South-East Asia

According to the Information Sharing Centre, the intergovernmental antipiracy group ReCAAP, there were 95 piracy-related and armed robberies on ships in Asia between January and June of this year. This is an 83% rise compared to last year's same period. The watchdog flagged the Straits of Malacca as a concern area. In these waters, there were 80 incidents over the period compared with 21 in the first six months of 2024. The majority of incidents that occurred in the Straits of Malacca or Singapore were minor, and 90% of the times there was no injury to the crew. ReCAAP's information...

According to records from customs and shipping, at least one Chinese company is involved in this trade. China is the largest supplier of antimony, gallium, and germanium used in semiconductors, telecommunications, and military technology. Beijing banned the export of these minerals to America on December 3, following Washington's crackdown against China's chip industry. The shift in trade flows highlights the struggle for vital minerals, and China's struggle for enforcement of its curbs. It is competing with the U.S. to achieve economic, military and technology supremacy. Trade data shows that U.S. shipments are being rerouted via third countries, a problem which...

Analysts say that Brazil's corn will face new challenges as the shipping season begins, with logistical issues possible, China buying less and the United States expected to be a strong competitor. They said that corn exports will increase in volume for 2024/25, but they could also face bottlenecks, as they would have to compete with each other for space in the ports, if China's continued demand for Brazil’s record soybean harvest in 2025. According to government projections the corn production in Brazil is expected to reach 128.3 millions metric tons this season, a 11% increase from last season's cycle. StoneX,...

A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed on Tuesday that the Turkish foreign and defense ministers would visit Pakistan on March 13 to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Shariff and discuss bilateral relations, regional issues and cooperation in the defence industry. The Turkish government has close ties to Pakistan, and it expressed its solidarity with Pakistan during the conflict between India and Pakistan in May. This angered India. Sources said that Hakan Fidan, Turkey's Foreign Minister, will visit Ankara to express the desire of the country to strengthen ties across all fields and offer Ankara its support for taking steps towards regional...

S&P Global Platts, a commodities pricing agency, has informed its subscribers that it will no longer include three floating storage units in its assessment of Singapore fuel oil and bunker fuel ex-wharf cargoes. Platts stated in a July 3 note that the vessels CS Innovation and CS Brilliance would no longer be reflected in its process of market-on-close assessments as additional loading points. The vessels are operated as floating storage units by CSZ Shipping CSHA Shipping and CSHB Shipping at Tanjung Pelepas within the Tanjung Pelepas Port Limits, in southern Malaysia’s Johor State. Platts stated that the exclusion was a...

The website of the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that MMC Port Holdings had filed a draft prospectus at the securities regulator on Wednesday. This could have been Malaysia's largest IPO in the last 13 years. The draft prospectus revealed that MMC Corp., the parent company, which owns MMC Port Holdings at 100%, would sell up to 30% of its stake in the port operator during the initial public offering. In February, it was reported that MMC Port could earn more than 6 billion Ringgit ($1.43billion) in the second half this year. This information came from two sources who were...

The head of the national regulator announced that Ivory Coast will increase its domestic cocoa production to 50% within two years. This is up from the current 42%, he said. Yves Brahima Kone, the managing director of Ivory Coast’s Coffee and Cocoa Council, said that cocoa processing was essential to boost local industry and support economic growth. Kone, who spoke at the opening of the Abidjan plant in Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast's country, said that the Ivory Coast has invested to boost the domestic industry. He said that five plants will be completed and operational in two...

A government memo revealed that ten officials from India's aviation watchdog would visit Air India headquarters for an audit on Tuesday. This comes as the airline faces intense scrutiny following a plane crash which killed 271 people. Air India is not being audited because of the crash, but it has received warnings from the aviation safety watchdog for lapses. It has also cut its routes citing the need for "operational security" after the deadly June 12 crash in India's Ahmedabad. During the visit, officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will examine documents related to Air India's operations, audit...

