Philippine News

May 26 ------ The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stated that several vessels, including oil tankers, containerships, and other commercial ships, had safely transited the strategic waterway with coordination and security support provided by Iranian forces. According to Iranian state media, the IRGC Navy coordinated the passage of 33 ships through the Strait of Hormuz over a 24-hour period, including both tankers and container vessels. The statement further claim

May 26 ------ The EU will temporarily lift customs duties on key nitrogen-based fertilizers such as urea and ammonia for one year to mitigate the knock-on effects of the Iran war, the Council of the EU said. Global fertilizer prices have jumped following the near total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route along Iran's coast through which around one-third of global fertilizer trade passes. While the EU does not depend on the nitrogen-based fertilizers, name

May 26 ------ Following multiple social media reports of explosions along Iran's Strait of Hormuz coastline, the semi-official Fars News Agency claims that Iranian forces shot down a "hostile drone" over the Arabian Gulf. According to Fars, a "system equipped with stealth capabilities" was used to shoot down a drone. The nature of this anti-aircraft system remains classified, the agency said. The details of Fars' claim could not be verified. However, multiple Iranian social m

May 26 ------ Russian officials are reporting that they thwarted an attempted terrorist attack after discovering mines attached to the hull of a tanker arriving from Belgium. They were able to disarm the mines and are inspecting them as part of a criminal investigation. The Liberian-flagged LPG tanker Arrhenius (26,645 dwt) arrived in Ust-Luga on May 20, according to the statement from the Russian security service FSB. It anchored off the port for an inspection as part of a p

May 25 ------ Iran's publication of a new map asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz risks extending an already punishing ordeal for thousands of mariners trapped on ships in the Gulf. More than 20,000 sailors are stuck on around 2,000 vessels in the Gulf, many of them unable to leave ship, lacking adequate supplies of food and fresh water, and fearful of an uncertain future at sea in a war zone. Sailors interviewed by Reuters in recent weeks have described the hards

May 25 ------ The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has confirmed an oil spill in the Bonny Channel area of Rivers State following a collision between two vessels. The incident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. on 20 May in the Bonny Inner Anchorage. The vessels involved were identified as the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Valparaiso and the Nigerian-flagged tanker MT Lady Martina. Following the collision, MT Lady Martina drifted ashore and is curre

May 25 ------ A tanker sailing in the Gulf of Aden reported that its security team was forced to fire warning shots during a suspicious approach. It was the latest in the ongoing incidents in the region being linked to several active groups of Somali pirates. The company security officer for the unidentified tanker reported the incident to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The tanker was underway when it was approached approximately 98 nautical miles from Socotra, an island c

May 25 ------ The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, working with U.S. Coast Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, seized 227 kg of cocaine and arrested a Philippine national crewmember from a Greek-owned tanker after in anchored at the Port of Los Angeles. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the drugs were first discovered by crewmembers on the ship but were being transported for delivery to a Mexican drug cartel that planned to take them from the ship at se

May 24 ------ A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz risks the single greatest global energy supply shock in decades, according to a new report from Wood Mackenzie. As highlighted in the report “Strait Talking: Iran War Scenarios and the Future of Energy”, more than 11 million barrels per day (b/d) of Gulf crude and condensate production is currently curtailed. Meanwhile, over 80 million tons per annum (Mtpa) of LNG supply, equivalent to around 20% of global supply, rema

May 24 ------ The Aframax market is currently in record territory, with vessel values and earnings reaching all-time highs. However, despite these exceptional market conditions, owners are showing little inclination to sell, according to Rebecca Galanopoulos, Senior Content Analyst at Veson Nautical. According to Galanopoulos, fixed age values for eight-year-old Aframaxes stand at USD 75.17 mil, the highest levels ever seen, compared to USD 53.08 this time last year, equating

May 23 ------ An AP report says the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war has disrupted global supplies of bunker fuel, causing headaches to shipping operators. According to the Associated Press (AP), the disruption is being felt first in Asia, especially Singapore, the world’s largest marine refueling hub, where inventories are tightening and prices have jumped from about $500 per metric ton before the conflict to more than $800 in early May. Henning Gloystein, a

May 23 ------ The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has published its Annual Piracy Report for 2025, revealing a 17% increase in global piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships, driven largely by a sharp rise in attacks in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. According to information received and made available in IMO’s GISIS module on piracy and armed robbery, 171 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to the Organization as having

May 22 ------ Industry organizations ICS, BIMCO, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO, IMCA, and OCIMF have joined forces to issue the “Safe Management of Vessel Transit through the Strait of Hormuz” guidance, to help operators safely transit the area. As stated, this guidance has been prepared to assist in planning and safely managing all vessel transits into, within, or out of the Gulf region where a transit through the Strait of Hormuz may be required during periods of heightened region

May 22 ------ The IMO has taken a new step forward towards comprehensive regulation of unmanned shipping, building upon years of debate and detailed development work. At the latest meeting of the Marine Safety Committee, delegates approved a final text for the non-mandatory Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships code (MASS code), which codifies a set of safety standards for unmanned vessels in international trade. While the code is only a guideline for now, it is on track to becom

May 22 ------ In this week’s “Shipping Number of the Week” from BIMCO, Shipping Analysis Manager, Filipe Gouveia, looks at the number of Panama Canal transits which has risen as the Strait of Hormuz disruption has contributed to a rise in US energy exports to Asia and the west coast of the Americas. According to Filipe Gouveia, so far this year, ship transits via the Panama Canal have increased 8% y/y to a daily average of 38, driven by the tanker sector. Transits have been e

May 22 ------ The expedition cruise ship Hondius docked in Rotterdam, operating with a skeleton crew, and will begin an extensive disinfection process. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, and Dutch health authorities are reporting that none of the crew and medical staff remaining aboard were experiencing symptoms of the hantavirus, but as a precaution, they are all being placed in quarantine. The ship had a crew of 25, mostly from the Philippines, still aboard after d

May 21 ------ Three supertankers were crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday carrying oil bound for Asian markets, after waiting in the Gulf for more than two months with 6 million barrels of Middle East crude on board, while another was entering, shipping data on LSEG and Kpler showed. The ships are among a handful of supertankers exiting the Gulf this month via a transit route that Iran has ordered ships to use. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran which began on February 28 ha

May 21 ------ UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the IMO, and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have released a revised Rescue Guide, a tool to help all partners uphold the humanitarian and legal duties to rescue refugees and migrants in distress at sea and bring them to safety. The revised edition of Rescue at Sea: A guide to principles and practice in the context of refugee and migrant movements comes as tragic shipwrecks continue to highlight the urgent need for stron

May 21 ------ The authorities in Bangladesh are dealing with an apparent murder after two crewmembers got into what is being described as a “serious onboard altercation.” The local shipping agency appointed to handle the ship’s arrival reports the police and local authorities are coordinating to handle the case. The Thai-owned product tanker K.P.P. 01 (3,400 dwt) had departed Phuket, Thailand, for its final voyage heading to the scrap yards at Chattogram, Bangladesh. The vess

May 21 ------ Over the past week, 12-18 May, one incident of piracy or armed robbery against ships in Asia was reported to the ReCAAP ISC. One CAT 3 incident of armed robbery against ships in Asia was reported to ReCAAP ISC. The incident occurred onboard a bulk carrier while sailing in the Straits of Malacca & Singapore on 13 May 2026. The perpetrator, armed with a knife, attempted to threaten the engine room watchkeeping staff, who ran away and secured himself in the engine