Karnakis law firm sanctioned, Norway holds Arctic LNG 2 ship, slick hits Umm Al Quwain
The maritime news of 22 to 25 October 2026, from Iran's shadow fleet and the Arctic to the Sunda Strait
8 stories·6 sections·5 min read·Vessel Hunter newsroom
01
Sanctions and the shadow fleet
5 stories
A law firm is now on the US sanctions list for Iran's shadow fleet
OFAC designated Karnakis and Karnakis of Panama and Greece, five people tied to it, the ship manager Roxette with seven Panama-flagged ships including Gloris and Pride, and agents in Singapore and Dubai.
After the US suspended sanctions and Russia lifted its export ban on 9 October, the tanker Leruo left Primorsk on 16 October for Manaus and Dolunay left on 14 October for Alanya, each with 300,000 barrels of diesel. EU and UK embargoes remain in force.
02
Hormuz and the Gulf
2 stories
An oil slick of more than 60 square miles has reached Umm Al Quwain, and the struck VLCC Gem No. 2 is named as its likely source
Gulf oil flows meanwhile averaged more than 24m b/d in the week to 18 October, above prewar levels.
A Houthi drone aimed at Saudi Arabia's Shaybah oil field was shot down on 21 October, but its debris killed two contractors
A Philippine and a Nepali national died when wreckage hit their vehicle, and two people were killed in a parallel attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Shaybah, which produces one million barrels per day, was not affected, and Brent rose to nearly $113 the next day.
03
Black Sea and Ukraine
3 stories
The drone-struck Ukrainian-flagged Chelsea 3 has been towed into Burgas, and Bulgaria's Military Prosecutor's Office has opened a war-crime investigation
The ship has three hull breaches and was described as effectively a wreck. Transport minister Georgi Peev said the attack "most likely originated from Russia" but that this still had to be proven.
Ukraine has charged the Russian captain of the bulk carrier Matros Pozynich in absentia over two cargoes of grain taken from occupied territory
The SBU says the ship carried 27,074 tonnes in November 2022 and 27,300 tonnes in January 2023 from Sevastopol to Latakia, with AIS switched off at times. It is the first war-crime case Ukraine has brought against a ship captain over grain.
The 105,576 dwt tanker Banda was refloated off Istanbul on 20 October
She had grounded at Kısırkaya in heavy weather on 15 October with six people aboard, none of whom was in danger.
04
Casualties and incidents
3 stories
The Indonesian ferry KMP Batumandi sank in the Merak entrance channel on 21 October, a day after a fire on the Sunda Strait crossing
The Royal Navy's polar icebreaker HMS Protector has been towed to Devonport after a serious engine failure
The 89-metre ship, built in Norway 25 years ago, is the only one Britain has.
New South Wales has seized the 1962-built former lighthouse tender Cape Don in Sydney and ordered her disposal
NSW Maritime cites severe corrosion and puts salvage costs at A$15m if she sinks. The Sea Heritage Foundation, her owner, disputes the findings and will fight the decision.
05
Markets, yards and deals
10 stories
Fifteen-year-old VLCCs are now valued above newbuildings, at $160m against $131m
DS Tankers has meanwhile sold the 2011-built DS Vision for $96m.
HMM's board has approved a KRW 2.17 trillion ($1.617bn) fleet plan
It covers eight 13,000 teu newbuildings and three 2,800 teu and one 1,700 teu resales, adding 114,100 teu by the end of 2029. HMM now targets 166 containerships of 1.47m teu by 2030.
HD Hyundai and Kiewit will build a new US shipyard through a joint venture, HD Kiewit Shipbuilding
Construction is to start in 2027 at a site still to be announced, with operations from 2029 and around 3,000 jobs.
Lavinia Bulkers has been linked to an order for four 212,000 dwt newcastlemaxes at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard
The ships, worth around $312m together, are due in 2030.
Global Car Carriers, MSC's car carrier arm, has added two 8,600-car LNG dual-fuel PCTCs at Changhong International Shipyard for 2030
Its programme now stands at 22 ships with room for 182,800 vehicles.
DOF is selling the 2018-built construction support vessel Skandi Implementer to an undisclosed buyer, for delivery in the second quarter of 2027
It has also won a $15m to $25m subsea installation job off Africa for Skandi Acergy, about 100 days from early 2027.
Arab Bridge Maritime has bought Brittany Ferries' ro-pax Cotentin, taking its fleet to at least 11 ships
The company has reported profit of more than $40m for the first nine months of 2026, against a record $32m for the whole of 2025.
Taylor Maritime has agreed to sell its last owned bulk carrier for $15.1m ahead of leaving the London market
The sale takes its disposal programme to 56 ships and total proceeds towards almost $933m.
Maersk Chattogram, a 2,754 teu Singapore-flagged containership, is the first Maersk ship to drydock in India
She is at L&T's Kattupalli yard near Chennai for her special survey.
06
Canals and routes
3 stories
Maersk aims to return all its services to the Suez Canal by March 2027
The canal handled 276 Maersk transits from January to September, against 146 a year earlier, and the AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 services are due to switch back from the Cape.
The Panama Canal moved a record 521 million tons in the fiscal year to 30 September, up 6.5%
Transits rose 4.1% to 13,951 and revenue 16.6%, and the Last-Minute Reservation service for the Panamax locks is being restored as Gatun Lake recovers.
The Northern Sea Route has already beaten last year's record, with 104 transits by 30 September against 103 in all of 2025
Transit cargo reached 3.7m tonnes, and Russian oil shipped east by the route is up nearly 50% this year.