As independent refiners reduce their purchases due to the rise in crude oil prices, sellers of Iranian oil are offering greater discounts to China this month. They want to reduce their inventories. Three traders reported that Iranian Light crude oil was being traded between $3.30 and $35 a barrel under ICE Brent, compared with a discount around $2.50 in June. The main Chinese buyers for Iranian crude are independent refineries known as teapots. Since the conflict between Israel and Iran began last week, crude oil prices have risen by $10 per barrel. According to traders, teapots in the province of...

India's Defense Ministry said that the Indian Coast Guard was trying to tow the burning cargo ship off the coast in the southern state Kerala, which contained hazardous cargo. This would prevent an ecological disaster. The Singaporean-container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 is carrying 120,000 metric tons of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, the ministry said. A vessel bound for India's financial center Mumbai was involved in an accident Monday about 144 km off the coast of Kerala, a southern Indian state. Multiple explosions and fires broke out on the vessel and 40 containers fell into the...

Singapore's Koh Brothers Eco Engineering announced on Tuesday that its unit had secured a S$999.7 million contract ($776.77million) from Changi Airport Group for the construction of intraterminal tunnels in the airport's new fifth terminal. Koh Brothers' Koh Brothers Building & Civil Engineering Contractor will execute the contract via an integrated joint venture, with Penta-Ocean Construction a Japanese company. The joint venture is 30% owned by the company that provides engineering services. Changi Airport in Singapore, the fourth busiest airport in the world by international passenger numbers, began building a new terminal in May to capitalize on the growing air travel...

Officials said that on Monday multiple explosions and fires occurred on a cargo vessel bound for India's financial center Mumbai, causing forty containers to fall in the Arabian Sea. Shekhar Kuriakose is the secretary of Kerala's disaster management authority. The WAN HAI 503, a Singapore-flagged vessel, met with an incident about 144 km off the coast. According to preliminary information, there were 22 employees on the ship. 18 of them jumped in the water and are now in rescue boats. He said that efforts were underway to save them, and added that the ship was not "currently sunk". The Indian...

LME data on Thursday showed that the proportion of aluminium stock of Russian origin registered in warehouses at the London Metal Exchange fell to 66% from 69% in may, but the proportion of Indian origin rose to 34%. The LME has prohibited metal produced in Russia from its warehouse system after April 13, 2024 to comply with U.S., British and European sanctions imposed due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2022. Metal made before this date can still trade. Stocks of aluminium with Russian origin, or those on warrant The end of June saw little change, with 221,875 tons. A LME...

Data from the London Metal Exchange showed that the proportion of aluminium with Russian origin registered in the warehouses of the London Metal Exchange fell to 69% from 89% in the month of April. The percentage of Indian origin increased to 30% from 10%. To comply with U.S., British and European sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the LME has banned all metals produced in Russia from its warehouse system after April 13, 2024. Metal made before April 13, 2024 can still be traded. Stocks of aluminium with Russian origin, or those on warrant The number of metric...

Two people with knowledge of the deal said that Shein, an online retailer specialising in fast fashion, is leasing its first warehouse in Vietnam. This could help reduce the company's exposure to the unpredictable trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Shein, a company founded in China that sells items such as $5 bike shorts or $18 sundresses has agreed to lease 15 hectares for an industrial warehouse near Ho Chi Minh City. This is the commercial and trading center of Vietnam, according to the two sources, who declined to identify themselves because the information wasn't public. A tit-fortat China-U.S....

LME data released on Monday showed that the proportion of aluminium with Russian origin registered in warehouses at the London Metal Exchange increased to 89% from 88%, and the proportion of Indian origin decreased to 10% from 11 %. To comply with U.S., British and European sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the LME has banned all metals produced in Russia from its warehouse system after April 13, 2024. Metal made before April 13, 2024 can still be traded. Stocks of aluminium with Russian origin, or those on warrant The end-of-April figure was 223,900 tons, up from 200...

