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US Senators urge Trump to stand strong' in discussions with Xi on shipbuilding
Bipartisan 'groups of U.S. Senators on Monday urged Donald Trump to stick to the trade remedies proposed by his administration for rebuilding U.S. -shipbuilding, and not make concessions to Chinese Xi Jinping when he meets with him. In a letter to Trump, Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin and Mark Kelly from Wisconsin, along with Republicans Tim Scott and Todd Young from Indiana, said that China's decades long effort to "decimate American Shipbuilding" required the fullest use of U.S. Trade Measures. Trump and Xi met in South Korea last October. They agreed to pause tit for tat fees?on the other ship for a full year. This would save an estimated $3.2billion annually for large Chinese vessels sailing into U.S. port. The U.S. fees are set to resume on November 10 unless another pause has been agreed. U.S. announced their port fees for the first time in April 2025?to loosen China's grip over the global maritime industry. A U.S. investigation concluded that China was dominating the maritime, shipbuilding and logistics sectors through unfair practices. Trump will'meet Xi on Thursday and Friday in China for a summit dominated with the Iran War, which has 'further strained U.S. - Chinese ties. China is still the largest?buyer despite the pressure of the Trump administration. The senators stated in a letter first reported by that "the United States is at a pivotal point and cannot cede any additional ground to China." "We urge you not to give up during these negotiations, as we work to implement trade remedies and to advance the SHIPS for America Act in order to level the playing fields." White House spokesperson Olivia Wales stated that Trump was committed to strengthening the?U.S. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump remained committed to strengthening the?U.S. The SHIPS Act was introduced last year in both the U.S. Senate as well as House of Representatives. It would offer tax credits to investors in domestic'shipyards and production. China's share in the $150 billion global industry of shipbuilding grew from 5% to 50% by 2023, thanks largely to government subsidies. Meanwhile, once dominant U.S. Shipbuilders saw their share drop below 1%. South Korea and Japan rank as the second largest shipbuilders. After the U.S. fees were delayed, orders in Chinese shipyards rebounded in the later part of the year. The senators stated that the sudden drop in Chinese shipping orders "shows that when your Administration takes action on this issue, global maritime industry will pay attention." They called the port fees an "urgent, critical step necessary to grow the U.S. Industrial base, expand the U.S. economy and protect national Security." Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Editing by David Gregorio & Rod Nickel
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US indicts foreign operators and individuals in collapse of Baltimore Key Bridge in 2024
U.S. Justice Department?said Tuesday that a grand jury had indicted a pair of?foreign operators? and a shoreside supervisor in the collision in March 2024 between?the cargo ship Dali? and Baltimore's Francis?Key?Bridge?, which destroyed it and killed six workers. Justice Department stated that the collision resulted in at least $5 billion of damage, as well as significant environmental damage. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a loose wire in an electrical system was the cause of a breaker opening unexpectedly, which led to a series of events leading to two blackouts on board and loss of steering and propulsion. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd based in Singapore and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd based in Chennai in India, as well as Radhakrishnan Nair, 47 an Indian national who worked in both companies for both of them, the Dali's technical superintendent, have been charged with conspiracy and obstruction of an agency proceeding. The prosecution said that Nair was believed to be in India. Companies and individuals were accused of conspiring to defraud United States, and causing death on the bridge for six construction workers. The companies, as well as Nair, are accused of providing false documents and statements to the National Technical Standards Board. Both Synergy Corporations are charged with violating the Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act as well as the Refuse Act. They have discharged?pollutants' into the Patapsco River. According to the indictment the Dali lost power twice in four minutes as it left the Port of Baltimore. This caused it to crash into Key Bridge. The Justice Department said the defendants were accused of relying upon a flushing 'pump' to supply fuel to the Dali generators. However, the pump was not built to automatically restart following a blackout and the Dali generators couldn't operate without fuel. According to the indictment, if the Dali had been using the proper fuel pumps, it would have recovered power in time for the vessel to safely navigate beneath the bridge. (Reporting and editing by Andrea Ricci; David Shepardson)
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United Airlines resumes Venezuela flights after an eight-year break
United Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would resume daily direct flights between Houston and Caracas after a pause of eight years. Airline said that its services between George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston and Simon Bolivar International Airport?in Caracas would begin on August 11. It has joined American Airlines in resuming flights to Venezuela. U.S. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy lifted the ban in January on U.S. carriers flying?to Venezuela, in response to a directive by?President Donald Trump. The?U.S. The State Department removed Venezuela from the "Do Not Travel List" for Americans, and issued a "Reconsider Travel", a less severe advisory, due to crime, kidnappings, terrorism and poor health infrastructure. U.S. Transport Secretary Duffy stated?on?Tuesday that this flight would be crucial to ferrying oil workers into the country, as the U.S. & Venezuela?work to?expand?production and generate new economic opportunites. United offered flights to Venezuela for almost 20 years, before suspending them in 2017. The airline plans to use its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for the route.
