Liner reliability at 27%, Port Klang's 42m teu plan

Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority has threatened South Korean VLCC owner Sinokor with sweeping action against its fleet from 1 November, accusing the company of more transit violations of Tehran's Hormuz restrictions than any other owner. Sinokor is the largest VLCC owner in the world.

Bahri has ordered three 320,000 dwt VLCCs from International Maritime Industries at Ras Al-Khair for SAR1.692bn ($451m), for delivery in 2029 and 2030. It is a related-party deal: Bahri owns 19.9% of the yard. Bahri now has nine ships on order in Saudi Arabia, six of them ultramaxes, and owned 107 vessels at the end of June, 50 of them VLCCs.

Greek owner Venergy Maritime, controlled by Vyron Vasileiadis, has been linked to two firm 306,000 dwt VLCCs plus two options at Hengli Heavy Industries, for delivery in the first quarter of 2029.

Sanctioned Russian gas producer Novatek has confirmed it was seeking a minority stake in Polar LNG, a US company planning to export Alaska North Slope gas using Novatek technology. Its former chief, Joel Riddle, says he was told the start-up money came from a UAE company; Polar LNG disputes his account. The project would need US Treasury approval for the Novatek equipment.

The global containership orderbook now exceeds 15m teu, and Alphaliner counts about 40 more large containerships expected to be contracted, which would take it towards 16m teu before the end of the year.

Greek owner Meadway Bulkers has been linked to six 64,500 dwt ultramaxes at Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding for delivery in 2029 and 2030, its largest order since becoming a standalone company in 2021.

The car carrier operator updated its fleet renewal programme three weeks after a $300m capital raise that supports up to 12 more LNG dual-fuel vessels.

Siem Industries has ordered two 145-metre subsea construction vessels at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding, each with a 400-tonne active heave-compensated crane, for delivery in 2029 and 2030.

Saipem has won two Eni contracts worth a combined $121m: one in Ghana for the semi-submersible Scarabeo 9, the other for the drillship Saipem 10000.

ADES Holding has a 406-day Pertamina contract, with a 30-day option, for the jackup Shelf Drilling Perseverance, worth up to SAR173.14m ($46.17m).

Tianjin BOMESC Offshore Engineering has an FPSO topside module contract from SBM Offshore worth up to RMB3bn ($420m).

Seatrium is building four high-voltage direct current converter platforms for TenneT's North Sea clusters at yards in Singapore and Batam with about 7,000 workers; the first 30,000-tonne unit is due to leave in 2028. Each platform with its connections costs up to EUR5bn, according to TenneT.

The hull of the 22,800-tonne Polar Max icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard occupies the drydock at Helsinki Shipyard, while Inocea builds the first two of five US Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters in Finland, with hull blocks coming from Sata Shipbuilding in Pori.

Sanmar has delivered SAAM Ximbal, an 80-tonne bollard pull tug for SAAM Towage at Lázaro Cárdenas, the 13th Bogaçay-class tug in SAAM's fleet.

Cash buyer Wirana says a dry cargo ship sold for recycling in Bangladesh at about 8% above the previous week's level, despite weak local steel demand, and expects such prices to hold for only three or four more ships.

Week 42 was the last for export acceptance from Walvis Bay to Europe and North America on Maersk's W13 service, which now serves only the Middle East and intra-Africa. Imports continue through FW6 via the Far East.

Yang Ming's 15,500 teu LNG dual-fuel YM Wayfinder made its first call at Tan Cang-Cai Mep International Terminal on 23 October on the EC2 Vietnam-North America service.

Hai Phong port passed 2 million teu for 2026 on 15 October, about two months earlier than in 2025, when Maersk Notodden discharged the 2 millionth box.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal, speaking in Rotterdam, said India expects to double its port capacity twice over by 2047 and sees scope to work with the Port of Rotterdam.

The Chittagong Port Authority has a 30-year agreement with Maersk to design, finance, build and operate the Laldia container terminal, while China is to develop two container jetties at Mongla.

Russia had no warships in the Mediterranean for about two months between July and early September, the first complete absence in a decade, a NATO official said, citing reduced access to Tartus, a shortage of support ships and escort duty for commercial tankers. Warships returned in September.

Moroccan authorities are searching for the five crew of the fishing boat Lalla Khadija, which failed to return to Safi on 23 October; two rescue boats and naval and gendarmerie helicopters are involved.

The Greek frigate Bouboulina (F 463), formerly the Dutch Pieter Florisz built by De Schelde in 1980-1983, has been sunk by Greek and Israeli naval vessels.

In Mars Report 202631, the Nautical Institute describes a night departure in which the pilot had swapped the names of the forward and aft tugs on his radio card, so his orders went to the wrong tug and the tanker struck the pier.

A scheduled dry-docking and two vessels moving between contracts cut revenue to $43m and adjusted EBITDA to $21m; all vessels, including Telford 34, are expected on hire from mid-November, with a $293m backlog.

Eidesvik Reach has completed the sale of the 2009-built IMR vessel Viking Reach, ex Edda Sun, for about EUR25.5m including her work-class ROV; she is heading for the Mediterranean.

The company's study of Svitzer Taurus in Amsterdam and two sisters in Newcastle, New South Wales, also found 15% fuel savings.

The third A-class installation vessel, with 5,600 square metres of deck and more than 17,000 tonnes of payload, was launched at COSCO Qidong on 26 October for delivery in the first half of 2027.

ZPMC has delivered the 180-metre trailing suction hopper dredger to CCCC Shanghai Dredging, with a hopper of about 27,580 cubic metres, a 120-metre dredging depth and two in-hold dredge pumps.

The AG Ems catamaran Nordlicht II lost one waterjet on the run from Borkum on 25 October and was pushed against the pier by a gust after the tug made fast; her 56 passengers were unhurt.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency rescued all 19 crew of a sand dredger that sank about 25 nautical miles north-west of Pulau Pasir Hitam, near Kuala Kurau.