Vessel Hunter News
Maritime, in motion

India Extends Transhipment Access for Hormuz-Diverted Cargo to October
India has extended access to all its seaports and international airports for foreign-bound cargo diverted by Strait of Hormuz disruption until 31 October, and has brought dry bulk under the framework.

DP World Spends $100m a Month Keeping Jebel Ali Ready as Ships Divert
DP World is spending about $100m a month to keep Jebel Ali in a state of readiness while vessels avoid the crisis-hit UAE gateway, with the port running at around 10% of normal capacity.

Jebel Ali Crashes From Tenth to 32nd in Global Container Port Ranking
Dubai's Jebel Ali has fallen from tenth to 32nd in the global container port rankings in six months, handling 3.14m teu in the first half against 7.77m teu a year earlier.

Sanctioned Container Ship Reaches Iranian Port Despite US Blockade
An Iranian-affiliated container ship under US Treasury sanctions has reached an Iranian port despite the naval blockade, hours after Washington announced a new phase of economic pressure on Tehran.

Hormuz Cargo Volumes Down More Than 90% After Six Months of Conflict
Cargo volumes through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen by more than 90% after six months of Middle East conflict, with 88 vessel attacks recorded since March and UAE box throughput down 65% year on year.

Oman Signals Progress on Joint Hormuz Shipping Corridor With Iran
Oman's foreign minister says talks with Iran on jointly managing a Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor are advancing, with a single temporary lane expected to replace the current two-corridor system.

Iran Approves Transit Service Fees for Authorised Ships in Hormuz
Iran's parliamentary security commission has approved a schedule of service fees for vessels it authorises to transit the Strait of Hormuz, payable in rials or a currency of Tehran's choosing.

Tanker Hit and Disabled on Omani Side of the Strait of Hormuz
A projectile struck an oil tanker off Musandam overnight, damaging the engine room and disabling the ship on the Omani coastal route through the strait.

Turkish Ship's Cook Killed in Second Black Sea Drone Strike
Drone strikes on two cargo ships off the Russian Black Sea coast left eight injured and one dead, the victim having been rescued from the first vessel hit.

Tug SL Sual 1 Capsizes and Sinks During Refloat Off Luzon
The grounded tug SL Sual 1 capsized within minutes of a refloat attempt off Zambales, with all ten personnel abandoning ship safely into the water.

Container Port Congestion Hits Record 4.3m Teu Waiting to Berth
Congestion has removed more than 4.3m teu of capacity from circulation, surpassing the pandemic peak in absolute terms and keeping freight and charter rates elevated.

Hormuz Transits Fall to Two Vessels in a Day, Lowest Since May
Only two ships entered the Strait of Hormuz on August 24, the lowest daily count since early May, with fewer than 20 commercial vessels crossing over the weekend.

US Treasury Sets Cure Period Before Iran Banking Sanctions
Washington has signalled secondary sanctions on foreign banks working with five Iranian sectors including shipping, but is allowing a cure period for self-correction.

Iran Blacklists 45 Ships as OFAC Warns Against Hormuz Compliance
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority has published a 45-ship non-compliance list, while Washington warns that even responding to its requests can trigger sanctions.

Houthi Missile Strike Hits Bahri VLCC Amzan in the Red Sea
The Saudi-flagged VLCC Amzan was struck 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, extending the Houthi campaign to the kingdom's main alternative crude export route.

MARAD Signs Nuclear Propulsion Agreement With CORE POWER
The US Maritime Administration and CORE POWER have agreed to work through the regulatory and commercial obstacles blocking a US-flagged nuclear-powered merchant fleet.

Canada Orders Six Polar Icebreakers From Davie in C$11.3bn Deal
Ottawa has committed C$11.3bn to six Polar Class 3 icebreakers at Chantier Davie in Levis, with construction starting in 2027 and the series complete by 2038.

Ransom Standoff Deepens Around Hijacked Somali-Held Coaster
A $2m ransom demand, unconfirmed reports of strikes on boats approaching the hijacked coaster Lutuf, and a regional warning against payment have complicated the standoff.

IMO Demands Release of More Than 90 Seafarers Held by Pirates
The IMO has demanded the immediate release of more than 90 seafarers held by pirates and armed robbers, with six vessels now detained after a resurgence of attacks.

Equinor, Aker BP and Var Energi Form NCS Exploration Alliance
Norway's three largest shelf operators will pool data, technology and exploration capacity to test 20 to 25 high-impact prospects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

McDermott Wins $1bn-Plus EPCI Contract for ADNOC Gas Project
McDermott and its Qingdao consortium will build a surface pressure-boosting facility for ADNOC's Umm Shaif gas project under a contract the contractor classes as above $1bn.

CB&I Lands Three-Year Ivory Coast FPSO Services Contract
CB&I Asset Solutions will run operations, maintenance and integrity management on an FPSO off Ivory Coast under a three-year contract worth between $50m and $100m.

Shell Shelves Aphrodite Offshore Gas Project in Trinidad
Shell has released the initial rig slot for its Aphrodite gas development off Trinidad after failing to agree offtake terms with the National Gas Company.

Ultra-Luxury Newbuilds Now Take a Fifth of the Cruise Orderbook
Ultra-luxury tonnage accounts for 20 percent of cruise ships on order by number, drawing investment from Royal Caribbean Group, MSC and luxury hotel brands.