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The premium on Urals crude in India is easing as low margins reduce buying
Three traders reported that the premiums for Russia's Urals oil have fallen in India as refiners reduced purchases amid weak margins. Russian Urals crude for delivery to Indian ports in?June trades at a premium between $2-4 per barrel compared to Brent. This is down from $6-7 per barrel for cargoes delivered in May, traders reported. Since early March, the price of Urals in Indian ports has been higher than that of Brent. This is because the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran caused oil to be diverted through the Strait 'of Hormuz. The traders say that Urals prices will not be reduced to a discount at Indian ports anytime soon, because the Asian oil markets have dried up as a result of the Iran War. The 'virtual stoppage of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz - a chokepoint of Middle Eastern oil exports - limits the availability of Gulf Crude, which makes Asian refiners eager to find alternatives, including Russian grades. India, as one of the largest oil importers in the world, is under economic pressure due to higher fuel and crude prices. However, the government has maintained the domestic petrol price. India's fuel consumption was down 4.6% from the same month last year. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged on Sunday that India take a number of measures, including fuel conservation. He said the rise in global energy prices is putting pressure on India's reserves. The spot premiums on Russia's Far -East ESPO blend crude that was delivered to?China last month have also lowered, due to the weakening refining margins.
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President Trump's schedule
Updates The Daybook for President Trump Tuesday, May 12? The daybook editor is ?Timothy Ryan (reachable at 202-843-6282 or [email protected] or [email protected]). Call 1-800-435-0101, option 5, if you are having problems receiving the daybook. The content is only intended to be used as a guide and should not appear in the official record. Schedule of President?TRUMP All times are local in Washington, Anchorage and on the way to China White House. White House. Closed press Plus 11 a.m., participates in an interview for a newspaper. White House. Oval Office. Closed Press 1:40 pm: Departs the White House. Open press 2 p.m. EDT: Departs Joint Base Andrews. At 4:45 pm (Alaska Daylight Time), the plane makes a refueling in Anchorage. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska 6:15 p.m.: ?Departs Alaska en route Beijing, China. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, ?Alaska. Note: The president will arrive in?Beijing on Wednesday. Trump attends a state banquet and bilateral meeting hosted by Chinese?President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Trump will take part in a photo opportunity, tea and a working lunch at Zhongnanhai on Friday before he leaves Beijing to fly back to the United States. The Daybook for Trump May 12, 2026
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Data shows that the newly-accepted Russian tanker has begun operations in a project under US sanctions.
