Passenger Marine Transportation

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...

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...

Caixin, the Chinese media outlet, reported that a Chinese-owned oil product tanker was attacked on Monday near the 'Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump launched a U.S. Plan to assist stranded ships, but then suspended it one day later. Caixin reported on Thursday that this was the first attack on a Chinese oil-tanker. Since the Iran conflict began, traffic through this vital strait has virtually stopped. It is through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass. Caixin reported that the deck of a?unnamed ship caught fire. The ship's marking was "CHINA OWNER & CREW". The crew...

Shipping data from Friday showed that only five ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, including an Iranian oil tanker. This is after Iran seized two container vessels this week, and the U.S. has continued to blockade Iranian ports. The shipping traffic that passes through the 'crucial waterway' at the entrance to?Gulf? during an uneasy ceasefire, between Washington and Tehran, represents only a fraction the 140 average daily passages prior to the Iran War beginning on February 28, 2008. "Most shipping companies will need to have a stable ceasefire, and both sides of conflict must reassure them that the...

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) has warned ships not to cross the Strait of Hormuz through Iranian territorial waters, as Thursday's traffic was well below normal levels. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, one if Japan's three largest shipping companies, is caught up in the confusion, as firms try and work out the impact of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. In an interview with Jotaro Tamura on Thursday, the President and CEO said that it was necessary to confirm whether or not safety risks were low enough. Three tankers were recently rescued from the Strait of Gibraltar...

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...

The leading shipping and labour groups have said that seafarers are entitled to refuse to sail on ships traversing the Middle East Gulf, which includes the Strait of Hormuz. This is because the threat level in the region has been raised to the highest level. As the U.S. war against Iran intensifies, around 300 ships are anchored both sides of the Strait. Nine ships have suffered damage since?February 28 and one seafarer has been killed. According to the International Bargaining Forum, a group of mariners, commercial shipping companies, and maritime unions, reached a negotiated agreement on Thursday. Seafarers can refuse...

According to an advisory published on Tuesday, London's marine insurers have widened their high-risk area in the Gulf as the conflict rages in the Middle East. Underwriters closely follow the Joint War Committee's guidance, which is comprised of syndicate members and representatives of the London Insurance Company Market. In a statement, the JWC declared that waters surrounding Bahrain, Djibouti Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar were high-risk zones. In a statement by the committee's secretary Neil Roberts, the JWC decided to review the areas during a meeting held on Monday. "In light of recent events", Roberts stated. He also added that these...

After a 'U.S. Shipping sources and officials reported on Sunday that Israeli strikes against Iran led to a retaliatory response from Iran, which put merchant ships in danger of collateral damage. Shipping data revealed that the risks to commercial shipping increased in the last 24 hours. More than 200 vessels, including oil and gas tankers, dropped anchor around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has announced that it has closed the navigation of this critical waterway. The U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran has increased the risk of security for ships operating in the Persian Gulf, and adjacent waters," Jakob 'Larsen...

Shipping data revealed that at least 150 'tankers', including LNG and crude vessels, were anchored in the open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and that dozens more were anchored on the other side. This was after the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran shook the region. According to estimates based on data collected by the MarineTraffic platform, the tankers were located in open water off the coasts major Gulf oil producing countries, such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia. They also included the liquefied gas giant Qatar. MarineTraffic data shows that many of the vessels are anchored in the exclusive economic...

Iran has started talks with Japanese firms under a U.S. sanction waiver that allows?it resume oil sales. However, prospective buyers are?seeking longer waivers and reassurances regarding ship safety. The waiver was part of the 60-day talks between Washington and Tehran, and it expires on August 21. Two Iranian sources declined to identify themselves due to the sensitive nature of the matter. They said that three Japanese buyers are considering possible crude oil purchases in Iran. This would be their first purchase since 2019. A Western industry source with knowledge of the situation said that Japanese and Iranian officials were initially...

A top U.N. official announced on Friday that the United Nations was working with countries to resume the evacuating of hundreds of vessels and thousands of stranded seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz, after this effort had been halted earlier in the week. The U.N. International Maritime Organization announced on Thursday that it had "temporarily paused' its evacuation initiative following the attack on a container vessel operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen. IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said that 115 ships and around 2,500 seafarers were able to navigate through the strait, before evacuations ceased. Dominguez stated that he is working "vigilantly",...

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...

Shipping data shows that three stranded oil tankers, each carrying 5 million barrels of crude oil, left the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday. Two of them were headed to Asia. The interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. has released more supply?stuck?in the Gulf, which is bringing down?global?prices. Data from LSEG & Kpler revealed that the VL Breeze (flagged South Korean) is a Very Large Carrier, carrying 2,000,000 barrels of Qatari Condensate & Abu Dhabi Crude. It has passed through the strait on its way to Daesan. The supertanker was chartered by South Korean refiner Hyundai Oilbank. The data revealed that...

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...

Ship-tracking data shows that two stranded supertankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday. Seven empty Qatari-linked liquefied gas tankers entered the Strait in recent weeks, a sign that Gulf gas shipping may be returning. Data showed that Iranian-linked tanks continued to pass through 'the 'vital waterway. Traffic increased on Monday, as U.S.Iran talks advanced. The flow of traffic had decreased ahead of the U.S.-Iran talks, amid Trump's threats to restart the conflict and Tehran's announcement that it had once again closed the Strait. A day after the first round of negotiations, which started on Sunday, both parties agreed on a...

Boris Pistorius said that Germany is deploying two ships in the Red Sea to prepare for a possible military mission in Strait of Hormuz. After U.S. president Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran that ended a war which has disrupted the global energy supply, officials from the shipping and insurance industries called for the immediate deployment of mine-clearing ships to the Strait. As we speak, the?minesweeper Fulda is sailing through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea," Pistorius said as he arrived in Brussels for a meeting of his NATO counterparts. Pistorius did not specify a timeline, but said...

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 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...

Sonangol Marine Services, a U.S.-based representative of Sonangol Marine Services, said that the hull of the Bahamas flagged crude tanker Sonangol Namibe was likely to have been breached following a blast when it was anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair Port. A small vessel unknown approached the vessel on March 5 at 1200 local time. Sonangol Marine Services issued a statement saying that "the'small boat' approached the port-side of the tanker and a loud boom was heard a few moments later." The crew reports that the port ballast tank is leaking water, which indicates some type of hull rupture. However,...

Sources in the industry said that insurance rates for war risks increased after Ukrainian drones attacked two tankers headed to a Russian harbor. Fears of more attacks prompted insurers to raise their prices. Black Sea is vital for shipping grain, oil, and oil products. Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania, as well Russia and Ukraine, share its waters. Shipping and insurance sources reported that war risk rates, which are determined by each underwriter and are based upon the value of the vessel, have risen to 0.5% from 0.4% a week earlier for calls to Ukrainian port. Sources said that the war risk...

Shipping sources reported on Wednesday that commercial ships were sailing near Oman, and maritime agencies are advising them to avoid Iran's water around the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict between Israel, and Iran is at risk of escalating. Iran has threatened in the past to close down the Strait of Hormuz in response to Western pressure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz could affect trade and global oil prices. Ships sailing to Hormuz have taken the latest precaution to reduce risks. They are now sailing near the coast of Oman for most of their journey. The Gulf of Oman...