet) depth. Her daughter Miray and her 6-year-old Mehmet asaf were two of nearly 20 people who remain missing. "She said, 'Don’t let go.' And I did not let go of my child. I swear, I didn't let her go," Ayten Bicer sobbed. The girl was thrown from her grip when a suitcase fell on her....

Divers joined search teams to search deep waters in search of survivors. Nearly 20 people are still missing after a ferry capsized near Northern Cyprus on Monday, killing at least eight. On Sunday, a double-hulled 'ferry' with 267 people aboard sank and flipped on the seabed just off the port of Kyrenia. The survivors were left clinging onto the overturned hull. The coastguard and passing vessels rescued them. Naif Ezer was one of the anxiously waiting outside the port for news about passengers in the early morning hours on Monday. One of the three friends who were traveling to see...

Satellite imagery and video confirmed that two slicks appeared in Iranian waters. The Caroline Bezengi tanker is currently leaking Russian crude in a marine protected area, creating a massive oil spill that some estimate to be 2,000 square kilometers. The Caroline Bezengi case is not linked to the Iran War. Two new slicks have been detected in the Gulf. Near DOLPHIN SHAPED ISLAND Images from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites show that a slick is visible near the southern tip Qeshm Island. This large island shaped like a dolphin lies in the Strait of Hormuz, close to Iran's coastline. Wim Zwijnenburg is...

Officials said that 172 Indonesians were rescued on Wednesday, after a 'ferry' travelling from Bali to Lombok caught fire in the waters near the island. The'search continues for any missing passengers. Muhammad Hariyadi is the head of local rescue agency. The KM Putri Yasmin left Padangbai Port in Bali to Lembar Port in Lombok, in the province West Nusa Tenggara. Hariyadi said the incident occurred in the Lombok strait at 4:39 am on Wednesday morning (2039 GMT Tuesday). Hariyadi reported that by Wednesday afternoon one Indonesian was confirmed dead, and 172 people had been evacuated from the Lombok Strait to...

Ship-tracking data showed that four tankers changed their course in the Red Sea Wednesday. Two of them indicated the Suez Canal, after Yemen's Houthi militia warned ships to avoid sailing into Saudi Arabian ports. The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, declared a naval blocade on Saudi Arabia Monday. This opened a new front in the war between the United States and Iran. It also raised the risk of global energy and trade outside the Gulf. The threat of Houthi hostile action against Saudi Arabia has started to have a general effect on the tanker industry, according to a ship...

Shipping data revealed that the number of tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz dropped to its lowest level in two months in the last day, after renewed strikes between Iran and the U.S.?and attacks against vessels raised safety concerns. Shipping industry sources say that vessels are increasingly turning off their public AIS?transponders. This makes it difficult to count the total number of ships on the waterway. According to Kpler's analysis, based on the data available, oil and gas tanker traffic has fallen to its lowest levels since May 25. In a recent report, ship broker Gibson stated that the world...

Ship-tracking data showed that at least four oil and gasoline tankers had turned back from trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. This was due to renewed attacks against vessels in this critical waterway, which raised safety & security concerns. After reports of Iran firing missiles on ships in the waterway and damaging a Qatari LNG tanker, as well as a Saudi crude oil tanker, the maritime authorities raised the threat level for transiting vessels from "moderate" to "severe." Data from Kpler and LSEG showed that the three LNG tankers – Al Ghariya Duhail Al Ruwais – were all heading...

Ship tracking data revealed that fewer vessels traversed the Strait of Hormuz Friday than they did earlier in the week. This was hours after an Iranian-operated vessel fired on a Taiwanese ship. U.N.'shipping 'agency temporarily suspended its voluntary scheme for evacuating hundreds of stranded vessels and thousands of seafarers out of the Gulf, after the ship was damaged by the attack near the Omani side. Nevertheless, data from LSEG's and MarineTraffic's ship tracking showed that at least four oil tankers, including three very large crude carrier ships, each of which can carry a maximum 2 million barrels, had entered the...

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...

Shipping data revealed that four liquefied?gas tanks controlled by Qatar headed into the Strait of Hormuz despite a drop in?ship traffic following Iran's announcement over the weekend that the waterway had been closed again. Shiptracking data by analytics firm Kpler revealed that the tankers - Wadi Al Sadd, Mekaines Al Sadd, and Mesaimeer – entered the strait via Iran for the first since the U.S./Israeli war against Iran began. QatarEnergy's LNG exports, which have been severely curtailed since the beginning of the war on February 28, didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. LSEG data shows that the dry...

The United States and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement on Friday, and Gulf producers are preparing to increase exports in spite of concerns about the conditions set by Tehran. Washington and Tehran have released the text for an interim agreement that was signed on Wednesday, to end the conflict. Donald Trump has warned that he will resume his attacks and "target Iranian officials" if the commitments made are not kept. MarineTraffic reports that at least four tankers with crude oil, oil products, and liquefied gas headed for Iraqi Gulf port entered the strait Friday. After being delayed by war, a...

The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, have launched a lightning-fast offensive that has placed them in a position to control an important Middle East waterway. This is a new and major problem for U.S. president Donald Trump while his war against Iran continues in its seventh month. Houthi fighters are advancing south along Yemen's coastline, increasing their 'ability' to choke off Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the "Gate of Tears", at the mouth of 'Red Sea, giving Tehran the potential to gain leverage over both of region's major oil-shipping routes. On Friday, militants reached Perim island in the middle strait connecting...

