Asia

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...

Iran is also preparing to resume its exports and trade. This comes as U.S. president Donald Trump recently welcomed the return of oil from Gulf allies. Shipping data shows that at least three tankers, each carrying?some 5 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, have passed through the U.S. Naval Blockade in the past week. This is despite the U.S. Military saying it will continue its operations to block Iran-linked ships until Friday. The oil market is focused on the deal that Trump announced on 14 June and which will be signed in Switzerland on Friday. Trump posted on Sunday,?Sunday, that...

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced on Friday that U.S. forces had seized the stateless sanctioned oil tanker Davina in the Indian Ocean overnight. Washington has placed a sea blockade against Iran, while Tehran has fired at ships to stop them from?sailing? through the Strait of Hormuz and entering the Middle East Gulf. In recent months, U.S. forces intercepted "multiple commercial and petroleum tankers" in the Indian Ocean. Indo-Pacific Command posted on X that "we will continue to enforce global maritime law to?disrupt illegal networks and 'interdict vessels providing materials support to Iran wherever they operate". According to data from ship...

The CEO of the world's largest ship recycler said that Dubai-based GMS won approval from the U.S. Government to scrap four containers ships which were subject to?Iran related sanctions. This could pave the way for Washington to reduce its shadow fleet?of?such vessels. The fact that hundreds of ships are not insured or complying with environmental safety standards has helped Iran and Russia to circumvent sanctions. They also pose a risk of fuel spills and oil leaks along busy sea routes. A mechanism approved for scrapping these vessels can be used to encourage their removal from circulation. This will reduce environmental...

Data showed that a Chinese-operated ship was "among the few" to cross the Strait 'Hormuz? in the last 24 hours. This comes as the uncertainty about reopening this critical waterway grows, with the talks between the U.S.A. and Iran at a standstill. Prior to the start of the war against Iran on February 28, the average daily shipping through the strait was 125-140 passages. As a result of the conflict, 20,000 sailors are still stranded on hundreds of ships in the?Gulf. According to an analysis based on ship tracking data, there were 10 ships per day that entered and left...

The crew of the tanker gathered courage and navigated carefully along the route designated by Iran. They hugged the coast and manoeuvred their massive vessel between island checkpoints in the Strait of Hormuz. Agios Fanourios 1, a 330 metre long vessel, loaded with Iraqi crude and bound for Vietnam had been bottle-?up near the coast of Dubai, since late April. On May 10, the tanker set out for the Strait of Hormuz after an agreement with Iran, overseen by Iraq’s Prime Minister. The Iranian orders to the tanker are part of the complex multi-tiered system that Iran has used for...

The U.S. sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry,?arrived back at the Strait of?Hormuz Wednesday, after leaving the Gulf the previous day,?shipping information showed. It failed to?break a U.S.?blockade?on ships calling at Iranian port. U.S. president Donald Trump announced the ban on Sunday, after the weekend talks between the U.S. government and Iran in Islamabad failed to produce a result. The U.S. Central Command reported on X that "no ships were able to get past the U.S. Blockade during the first 24 hour period." Six vessels complied with the direction of U.S. Forces to turn around and re-enter a port in Iran. On...

Zefyros's manager in Greece confirmed that the tanker was struck by a missile overnight during a ship-to -ship transfer. Benetech Shipping SA reported that the incident took place at Iraq's Umm Qasar Anchorage late Wednesday during a transfer of fuel cargo with the Safesea Vishnu Tanker. All 23 crew members have been accounted for and are safe. The 23 crew members were evacuated and brought to land, according to a statement. SOMO reported that the Safesea Vishnu had been chartered by a company in Iraq contracted with State Organization for the Marketing of Oil. The Zefyros, meanwhile, was loaded with...

According to three sources, the freight rates for tanker shipments from western ports of Russia's Urals crude to India have fallen in July compared to last month. This is because increased vessel availability and the summer season eased pressure on the market. The lower transportation costs are a relief for Russian oil exporters whose margins were under pressure due to the wider discounts on Urals crude, as a result of weak demand in Asia. Sources claim that the cost to ship a cargo of 100,000 metric tonnes of Aframax from the Baltic port of Primorsk, in the Baltic Sea, to...

The lawyer for the three Thai sailors said that the?Labour Court of Thailand accepted on Friday a 'petition by the Thai sailors seeking damages after a fatal attack on their cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran in March. The petition seen by seeks at least one million baht ($30,000), per sailor, from companies and agencies connected to Precious shipping, the vessel's owner, and its captain. Kunpat Singhathong, their lawyer, told reporters that the sailors had accused?their employer of taking them to dangerous areas and putting their lives in danger. They also...

The lawyer for the three Thai sailors said that the Labour Court of Thailand accepted their petition on Friday, seeking damages following a deadly attack on their cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran in March. The petition seen by seeks at least one million baht ($30,000), per sailor, from companies and agencies connected to Precious shipping, the vessel's owner, and its captain. Kunpat 'Singhathong, their lawyer, told reporters that the sailors had accused their employers taking them to dangerous areas and putting their life at risk. They also claimed their employers...

