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Sunday, October 26, 2025

Tankers News

24 Sep 2025

Bureau Veritas Greenlights Ammonia-Powered LR2 Tanker with PEM Fuel Cells

Illustration of the world’s first ammonia-fueled LR2 tanker powered by PEMFC technology (Credit: MISC)

MISC Berhad (MISC) and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have received the Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) for the design of the world’s first ammonia-fueled LR2 tanker powered by Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) technology.The AiP from BV confirms the technical feasibility of the concept as well as initial conformity to the applicable rules, industry codes, and standards.The AiP was awarded as part of a strategic joint development project involving MISC…

22 Sep 2025

Exmar Orders Four Suezmax Tankers from South Korean Shipyard

© ID_Anuphon / Adobe Stock

Belgian shipowner Exmar has placed an order for four newbuild Suezmax tankers to a shipyard in South Korea.The order has an option for four additional vessels. The tankers will be built by Daehan Shipbuilding, at their Mokpo shipyard, in South Korea.The vessels will have a deadweight of 157,200 ton, capable of transporting about 1 million of barrels of oil and fitted with a scrubber.The order is placed in view of the strong prospects for the Suezmax market, the company said.The first vessel is set to be delivered in the third quarter of 2027.

11 Sep 2025

Wind-Assist Newbuild Tanker Proves Potential

Source: BAR Technologies

Union Maritime’s new wind-assist tanker Brands Hatch has completed its maiden voyage, achieving more than a third of its propulsion power from wind when conditions were favorable.The vessel is the first newbuild tanker installed with BAR Technologies’ WindWings®.Brands Hatch achieved significant fuel savings while maintaining strong sailing speeds in challenging weather.Union Maritime also employed sail-aware weather routing from Ascenz Marorka on the voyage. Whilst on global routes each WindWing can save an average of 1.5 tonnes of fuel per wing per day.

05 Sep 2025

Russian Oil takes the Northern Sea Route to Brunei

Copyright Peter Hermes Furian/AdobeStock

Russia will deliver oil to Brunei via the Northern Sea Route for the first time this September, expanding its export reach through the strategic Arctic passage, two sources familiar with the shipping data told Reuters.Until now, NSR shipments have been limited to China due to its proximity to Russia’s Far East. Moscow has been actively promoting the route, which is shorter and less costly than moving crude through the Suez Canal, to other partners including India and the U.S.The…

03 Sep 2025

Fairfield-Maxwell Returns to Japanese Shipping Industry

Ryuichi Osonoe (Source: Fairfield-Maxwell)

Fairfield-Maxwell Ltd. (FML) is returning to the shipping industry in Japan and opening a new office in Tokyo aimed at participating in ship construction, ownership, investment and leasing.The new company will focus on being the tonnage provider of choice and offering a diverse range of vessel types, including chemical tankers, medium range (MR) tankers, gas carriers and newbuilds.The new company – to be named Fairfield Maritime Japan Ltd. – will be a part of a newly formed Fairfield Maritime Group.

02 Sep 2025

Tanker and Bulk Carrier Collide in Malaysia

Marine Dynamo tanker (Credit: Chevron)

Singapore-registered tanker Marine Dynamo and a Malta-registered bulk carrier Flag Gangos have collided south of Tanah Merah in Malaysia.Both vessels are stable, following the incident that occurred in the early hours of September 1, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) informed.Light oil sheens have been sighted in the vicinity of Marine Dynamo. The Master of Marine Dynamo reported that Marine Gas Oil (MGO) used for vessel’s propulsion stored in the service tank above the waterline…

28 Aug 2025

Tanker Vessel Market Bends Under Supply and Demand Strains

Source: BIMCO

“We forecast a balanced development in the crude tanker market in 2025 and 2026 while we expect the product tanker market to remain weaker than in 2024. The product tanker suffers under the weight of increasing supply growth and weaker demand growth due to shorter sailing distances,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Due to OPEC+’s recent decision to reverse oil production cuts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has increased its crude oil supply forecast significantly.