Car Carrier Emissions Data Gets a Formal Governance Body in GRC Council
The Global Ro-Ro Community has established a council to govern its emissions accounting methodology and data handling rules for the car carrier trades.

Cruise Lines Press Australia on Port Costs and Permits as Ships Leave
An industry alliance says cruising contributes A$7.3 billion a year to Australia, as operators cite permit uncertainty and port charges for pulling ships out of the market.

Residential Cruise Ship Projects Multiply as Financing Stays the Obstacle
Several residential cruise ship ventures have announced newbuildings and conversions, but only one operator has so far put a converted ship into service.

Fincantieri Books Two More Viking Ocean Ships for 2032 Delivery
Fincantieri has converted options into firm contracts for two 54,300 gross ton Viking ocean ships, to be built at Ancona for delivery in 2032.

Disney Sets Course for 13 Cruise Ships With a New Meyer Werft Class
Disney Cruise Line will roughly quadruple capacity from its pre-expansion base, with three new Meyer Werft ships, a Japan-based vessel with NYK and a fleet of 13 by late 2030.

NCLH Moves Five Ships Out as a $20 Billion Orderbook Builds
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is running the industry's only active fleet optimization programme, with five ships leaving between 2026 and 2028 and 16 on order to 2037.

Chilean Study Confirms Antarctica Subsea Cable Is Technically Feasible
A feasibility study led on behalf of Chile's telecoms regulator has mapped two subsea cable routes to Antarctica, the larger connecting nine landing points across five countries' bases.

Studies Back Year-Round Shipping to Churchill Through Hudson Bay
Three studies have concluded that existing ice-class tonnage can work the Churchill corridor year-round, as grain exports resume through the port after a five-year pause.

Labor Shortage Caps Japan's Plan to Double Shipbuilding Capacity by 2035
Japan is putting $6.5 billion behind a plan to double shipbuilding output by 2035, but orders have fallen 15 percent this year because yards cannot staff the work.

Two Diverting Ships Rescue 27 From Burning Tuna Seiner Off Galapagos
All 27 crew of the Ecuadorian tuna seiner Drennec were recovered within 11 hours of the first distress alert, 450 nautical miles southwest of the Galapagos Islands.

Sanctioned Tanker Caroline Bezengi Still Leaking Oil Off Oman
The beached shadow-fleet tanker is settling deeper in the water off the Hallaniyat Islands, and salvage work cannot begin until the Khareef monsoon eases.

MSC Files New Far East-Africa Rates for September as Demand Firms
MSC has filed new freight-all-kinds rates on Far East-Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean trades for 1-14 September, ranging up to $8,000 per 40-foot container to Somalia.

Iraq Secures Iranian Approval for Oil Tanker Transit Through Hormuz
Iran has granted permission for Iraqi oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz following repeated requests from Baghdad, though the arrangement remains complicated.

Russian Urals Crude Tops Brent in India for First Time Since May
Russian Urals crude for October delivery to India has been offered at a premium over Dated Brent for the first time since May, as drone attacks constrain loadings from Novorossiysk.

Maersk Launches Tangier-Casablanca Rail Link to Ease Port Congestion
Maersk has launched a high-frequency rail service between Tangier and Casablanca aimed at easing congestion at Casablanca, which handled 17 million tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2026.

Global New Ship Orders Rise 27% Year on Year, Nearing Pre-2008 Peak
Global newbuild orders rose 27% year on year in the twelve months to early August, the fastest growth since the 2008 financial crisis, with the order backlog now at 405.9 million gross tonnes.

Philippines-Japan Military Logistics Pact Enters Into Force
A defence pact allowing Japan and the Philippines to exchange military supplies and services has come into force, deepening a security partnership shaped by China's regional activity.

SBM Offshore Delivers Trion Turret Buoy From China to Mexico
SBM Offshore has shipped a disconnectable turret mooring buoy and related equipment from China to Altamira, Mexico, for the $10.4bn Trion oil development in the Gulf of Mexico.

Boskalis Calls First Half 'Solid' Despite Geopolitical Drag on New Projects
Boskalis reported first-half revenue of EUR1.90bn, down from an exceptionally strong EUR2.35bn a year earlier, as geopolitical uncertainty dampened client appetite for new projects.

Angolan Crude Oil Exports Set to Fall Sharply in October
Angola plans to load 30 crude oil cargoes in October at 932,000 barrels a day, down from 34 cargoes and 1.04 million bpd pencilled in for September.

DEME and Jan De Nul Complete Final Caisson for Princess Elisabeth Energy Island
The TM Edison consortium of DEME and Jan De Nul has installed the last of 23 caissons forming the protective ring of Belgium's Princess Elisabeth energy island.

China's Sea Legend Launches Regular Container Service Through the Arctic
Chinese line Sea Legend has launched a regular Arctic container service to Europe after a 2025 trial crossing took 20 days from Ningbo-Zhoushan to Felixstowe.

ADNOC L&S Pays Record $115 Million for 15-Year-Old VLCC
ADNOC L&S has bought the 15-year-old VLCC Olympic Leopard for $115 million and renamed her Al Yahr, a record price as European brokers value similar tankers at up to $100 million.

Norway Grants Ventyr a One-Year Delay on Southern North Sea II Wind Licence
Norway's energy ministry has given Ventyr an extra year to submit its licence application for the Southern North Sea II offshore wind project, pushing the deadline to 15 October 2027.
Never miss a move
Maritime, in motion. In your inbox.
The vessel sales, incidents, and market moves worth knowing, sent as they happen.
