Maritime News

March 15 ------ Of the 1,022 maritime casualties involving IMO-numbered vessels recorded between 2021 and 2025 across three major Port State Control regions, exactly 14 cited fatigue as a contributing cause. That is 1.4 percent. The International Transport Workers' Federation estimates that fatigue contributes to 25 percent of all marine casualties. Somewhere between those two numbers lies the true scale of a problem the industry has known about for decades, regulated through

March 15 ------ Over the past week, 3-9 March, one CAT 3 incident and one CAT 4 incident of armed robbery against ships in Asia was reported to the ReCAAP ISC. Both incidents occurred onboard ships while they were underway off Pulau Cula, Indonesia in the eastbound lane of traffic separation scheme (TSS) of Singapore Strait (SS), Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS). The CAT 4 incident occurred onboard a bulk carrier on 28 Feb 2026, while the CAT 3 incident occurred onboar

March 14 ------ Events in the Middle East during February and March 2026 again disrupted the flows of shipping trade to the eastern and western spheres of the international system. Given that the global economy is maritime based and rests on secure and predictable flows of goods by sea, the armed attacks on Iran and their maritime spillovers sharply underlined the vulnerability of global maritime trade and its value, which is embedded in safe and predictable deliveries of goo

March 14 ------ Iran's U.N. Ambassador said Tehran was not going to close the Strait of Hormuz, but added that it was Iran's right to preserve the security of the key shipping route. Amir Saeid Iravani made his comments to reporters at the United Nations when asked about remarks by new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who said that the "lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used." "We are not going to close the Strait of Hormuz," Iravani said. "B

March 13 ------ Attacks on commercial shipping are escalating as the Middle East conflict enters its 13th day. Overnight, Iranian explosive-laden boats reportedly attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting both vessels ablaze and killing one crew member. In the past 48 hours, six vessels have reportedly been struck by projectiles or missiles, leaving several ships on fire and seafarers at the center of the unfolding crisis. To remind, on 11 March, three vessels were r

March 13 ------ The Norwegian Maritime Authority has announced the strictest step yet made by any government agency or industry association to address the risk of Iranian attack in the Strait of Hormuz: an inbound transit ban. Effective Thursday, no Norwegian-flagged ships are permitted to enter the Arabian Gulf, regardless of the shipowner's own risk assessments. "We do not believe any shipping companies are planning to sail into this area in the near future, but as the situ

March 13 ------ This week, CMA CGM and SIPG Energy successfully completed the bunkering of 3,643 tons of bio-methanol for the CMA CGM Osmium at Yangshan Port in Shanghai. This operation marks CMA CGM’s first bio-methanol bunkering worldwide and sets a new national record for the largest single bio-methanol bunkering operation carried out at a Chinese port. As part of its commitment to achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2050, the CMA CGM Group is preparing to operate around 200 dual

March 13 ------ The IMO has called an Extraordinary Council meeting to discuss situation in Middle East. The meeting will focus on the impact on shipping and seafarers in the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman and the Gulf region, particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The session will be held on March 18 to 19 at the IMO headquarters in London, United Kingdom, to be chaired by Victor Jiménez of Spain. The Extraordinary Session (C/ES.36) is convened following requests fro