20 Aug 2025

CMB.TECH Completes Merger with Golden Ocean

Source: Golden Ocean

CMB.TECH has successfully completed the stock-for-stock merger between Golden Ocean Group Limited and CMB.TECH Bermuda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMB.TECH, with CMB.TECH Bermuda Ltd. as the surviving company, and with CMB.TECH as the issuer of the merger consideration shares. CMB.TECH has issued 95,952,934 new ordinary shares by means of a capital increase by contribution in kind. These shares will be delivered to former holders of Golden Ocean shares as merger consideration at the exchange ratio of 0.95 ordinary shares of CMB.TECH for each common share of Golden Ocean.

14 Aug 2025

Nigerian Seaborne Import of Clean Petroleum Products Falls 39%

“During the first seven months of 2025, Nigeria’s seaborne imports of clean petroleum products (CPP) declined by 39% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 230 thousand barrels per day (kbpd). The decrease follows a 19% reduction during 2024,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The reduction in imports is due to the start of operations at the 650 kbpd capacity Dangote refinery early last year. By June 2025, the refinery’s output had reached 550 kbpd, as reported by company officials.“Imports from Northern Europe have reduced the most.

28 Jul 2025

Iraq Identifies Tankers Spoofing to Conceal Their Location

© momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has identified several tankers suspected of loading petroleum products illegally from the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair, according to an official letter dated Sunday and seen by Reuters.The tankers allegedly used advanced techniques such as Automatic Identification System spoofing to conceal their locations or alter their routes. SOMO said the vessels were not listed in its official loading schedules, raising concerns about unauthorized shipments.“These…

22 Jul 2025

Dual-Fuel LR2 Tankers to Sport Wind Propulsion, too

BAR Technologies has confirmed a landmark order for its WindWings® propulsion system to be installed on two new LR2 dual-fuel tankers, Image courtesy Bar Techhnologies

BAR Technologies confirmed an order for its WindWings propulsion system to be installed on a pair of new LR2 dual-fuel tankers, marking one of the first confirmed large-scale wind propulsion deployments on this vessel class, building on the integration of WindWings aboard the UML-operated Brands Hatch.The new 250-m-long tankers, Suzuka and Long Beach, will each be equipped with two 37.5m WindWings. The ships are being designed by SDARI and constructed by Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry (XSI)…

21 Jul 2025

UK Targets Russian Shadow Fleet With New Sanctions

© Adobe Stock/Yaroslav

Britain on Monday imposed new sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", targeting 135 oil tankers along with two Russian firms, shipping company Intershipping Services LLC and oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC.The oil tankers are critical to Russia's energy and oil sectors, with the British government saying they form part of the fleet responsible for carrying $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024. Foreign minister David Lammy said the new sanctions would…

18 Jul 2025

Global Shipping's Q3 Outlook Centers on Geopolitical Instability (again)

Copyright Mad Unicorn/AdobeStock

Current global economic and geopolitical landscapes are shaped by several key uncertainties. Tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz, pose risks to regional stability and energy supply routes. Similarly, Houthi activity in the Red Sea threatens shipping through the Suez Canal. Oil sanctions continue to disrupt global energy markets, while evolving U.S. import tariffs add further complexity to international trade dynamics. Additionally, uncertainties…

25 Jun 2025

First Russian-Built Ice-Class LNG Tanker to Enter Operations This Year

(Credit: Zvezda Shipyard)

The first Russian-built ice-class tanker for liquefied natural gas is expected to go into operation in the second half of this year at the Arctic LNG 2 plant, Interfax news agency quoted tanker group Sovcomflot as saying on Wednesday.International sanctions over Ukraine have led to a shortage of tankers in Russia that can cut through thick ice, preventing Arctic LNG 2 from exporting cargo since the first stage of the plant started operation at the end of 2023.The tanker, named Alexey Kosygin after a Soviet statesman…

23 Jun 2025

Tankers Transiting Strait of Hormuz Face Disruption as Tensions Rise

© Kalyakan / Adobe Stock

At least two supertankers made U-turns near the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. military strikes on Iran, shiptracking data shows, as more than a week of violence in the region prompts vessels to speed, pause, or alter their journeys.Washington's decision to join Israel's attacks on Iran has stoked fears that Iran could retaliate by closing the strait between Iran and Oman through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows.That has spurred forecasts of oil surging to $100 a barrel.