Alparslan Bayraktar, the Turkish Energy Minister, said that Turkey, Azerbaijan, and other participating 'countries' aim to sign an agreement for a power transmission link to europe during COP31 - the climate summit, in November. The electricity corridor would allow surplus electricity from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey to be exported to Southeast Europe. Bayraktar said at the Azerbaijan and Turkey Energy Forum in Baku that "this is a TANAP on a regional scale" referring to the?pipeline that carries Caspian gas through Turkey to Europe. Bayraktar stated that the participating governments aimed at finalising an intergovernmental agreement regarding the overland electric corridor...

Industry sources told the APPEC industry meeting on Thursday that the market has been able to work around the earlier'supply shocks'. In a panel at the conference, Rishi Nyati said, "We do not see any problems with sourcing bunkers today and putting them on board." Nyati said that there is currently no shortage of marine fuel or bunkers in the major shipping hubs, as opposed to March and April. However, he added that refuelling prices have risen. According to data from the market, as of this week outright prices for mainstay VLSFO fuel oil, in Singapore, which is the world's...

The Ukrainian agriculture ministry announced on Wednesday that it would conduct a survey among?farmers to determine their plans for winter?crops sowing for the harvest of 2027 and their capacity for storing?crops?for 2026. The Russian attack on Ukrainian Black Sea port has effectively stopped maritime exports. This leaves farmers unable sell their grain or prepare for and carry out a sowing campaign, primarily for winter Wheat. The?ministry announced that the survey was designed to collect up-to date information about the areas that farmers plan to sow in the fall, the progress made on the final stages of the harvest campaign for...

On Wednesday, the Kremlin said that European countries were paying a high price for avoiding Russian gas due to rising energy prices and could instead be purchasing cheaper supplies from Moscow. The war in Iran has caused European gas prices to soar. They reached their highest level since the end of 2022 when the Ukraine conflict forced Europe to cut imports?of Russian pipe gas. Last week, the benchmark European gas price climbed to EUR75 a megawatt-hour. This is more than double what it was a year earlier. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that Europe hurt itself by purchasing expensive?gas at...

Aliko Dangote, a billionaire, has set his sights on replicating the project that launched Africa's largest oil refinery, in Nigeria, less than three years ago. But the construction of his company's planned new 700,000-barrel-per-day Lamu refinery in Kenya promises to bring a whole new set ?of issues -- not least where to secure crude supply in ?a country that, unlike oil-rich Nigeria, currently has no commercial output. Plans are changing rapidly. Discussions about Dangote's East African Refinery centered on Tanzania until April. Dangote said to the Financial Times that he would prefer the refinery be located in Mombasa in Kenya....

The Beetaloo Basin developers in Australia are bringing U.S. equipment and money to the project. They also hope that U.S. scale and efficiency will help reduce costs and make it economically viable. Beetaloo, which produced its first gas in this month, has been compared to the Marcellus Shale in the U.S. However, its remoteness in the Northern Territory will require billions of dollars in order to build pipelines. If the development is successful, it could provide a new supply of LNG to Asia. But first well costs need to be reduced by up 60% in a part of the world...

Africa50, an infrastructure investment fund based in Morocco, wants to "more than double" the value of projects it backs over the next 5 years to $20 billion, according to its chief operating officer. The fund was established by African leaders in 2015. It has invested in 36 projects in the power, transportation, logistics, and other sectors. These projects have a total value of $9 billion. In an interview conducted on Monday, Tshepidi Mostmong, the COO of the Casablanca fund, stated that they were "looking to at least double or triple this number in terms of value." Moremong said that Africa50...

The 'developers' of Australia's Beetaloo Basin have brought in U.S. money, equipment, expertise, and, they hope, U.S. scale and efficiency to'reduce costs' and make Australia's first shale-gas project economically viable. It is often compared to the Marcellus Shale in the U.S. because of its abundance, but the fact that it is located in the Northern Territory, means that billions of dollars are needed to build the pipelines. If the development is successful, it could provide a new supply of LNG to Asia. But first, well costs need to be reduced by up 60% in a part of the world that...

Customs data released Tuesday showed that China's crude oil imports were up from July but down 23.4% compared to a year ago. After restricting exports of refined oil products since March in order to protect domestic supplies, the world's largest oil buyer imported 14.6% less oil than it did a year ago. Domestic consumption also fell due to higher prices. The second consecutive month saw a month-on-month increase in oil imports. However, China has eased its controls on refined oil since July. China imported?37.93 millions metric tons or 8.93million barrels of oil per day, an increase of 6.2% from July....

According to?customs data?released?on?Tuesday, China's crude?imports were?down?23.4% from the same period a year earlier. Data showed that oil imports for August were 37.93 metric tons or 8.93 million barrels a day. China's crude oil imports from January to August?fell by 14.6%, reaching 320.9 million metric tonnes. China's?natural gas imports in August, including LNG, were 10.33 million tonnes, down 12.9% compared to a year ago. Natural gas imports in the first eight-month period were 78.23 millions tons, a 4.4% drop on an annual basis. Exports of China's refined oil products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and kerosene, reached 6.01 million tonnes...

According to the police, an attempt was made to short circuit a transformer in the electricity grid south of Duesseldorf, west 'Germany. The newspaper Bild reported this on Friday. This comes after two suspected sabotage efforts 'this week. The police received a letter from a person claiming responsibility for both the Dormagen incident and vandalism of a Bergheim substation that shut down 4,200 megawatts on Tuesday. This week, Europe's fears about critical infrastructure in Germany have been at the forefront. After Germany accused Moscow of a drone strike on the Leipzig/Halle Airport in August, allies came together to support Germany....