Open-source analysis shows that Russia is using small drones to damage high-voltage substations of electricity in the frontline region of Sumy in northern Ukraine. The Centre for Information Resilience in London is an open-source investigative group that has verified the footage of a new wave of strikes posted on Russian social media. Throughout the war, Russia bombarded Ukrainian power plants, particularly in frontline regions. As a response, Ukrainian authorities covered high-voltage converters with concrete sarcophagis and anti-drone webs. Ukraine's frontline areas are also filled with electronic warfare systems, which aim to interfere with the radio signals that control drones. As...

Ukraine's Deputy Prosecutor-General denied Kyiv's role in the 2022 explosion of the Nord Stream Gas Pipelines and suggested forming a joint investigative team with Germany. Germany suspects Ukrainian state entities are behind the explosions. The explosions occurred months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. They damaged the Nord Stream 1 pipe, a crucial route for?Russian exports of gas to Europe. In a press release, the Prosecutor's Office said that, according to the findings of the investigation, there was no evidence that Ukraine or its officials or officials had been involved in the explosions that occurred in the Baltic Sea...

90% of Tulsans can expect to be able order deliveries by autonomous drones within the next 12 months, said Manna on Wednesday. The company has begun a push in the American Southwest it believes will "be the battleground" for this?fast-growing sector. Executive chairman Kenny Jacobs said that the Irish-founded startup, based in Oklahoma City, will begin flying orders for partners like DoorDash, McDonald's, and Uber Eats by mid-2027. It will operate 40 bases throughout Oklahoma's second largest city. Jacobs said at the launch of the first full-scale U.S. operations. The technology has been proven. It's now about commercial scalability, and...

Two?industry?sources? said that a drone attacked Chevron's Yasa Polaris?tanker used for Caspian Pipeline Consortium's shipments off Russia's?Black?Sea coast on Wednesday. Chevron said on Monday that it was aware of a ship incident near the Caspian?Pipeline Consortium loading facilities in Russia's Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk. The crew was unharmed, and exports from Kazakhstan weren't affected. Tengizchevroil, a company owned by Chevron and operating in Kazakhstan, is the largest exporter of CPC Blend Oil. It sources its oil from a massive Tengiz oilfield. According to LSEG, Yasa Polaris was built in 2022. It is a tanker capable of carrying?160,000 metric tonnes...

Ukrainian drones struck overnight three Russian oil refineries and Russian tankers on the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian military and Russian local officials confirmed this on Wednesday. Kyiv is continuing its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure. As Ukraine intensifies its drone attacks against Russia's oil refineries, it is hitting targets further and farther from its territory. Kyiv has attacked the largest Russian refinery in Siberia located around 2,700 km (1 700 miles) away from Ukrainian-held territory. Separate statements from Ukraine's General Staff and Special Forces said that drones have hit the TANECO & TAIF NK oil refineries located in Tatarstan?Nizhnekamsk...

Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy announced on Wednesday that power was restored to a number of affected areas?by electrical outages? after several transmission lines?went out of operation. The ministry stated that emergency teams are continuing to work to restore electricity as soon as possible to all the?affected areas?. Earlier, the ministry said that several power lines were out of service and causing "electricity outages" in various parts of the country. The ministry said that 'teams are working under an approved emergency?plan to identify the cause and restore power supply. Bahrain's Electricity and Water Authority (BNA) reported that...

Israel's Energy Minister said that the Gulf countries' dependency on oil shipments via the Strait of Hormuz would be'significantly reduced' by a pipeline connecting the Gulf to Europe via Israel. This would also allow them to avoid Red Sea shipping disruptions. After 'the U.S. launched strikes on Iran?on February 28, and Tehran effectively shut the strait, oil prices soared. Prices have fallen since a U.S. and Iran ceasefire, but there are still fears that tensions will rise again. Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister, said in an interview at Jerusalem that the Gulf countries don't want to depend on Iran or...

Kyiv’s military and local authorities in Russia confirmed that Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s largest refinery, Omsk in Siberia this week. It was one of Ukraine’s longest-ranged attacks in the war. Fuel shortages are worsened by the drone attacks in Russia. People have reported higher prices and longer queues at filling stations throughout most regions. Here is a list of recent attacks and their impact. OMSK Ukrainian drones attacked the Omsk refinery 'on Monday causing a fire. There were no injuries. Governor Vitaly Khotsenko said that Russian air defences destroyed the majority of drones used in the attack. The extent of...

Saudi Arabia may expand the capacity of its crude?oil pipeline to the western Red Sea coast, according to five sources familiar with the matter. This would allow the kingdom, and perhaps neighbours, to 'transport' more oil without having to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The East-West Pipeline was constructed in the early 1980s, and it has been crucial ever since the Iran War and the subsequent halt of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The ship can carry up to 7,000,000 barrels of crude per day to the Red Sea Port of Yanbu. In May, Aramco's CEO said that approximately...