Releases
Announcements, partnerships, and product updates from Blackwell.
Industry News
Headlines from across the maritime and offshore energy industry.
Newbuild Supertanker Orders Hit Record High, Surpassing 2008 Peak
Shipowners have ordered a record 262 supertankers, eclipsing the 2008 peak, as Iran war disruption sends VLCC rates to all time highs and lifts 15 listed tanker stocks past $60 billion in combined market value.
Source: gCaptain
Crew Evacuated After Suspicious Tanker Fire Near Oman's Masirah Island
A tanker caught fire about 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Masirah Island on Monday, forcing the crew to evacuate as Omani and Indian authorities coordinated the response to what UKMTO described as suspicious activity along the approach to the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: gCaptain
OPEC+ Set For Fourth Oil Quota Hike Since Hormuz Closure
OPEC+ is set to approve a fourth straight monthly output hike on Sunday, lifting July quotas by about 188,000 barrels per day even as the U.S. war with Iran continues to choke supply through the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: gCaptain
Asia to US Container Rates Spike 109% Since Iran War Started
Spot rates from Asia to the US West Coast have more than doubled since the US war with Iran began on February 28, jumping 20% in the past week alone to $3,933 per 40 foot box as fuel surcharges, Hormuz reroutes and Southeast Asian port congestion squeeze capacity.
Source: gCaptain
U.S. Boards Sanctioned Tanker as Iran Maritime Blockade Expands Into Indian Ocean
U.S. forces boarded the sanctioned tanker MT Davina in the Indian Ocean, the third interdiction of an Iranian shadow fleet vessel since April as Washington's maritime blockade expands well beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: gCaptain
Treasury Targets Iranian LPG Smuggling Network as U.S. Pressure Campaign Intensifies
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned a network accused of disguising Iranian LPG as Omani product and selling it to buyers across South and East Asia, naming six LPG tankers and a trader in China among the designations under the administration's Economic Fury campaign.
Source: gCaptain
U.S. Counts Far More Hormuz Ship Transits Than Commercial Tracking Data Shows
U.S. Central Command counts nearly 1,000 commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months, well above the roughly 650 picked up by transponder tracking, as ships increasingly run dark to evade Iranian attacks.
Source: gCaptain
Panama Canal to Reduce Neopanamax Draft Limit as El Niño Concerns Mount
The Panama Canal Authority will trim the Neopanamax draft limit by six inches starting July 3 as forecasters put the odds of an El Niño event this year at 82 percent. The move is the canal's first operational restriction of 2026 and comes as traffic runs near maximum capacity.
Source: gCaptain
Satellite Images Capture Sanctioned Russian LNG Carrier's Rare Early Season Arctic Transit
Satellite imagery shows the sanctioned Russian LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie attempting a rare early season eastbound transit of the Northern Sea Route under nuclear icebreaker escort, only the third such voyage attempted this early in the navigation season.
Source: gCaptain
Trafigura Warns World's Largest Energy Crisis Is Far From Over
Trafigura said the Middle East conflict has erased more than 1.1 billion barrels of oil from global markets and warned that even a swift peace deal would not quickly restore supply with the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed.
Source: gCaptain
Delfin Approves $5 Billion Floating LNG Export Project Off Louisiana Coast
Delfin Midstream took a final investment decision on a $5 billion floating LNG export vessel off Louisiana, backed by BlackRock's GIP, MOL and Vitol. The 4.4 million tonne per year facility will be the first offshore FLNG in U.S. waters and the largest of its kind globally.
Source: gCaptain
Tankers Gather Outside Persian Gulf in Wager on Hormuz Reopening
Greek tanker owners are repositioning vessels within three to five days sailing of the Persian Gulf, betting that a Strait of Hormuz reopening will send rates surging. Frontline estimates about 55 ships are now waiting outside the strait.
Source: gCaptain