TradeWinds Wavelength

In this week’s Wavelength podcast: It has been a landmark week for deals in the crude tanker space, but the big-money investments and fundraising come as around 20,000 seafarers remain trapped the Middle East Gulf. It was confirmed this week that Gianluigi Aponte’s MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is buying into South Korea’s Sinokor Maritime Co. Sinokor’s buying and chartering spree this year has given the company a potential 20% to 25% market share in VLCCs. Read more: Official: World’s richest shipowner equal partner with Sinokor in VLCC superpower Read more: Is VLCC consolidator Sinokor Maritime about to raid the suezmax sector? Meanwhile in Oslo, Capital Tankers completed its initial public offering of shares marking the first shipping IPO anywhere for five years. Raising $500m, it was the biggest shipping public offering anywhere in two decades. The Evangelos Marinakis-backed company had a great start on the bourse, but the share price was rocked by the war in the Middle East.  Questions are beginning to swirl about how crude tankers will be affected if there is less oil on the water, if the blockade of Hormuz drags on. Read more: Capital Tankers: War offers ‘sobering illustration of how quickly energy trade routes can be disrupted’ Read more: Evangelos Marinakis can build a rival to Frontline on John Fredriksen’s home turf The International Maritime Organization this week called an emergency meeting to make plans for a humanitarian corridor that would allow ships and their crews to be evacuated from the Gulf through Hormuz.  But, as international politics clashed, the IMO meeting found that drawing up a viable plan and executing it quickly will be easier said than done. Read more: Time is short: IMO chief urges action for 20,000 seafarers trapped in Middle East Gulf Read more: Strait of Hormuz safe corridor plan wins backing from UN shipping regulator The idea for an humanitarian corridor through Hormuz was supported this week by the vice president of the China Shipowners’ Association, Zhao Qingfeng. Speaking at the TradeWinds Shipowners’ Forum in Shanghai, Zhao supported a specific window of time to allow vessels to leave the war zone. Read more: ‘We will not make war money’: Chinese shipowners call for Hormuz window Host: Craig Eason. Producer: Holly Birkett. Reporters: Andy Pierce, Paul Peachey, Matt Coyne and Yannick Guerry. A TradeWinds/DN Media Podcast.

In this week’s Wavelength episode: As the conflict drags towards its third week, we examine the impact so far, including in China and the US.Read more: Oil flows will take ‘months’ to recover after the war: IEARead more: US eases sanctions on Russian shadow fleet amid oil price spikeRead more: Day 14: US claims protection convoy always part of war planningWe also look at a new voluntary injury compensation scheme for Bangladesh recycling workers.Read more: Injury fund launched for Bangladeshi recyclersAnd the intensifying debate over how to get sanctioned shadow fleet tankers out of the water and into the hands of recyclers.Listen to the full interview on Wavelength Plus on ACASTProducer and host: Craig EasonAdditional editorial input: Yannick Guerry, Eric Priante Martin and Huaqing Ma.A TradeWinds/DN Media Podcast

This is episode 100 of the Wavelength podcast and published in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty in shippingIn this week’s episode:The impact on shipping of the attacks by the US and Israel on IranWe look at the potential lack of planning by the Trump Administration to take into account how Operation Epic Fury will impact shipping and global tradeRead our full coverage hereMatt Coyne talks about how VLCC rates skyrocket on the back of conflict and crude oil shortage.Read more: ‘All about war’ for VLCCs as Embiricos nears record-setting $700,000 per day fixturePaul Peachey reports that vessels heading to or in the Gulf region can not get war risk insurance are not true. He also talks to the IMO secretary general about seafarers stuck in the Gulf.Read more: Strait of Hormuz insurance cover available to shipping, insists London marketEuropean Commission revealed its broadest ever plan to invest in shipping and the maritime industries. We get the response from European Shipowners secretary-general Sotiris Raptis.Read more: EU aims to anchor Europe as ‘leading waterborne continent’Producer and host: Craig EasonAdditional editorial input: Julian Bray, Matt Coyne, Paul Peachey, Yannick GuerryA TradeWinds/DN Media podcast