The LNG tanker Merkuriy - which'recently joined Russia's fleet of gas carriers - has loaded a 'cargo from a float storage facility?used for transshipping gas from the Arctic LNG 2 Project, which is subject to U.S. sanctions - according to LSEG data. According to LSEG the Merkuriy loaded?cargo on the Saam facility in the Arctic port of Murmansk, near the 9th May and headed west. In recent months, Russia has added four LNG carriers to its fleet: Orion, Luch and Merkuriy. All four were built between 2005 and 2006, then transferred to new owners. They have been re-flagged as Russian vessels. The tanker carrying the Arctic LNG 2 cargo is not yet known to have a destination. India declined Russia's offer to purchase LNG under U.S. sanction despite a shortage of LNG resulting from Middle East tensions. Moscow wants to diversify its LNG supply as the European Union's ban on Russian LNG imports under short-term contracts came into effect on April 25. The?ban for long-term contracts is set to come into force January 1, 2027. Louise Heavens, Editor (Reporting)
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Waymo recalls 3800 robotaxis due to risk of entering flooded road
Waymo announced on 'Tuesday that it was recalling approximately 3,800 robotaxis from the United States. They identified a 'risk?that vehicles could enter flooded roads and higher speed limits raising safety concerns. Alphabet said that the recall was a result of an April 20 incident in which a Waymo car drove into a "flooded lane" in San Antonio, during severe weather. Waymo stated that the vehicle was not occupied and no injuries were reported. However, the incident prompted the company's review of similar scenarios with high speeds and impassable roads. Waymo stated that they are working on implementing additional software protections, and have put in place mitigations, such as refining their extreme weather operations, especially during intense rainy periods, by limiting the access to areas susceptible to flash flooding. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Waymo temporarily widened its operating scope to increase weather restrictions and updated their maps while they work on a permanent solution. Separately, the NHTSA is investigating 'Waymo' after one of its self-driving vehicles struck a child in Santa Monica, California in January, causing minor injury. The National 'Transportation Safety.Board announced in March that it was investigating an incident from January in which a Waymo.self-driving vehicle passed a stopped school bus with its lights activated, in violation of Texas state law. David Shepardson reported from Washington, and Ananya Palyekar from Bengaluru. (Editing by Janane Vekatraman and Mark Potter).
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EU considers expanding carbon market beyond Europe
A senior official stated that the 'European Commission' is considering extending its carbon market beyond domestic flights to include international flights. This would allow for a more equitable treatment of all airlines and a better price to be placed on their emissions. Brussels is redesigning EU ETS, which forces industries and power plants to purchase carbon permits in order to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. To encourage industries to meet EU climate targets, the scheme limits the number of permits that can be issued. Polona Gregory, a senior official in the climate department of the Commission, said that the review would look at extending the ETS so as to place a price on carbon emissions from flights leaving the EU. The scheme currently only charges carbon on flights within Europe. Gregorin stated that the change aims to?ensure equality of treatment for all operators on routes. The move could lead to a backlash, including from the United States. They fought a previous EU effort to expand their carbon market in 2011 to include international flights. The United Nations CORSIA scheme covers emissions from international flights. It requires airlines to purchase CO2 offsets in order to compensate for the increase in emissions. However, it does not require that they reduce their emissions. The European Commission commissioned a study in 2021 that warned the U.N. plan was unlikely to reduce emission and could undermine Europe's climate goals. ETS is under increasing political pressure as member states worry about Europe's declining economic competitiveness. Meanwhile, some heavy industries are urging Brussels to give them more free permits in order to reduce the cost of compliance. The?ETS provides free?emissions licenses to certain industrial sectors in order to deter them from moving production outside of the EU. The Commission is examining whether it should extend the time period for which carbon permits are given to industries, since some of them struggle to reduce emissions and remain competitive against cheap imports and stiff global competition. The Commission stated that it also plans to slow?the pace at which the ETS reduces?emissions in the 2030s. This could give industries some breathing room while still ensuring emissions drop fast enough to meet the EU's climate goals for 2040.
Airline cancellations in response to Middle East conflict
Middle Eastern carriers increased capacity following the disruption caused by the Iran War, while airlines from outside the Gulf region rerouted flights between Europe & Asia away from major hubs.
The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically:
AEGEAN AIRLINES
On May 21, Greece's largest airline will resume flights from Heraklion to Tel Aviv, as well as Rhodes and Larnaca. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled up until June 26.
Flights to Beirut, Riyadh, and Amman will resume on May 12. The?airline?will cancel flights to Dubai until August 31 and Erbil and Baghdad till July 2.
AIRBALTIC
AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, has announced that flights to Tel Aviv are cancelled until the 28th of June. Dubai flights are cancelled until 24 October.