LME data on Thursday showed that the proportion of aluminium with Russian origin registered in warehouses at the London Metal Exchange increased to 88% from 75%, and the percentage of Indian origin decreased to 11%. To comply with U.S., British and European sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the LME has banned all metals produced in Russia from its warehouse system after April 13, 2024. Metal made before April 13, 2024 can still be traded. Stocks of aluminium with Russian origin, or those on warrant The end-of-March figure was 200,700 tons, up from 155125 tons in February. The...

LME data released on Monday showed that the proportion of aluminium with Russian origin registered in warehouses at the London Metal Exchange increased to 75% from 67%, and the share of Indian origin decreased to 24%. According to traders, the majority of the aluminium in LME registered warehouses at Port Klang in Malaysia is of Indian origin. This is what Western consumers are looking for, as many have refused to purchase metal made in Russia ever since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago. Stocks of aluminium with Russian origin, or those on warrant At the end February, the total metric...

LME data on Monday showed that the number of Russian-made aluminium in London Metal Exchange storage warehouses was up in January compared to December. The amount of Indian metal, however, fell. According to traders, the majority of the aluminium in LME registered warehouses at Port Klang in Malaysia is of Indian origin. This is what Western consumers are looking for, as many have refused to purchase metal made in Russia after it invaded Ukraine almost three years ago. Stocks of aluminium with Russian origin, or those on warrant At the end January, the total reached 164 475 metric tonnes, or...

According to a survey published on Tuesday, the stricter traffic regulations in place since the beginning of the year have caused disruptions and increased costs in the transport and logistics industry in Vietnam. New road safety regulations have increased the fines for serious traffic offences such as disregarding traffic lights. The new regulations are also more significant for the logistics industry in Southeast Asia's industrial and export hub because they require truck drivers to take a 15-minute break after every four hours driving. In a survey of more than 460 employees and executives, mainly from the logistics sector and distribution,...

Energy and commodities trader Vitol is trying to lower its storage costs with plans to get rid of significant quantities of aluminium from London Metal Exchange (LME) storage facilities in Port Klang, Malaysia, 3 sources acquainted with the matter said. LME approved storage facilities charge 56 U.S. cents per metric lot to save aluminium in Port Klang, about 5 times more than rent charged for metal outside the LME's warehousing system. Vitol, which decreased to discuss its strategies, is increase its existence in international metals markets after a previous foray into base metals ended in 2014. It preserved a presence...

Prateek Gupta, who is accused of fraud by commodity trading company Trafigura, on Friday secured a delay up until completion of February in disclosure of documents appropriate to the longrunning case. Gupta's attorneys told a London court in March that he had run out of funds for legal fees and wanted to reach a settlement. Trafigura filed the case in February 2023, alleging systematic. scams by the Indian business owner and companies managed by him. Gupta has stated in his defence that Trafigura personnel created. the scheme at the centre of the case, to substitute low-value. products such as scrap...

Singapore Post Ltd stated on Tuesday it remained in unique talks with a 3rd party for a. possible sale of its Australia company, while mentioning that no. conclusive offer has actually been reached. The business's Australia sector consists of fourth-party. logistics services, third-party logistics solutions consisting of. transportation and circulation, and last-mile courier shipment,. along with warehousing services. Singapore Post had started a restructuring procedure in. May 2023, in a bid to revive capital returns to. investors. The business boosted its Australian presence in 2021 by. increasing its stake in Freight Management Holdings, a last-mile. parcel shipment service. Continuing its...

Commodity trader Trafigura has recently provided large amounts of cause London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouses in Singapore for lucrative rentsharing offers, three sources knowledgeable about the matter stated. Stocks of the battery material in LME registered warehouses struck 276,250 metric lots on Nov. 18, the greatest in more than 11 years. LME lead stocks in Singapore climbed more than 90,000 tons between> Nov. 15 and 18, and the sources, who decreased to be called, said Trafigura was responsible for significant quantities of those deliveries. Trafigura decreased to comment. So-called lease offers are arrangements under which LME storage facilities share their...