International Shipping News.

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, hit a one-week low on Friday and marked a second straight weekly fall as rates across all segments weakened. The index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, slipped 36 points at 987 points, ... […]

A significant surge in orders for alternative-fuelled vessels in 2024 is a clear signal of the maritime industry’s acceleration of its decarbonisation journey, according to the latest data from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insights (AFI) platform. A total of 515 such ships, excluding LNG carriers, were ordered, marking a 38% year-on-year increase compared with 2023. This ... […]

According to DNV’s latest white paper “Biofuels in Shipping”, key biofuels like FAME and HVO have great potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting compliance with maritime regulations, but their benefits to the industry could be constrained by limited supply in the future. With biofuel use expected to increase, the paper also highlights ... […]

Drewry’s World Container Index decreased 3% to $3,855 per 40ft container this week. Our detailed assessment for Thursday, 16 January 2025 The Drewry WCI composite index decreased 3% to $3,855 per 40ft container, 63% below the previous pandemic peak of $10,377 in September 2021, but was 171% higher than the average $1,420 in 2019 (pre-pandemic). ... […]

Cash premium for 380-cst high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) closed at its highest in more than a month on Friday, buoyed by supply uncertainty over recent sanctions. Singapore’s 380-cst HSFO cash premium traded above $9 a metric ton to cargo quotes, while margins also retained strength. Brent-basis cracks extended their climb to discounts of about ... […]

DNV has launched a new family of class notations, Autonomous and Remotely Operated Ships (AROS), providing a framework for how autoremote vessels can achieve equivalent or higher safety compared to conventional vessels. Autonomous shipping, ranging from remote control operation to fully unmanned vessels, marks a major advancement in the maritime industry. These solutions can deliver ... […]

The crisis in the Red Sea has led to an extra 35.7 million tonnes of CO2 emitted in the past year* as ships are forced to sail around Africa to avoid the risk of being attacked by the Houthi rebels, says supply chain management consultancy INVERTO, part of Boston Consulting Group. INVERTO says that this ... […]

North America Bunker fuel availability in Houston remains tight across all grades. High winds over the last few days have created some backlogs by delaying bunker deliveries in the port. The situation is expected to remain the like this until 21 January. An “Arctic Front will impact Houston area starting Saturday morning with high winds ... […]

The shipping industry is taking proactive steps to implement improved safety measures for transporting charcoal, ahead of mandatory IMO regulations in 2026. In response to a series of devastating fires caused by improperly handled charcoal, shippers should be ready to see carriers phase in new tighter regulations this year. “We’ve seen too many preventable fires ... […]

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced the formation of a capital alliance with NODE Inc. (President: Kenta Watanabe; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Note1) through a third-party allocation of shares; under the agreement, MOL will acquire the equivalent of 67% of NODE’s shares. MOL began using NODE’s talent scouting and matching ... […]