AIR CANADA
The Canadian carrier has canceled flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until September 7.
AIR EUROPA
Spanish Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv till May 31.
AIR FRANCE-KLM
Air France has suspended flights to Riyadh, Riyadh and Beirut until May 27, and Tel Aviv and Dubai until May 19
KLM suspends flights to Riyadh Dammam, and Dubai until 28 June.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Hong Kong Airlines has suspended all flights to Dubai, Riyadh and cargo freighter services to Dubai, Riyadh and Dubai until June 30, and until May 31, respectively. The airline plans to continue operating all scheduled flights after June.
The U.S. airline has extended the suspension of service for the Atlanta-Tel Aviv flight route until November 30, and plans to resume New York JFK-Tel Aviv flights starting September 6. The launch of the Boston-Tel Aviv flight, originally scheduled for late October, was delayed.
EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES
All flights to Dubai have been cancelled until May 31.
FINNAIR
It has cancelled all flights to Doha until July 2 and continues to avoid the airspaces of Iraq, Iran Syria, and Israel. The airline will not resume Dubai flights until October.
British Airways, owned by IAG, will reduce flights to the Middle East once services resume, and permanently drop Jeddah from its list of destinations. It will increase capacity in India and Africa.
From July, it plans to reduce the number of flights to Dubai, Doha, and Tel Aviv from two to one. Riyadh will be reduced from two daily flights to one starting in mid-May. The changes will be in effect until the end of the summer season on October 24. One Dubai service will resume on October 16.
Iberia Express, the Spanish low-cost carrier of IAG, has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until May 31.
JAPAN AIRLINES
Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flight until July 1, as well as Doha-Tokyo until June 30, 2009.
The Polish airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv up until May 31. The airline also cancelled flights from March 31 through June 19 to Beirut and Riyadh. LOT will operate its winter route from Dubai to Riyadh in October.
LUFTHANSA GROUP
Edelweiss, Lufthansa and Swiss have suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai and Brussels Airlines to Dubai until May 31. Flights are suspended to Amman, Beirut Dammam, Riyadh Erbil Muscat and Tehran until October 24.
Eurowings, a low-cost airline, has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until July 9, Erbil and Dubai until June 22, and Amman and Abu Dhabi until October 24.
ITA Airways has extended the suspension of flights from Tel Aviv to Riyadh and Dubai until May 31, 2019.
MALAYSIA AIRLINES
From June 2, the Malaysian airline will resume limited service to Doha.
NORWEGIAN AIR
The low-cost carrier has delayed the launch of its Tel Aviv, Beirut and Beirut services until?June 15th.
PEGASUS
Pegasus Airlines, Turkey's national airline, has cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq, Amman Beirut, Kuwait Bahrain Doha Dammam Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah and Abu Dhabi until June 1.
QANTAS
Australia's national carrier has added flights to Rome, Paris and other European destinations to meet the increased demand. The Perth-Singapore flight will go from daily to ten flights a week. Flights to Paris are also increasing from three to five weekly return flights. A new?schedule' will be implemented gradually for flights starting in mid-April. It will run through late July.
QATAR AIRWAYS
From June 16, it will expand its international flight network by over 150 destinations.
ROYAL MAROC
Moroccan airline said that flights to Doha and Dubai were cancelled until June 30.
SINGAPORE Airlines
In response to increased demand, the carrier extended its Singapore-Dubai suspension until August 2. It also added services on Singapore-London Gatwick (late March) and Singapore-Melbourne (late March-October 24).
TURKISH AIRLINES
SunExpress, Turkish Airlines joint venture with Lufthansa has cancelled flights from Dubai to June 30.
WIZZ AIR
Low-cost airlines suspend flights from Europe to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until mid-September. All flights to Medina are suspended permanently. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed. Elviira Louma, Tiago Branao, Agnieszka Oenska, Bernadette HOG, BoleslawLASOCKI, Romolo TOSIANI. Rod Nickel, Lisa Shumaker Jonathan Ananda Matt Scuffham Alexander Smith and Susan Fenton edited the book.
(source: Reuters)