In this episode of Wavelength:TradeWinds’ Eric Priante Martin looks at the story of US shipbuilding as the industry turns to Donald Trump’s policies to make it great again. Read more: Here’s how much shipowners have saved up to invest in US-built tonnageOslo correspondent Jonas Walsgard talks to Norwegian Shipowners’ Association chief executive Knut Arild Hareide about its members’ attempts to go green and why they want more state help.Read more: Norwegian shipowners call for more energy efficiency measures as ship emissions growHolly Birkett is back with Granular, our monthly look at key topics in the dry bulk market. This week it is about build quality.Read more :  Granular: Bulker age is nothing. Condition and quality are everythingAnd nuclear? Craig Eason introduces the Wavelength Plus, a two-part series examining renewed interest in nuclear power in shipping.Read more ‘Going critical’: Shipping takes a step closer to nuclear realityProducer and host: Craig EasonAdditional editorial input from: Eric Priante Martin, Jonas Walsgard, Holly Birkett and Yannick Guerry.A TradeWinds/DN Media podcast

In this episode:Hapag Lloyd makes $4.2bn offer for Israeli liner carrier Zim. Will it work out?Read more: Hapag-Lloyd seals $4.2bn Zim takeoverRead more: Israeli regulator raises doubts over Hapag-Lloyd’s $4.2bn Zim takeoverThe US Maritime Action Plan has been revealed. What does the industry both inside the US and outside make of it?Read more: Are MR product tankers the key to kick-starting the US shipbuilding revival?Read more: Here’s how US shipping stakeholders assess the Trump administration’s maritime MAPGreen lobby groups are to get their day in court as they try and force the European Commission to stop labelling LNG fuel as sustainable under its green investment taxonomyRead more :  Europe’s gold standard green investment taxonomy faces credibility test in court battleExhaust gas cleaning systems have hit the news again as countries and lobby group put more pressure on wash water dischargesRead more: Industry pushes back on attempts by European member states to coordinate scrubber bansProducer and host: Craig EasonAdditional editorial input: Ian Lewis, Eric Priante MartinA TradeWinds/DN Media podcast

In this week’s episode:The Solong captain found guilty of manslaughter has been sentenced, but questions remain unansweredRead more: Russian master jailed for six years for fiery North Sea collision caused by ‘complacency and arrogance’ The Sinokor VLCC buying spree has analysts asking questions. Here’s whyRead more: Charterers on the hunt for period VLCC deals as ‘the aggregator’ eyes more assets Introducing shipping’s Guiding Stars who you think are making a differenceRead more: ‘Competitive edge’: Laurence Odfjell sees sustainability as good business with fast paybackCapturing shipping’s CO2 emissions and burying them in concreteRead more: CEO of carbon capture firm Seabound wins Nor-Shipping Young Entrepreneur award Producer and host: Craig EasonAdditional editorial input from: Matt Coyne, Paul Peachey, Holly Birkett, Eric Priante MartinA TradeWinds/DN Media podcast

IIn this week’s episode: Energy shipping in the Middle East is on alert after Trump sends naval forces to threaten Iran.Read more: Iran official threatens ‘control over’ Hormuz traffic as Trump brandishes ‘massive armada’The captain of the Solong testified in London courts about the incident in which his ship collided with a laden tanker, resulting in the death of a seafarer.Read more: Russian master denies falling asleep before North Sea collisionEven more seafarers are found to have been lured from online shipping recruitment sites and kidnapped to work in illegal scam centres.Read more: Vanishing Chinese seafarers spark fears over criminal gangs catfishing victimsGranular. Holly Birkett’s regular look at the dry bulk market as she focuses on the impact of unseasonal weather on trade. Producer and host: Craig EasonAdditional editorial from: Eric Priante Martin, Huaqing Ma, Holly Birkett and Yannick GuerryA TradeWinds/DN Media podcastThe Wavelength archive

In this episode:Davos: Greenland and why can't Europe act like the US and sieze dark fleet tankers an their oilRead more: Trump’s ‘surreal’ threat to seize Greenland puts container shipping on noticeRead more: Polar perspective puts new spin on Trump’s Greenland grabA Greek shipowner has success in getting its tanker off the US sanctions listRead more: US removes Altomare from blacklist after Greek shipowner hit with ‘comprehensive identity theft’ITF issues annual figures on seafarer abandonment figures and they look worse than ever. What's happening?Read more: ‘Nothing short of a disgrace’: Seafarer abandonments hit new recordAnd the lobby group promoting the use of liquid natural gas as a fuel, Sea-LNG turns 10. What next as the fuel debate goes on?Read more: LNG fuelling ‘cleared for take-off’ with bio-methane uptake ‘exploding’, SEA-LNG saysProducer and host: Craig EasonAdditional reporting: Lucy Hine, Eric Priante Martin and Yannick GuerryA TradeWinds/DN Media podcast