19 Jun 2025

DHT Snags 2018-built VLCC for $107m

DHT Holdings entered into an agreement to acquire a VLCC built in 2018 at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), for $107 million. The vessel is scheduled to deliver towards the end of the third quarter of 2025. “This is a sister of vessels built by us in 2018, a design with large carrying capacity and premium earning capabilities, well suited for the trading patterns of our key customers," said DHT’s President & CEO, Svein Moxnes Harfjeld. "We believe this to be a fitting addition to our fleet…

18 Jun 2025

With Sat Signal Jamming, Vessel Near Iran Appears to be in Rural Russia

Copyright immimagery/AdobeStock

The Front Tyne oil tanker was sailing through the Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday when just past 9:40 a.m. shiptracking data appeared to show the massive vessel in Russia, in fields better known for barley and sugar beets.By 4:15 p.m., the ship's erratic signals indicated it was in southern Iran near the town of Bidkhun, before later placing it back and forth across the Gulf.Mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran has affected nearly 1…

18 Jun 2025

Tanker Vessel Market Flashes Yellow as Middle East Burns

Copyright alexyz3d/AdobeStock

While global energy markets are not yet pricing in worst-case scenarios for the Israel-Iran war, oil tanker rates are providing a good real-time gauge of the escalating risks.Geopolitical risk has spiked following Israel's surprise bombardment of the Islamic Republic last Friday and Iran's retaliatory ballistic missile strikes, leading to a rally in global energy prices, with Brent crude rising 8% to roughly $75 a barrel.But markets and investors now appear to be in a holding pattern as the conflict unfolds…

16 Jun 2025

Tanker Trade Stands Firm (for now) Amidst Middle East Conflict

Copyright By Roger Hagelstein1/Wirestock Creators/AdobeStock

When tensions rise in the Middle East, it can be helpful to look at what is not happening as much as what is.In the crude oil market, this means focusing on the fact that so far not a single barrel of crude oil supply has been lost. It is in the interests of all involved parties that this remains the case.Crude oil prices rose again in early trade in Asia on Monday, with global benchmark Brent futures LCOc1 gaining 2.1% to trade at $75.76 a barrel.This built upon the 7% leap on June 13…

17 Jun 2025

Fully Laden Front Eagle and Suezmax Tanker Collide Near Strait of Hormuz

Copyright Robert/AdobeStock

Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged during conflict between Iran and Israel, but there were no injuries to crew or spillage reported.With Iran and Israel firing missiles at each other since Friday, interference has disrupted navigation systems near the vital sea route between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's oil.The United Arab Emirates coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from one of the ships…

17 Jun 2025

Tanker Collision Near Strait of Hormuz Not Related to Israel-Iran Conflict, Frontline Confirms

Illustration © terex / Adobe Stock

Frontline, the owner of Front Eagle oil tanker which was involved in a collision with Adalynn, a tanker owned by India-based Global Shipping Holding, has confirmed the collision was a navigational incident and not related to the current regional conflict between Israel and Iran.The incident occurred approximately 15 nautical off Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman, off the United Arab Emirates (UAE), at 00:15 local time on June 17, 2025.All the crew onboard the Front Eagle are reported safe…

17 Jun 2025

Uni-Tankers Books Strong Growth, Fleet Development

ANHOUT SWAN. Image courtesy Uni-Tankers

Denmark-based chemical and product tanker operator Uni-Tankers reported solid financial performance for the 2024/25 fiscal year, posting a net profit of $39.5 million and a 24.4% increase in revenue, bolstered by fleet expansion, strong contract performance, and continued investment in digitalization and decarbonization.CEO Per Ekmann called the results a confirmation that the company’s long-term strategy is delivering consistent value. “It has been four years since we completed our turnaround, and for the past three years we’ve reported steady profits.

18 Jun 2025

Iran Must Take Control of the Strait of Hormuz, says Former Iranian Minister

Copyright GrispB/AdobeStock

Former Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi has said that tankers and LNG cargoes should only transit the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian permission and this policy should be carried out from "tomorrow [Wednesday] for a hundred days."It was not immediately clear whether Khandouzi was echoing a plan under theIranian establishment's consideration or sharing his personal opinion.Tehran has long used the threat of blocking the narrow waterway as a means to ward off Western pressure, without acting on its threats.