Xeneta Weekly Ocean Container Shipping Market Update: February 27, 2026
Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst:“The recent tariff ruling by the US Supreme Court will have knock-on impacts for ocean container shipping, but this will be nuanced and unlikely to cause a huge increase in frontloading demand, even though tariffs on some Chinese manufactured goods are lower today than a week ago.“The court ruling and political fallout actually increase uncertainty for many shippers.
American Club Reports Positive Progress with 2026 P&I Renewal
The American Club has reported positive developments for the 2026 renewal across all lines of business. Gross tonnage for the Club’s Class I (mutual P&I) entries increased modestly at the turn of the renewal at Noon GMT 20 February 2026, while the tonnage position since the 2025 renewal has increased by 5% and over the same period, Class I premiums have grown by 6%. The Club’s Class II (mutual FD&D)…
Third Purus Daughter Craft Undergoes Final Outfitting, Sea Trials to Come
Daughter Craft No. 3, commissioned by Purus, is progressing through final outfitting ahead of sea trials. Engines are now installed with Volvo Penta IPS drives, and the vessel’s electronics and interior systems are well underway in outfit.Diverse Marine has worked with Chartwell Marine to produce this daughter craft design, with inboard propulsion systems fitted with IMO Tier 3 exhaust after-treatment…
carried Ukrainian and Russian oil before attack
The Druzhba pipeline exported some Ukrainian oil, as well as much higher volumes of Russian crude, before it was damaged a month ago by a Russian strike that has led to a halt in supply, three industry sources familiar with the matter said.Oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia through the pipeline primarily operated by Russia have been suspended since January 27 following what Kyiv says was a Russian attack on pumping installations in western Ukraine…
Damen Delivers Multi Cat 3113 Vessel to Leask Marine
Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Multi Cat (MuC) 3113 to Leask Marine. The vessel was named C-Trojan in a handover ceremony at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld’s location in the Netherlands. The MuC 3113 is a versatile vessel, purpose-built for Leask Marine’s requirements. The company’s fleet includes a Damen MuC 2712, named C-Force. Thanks to its stock building program, Damen delivered this vessel in six weeks following the signing of contract back in 2021.
US DOE Green Light Set to Make Corpus Christi Second Largest US LNG Scheme
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has approved a 12% expansion in exports at Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Texas, authorizing additional shipments to non-free trade agreement countries.U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed the order allowing exports of up to 0.47 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas as LNG from Trains 8 and 9 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project…
Seatrium Delivers Next-Gen WTIV Newbuild to Maersk Offshore Wind
Singapore-based Seatrium has delivered a next-generation wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to Maersk Offshore Wind, following the completion of sea trials and final readiness evaluations.The custom-engineered vessel is designed to install 15+ MW-class offshore wind turbines and is equipped with a 1,900-tonne main crane featuring a 180-metre hook height.The construction program included heavy-lift operations…
U.S. Coast Guard Takes Delivery of Fast Response Cutter Named for 9/11 Hero
The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted delivery of the 62nd Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), in Key West.Danz was serving in the New York City Police Department, Emergency Services Unit, ESU Truck 3, when he responded to the World Trade Center as part of a massive emergency response and was killed when the World Trade Center collapsed. He was posthumously awarded the New York City Police Department’s Medal of Honor for his heroic deeds.
AS Tallink Grupp Appoints Peep Jalakas as New CEO
The Supervisory Board of AS Tallink Grupp has appointed Peep Jalakas as the new Chairman of the Management Board of the Group. His term will begin on April 6, 2026, and will last for three years. As of tomorrow, February 27, Margus Schults will step down from the Group’s Management Board and will continue working in the company as the head of the Finnish unit. Jalakas has been a member of the Management Board of AS SEB Pank and Head of Corporate Banking since 2023.
Necropolitics: The Disposability of Migrant Fishers
The term necropolitics was first coined with reference to concentration camps, apartheid regions, and historical slave plantations.It is the exercise of sovereignty which resides, to a large degree, in the power and the capacity to dictate who may live and who must die.Now researchers from Australia and New Zealand have extended the concept to fishing vessels where captains control medical decisions…
Gunderson Marine & Iron’s McMurdo Docking Pier Arrives in Antarctica
The McMurdo Docking Pier, constructed by Gunderson Marine & Iron (GM&I) and designed by Glosten for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has successfully arrived at McMurdo Station, Antarctica following a 9,159 nautical mile voyage across the Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean.The pier, towed from the Pacific Northwest by TradeWinds Towing, was underway for 69 days, averaging 5.5 knots over the course of its journey.
AMSA Detains Vessel After 24‑Day Emergency Response
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has concluded a 24‑day response operation to support a vessel in distress in the Coral Sea, Queensland, preventing risk to the Great Barrier Reef, the marine environment and seafarers.On February 1, AMSA received reports that Liberian‑flagged Swift Hangzhou was experiencing engine failure. AMSA immediately initiated response arrangements to coordinate a safe and effective outcome lasting over three weeks due to the complexity of the incident.
IMCA Enhances Digital Learning Hub
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has announced it has launched IMCA Skills, their leading, digital, learning hub, which will now be the go-to place for the marine industry’s competence and development needs.The first product on the new platform is the migration of the Dynamic Positioning continuing professional development learning program which is designed to be the first step…
Altech Introduces New Pluggable Terminal Block Range
Altech Corporation has introduced a line of pluggable terminal blocks that enable simple and fast installations, field wiring and equipment test setups.These compact, pluggable terminal blocks combine accurate, secure wire connections with simplicity and time savings.Pluggable terminal blocks are a truly hybrid technology, combining the security of a spring clamp connection with a plug connection to…
Due Diligence Required as More Biofuel Feedstocks Used
NorthStandard has published a new white paper focusing on the accelerating adoption of biofuels in commercial shipping. ‘Biofuels – Driving the green transition’ brings together insights from NorthStandard, supplier World Fuel and leading testing agency Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS), in a unique discussion document outlining biofuel uptake, potential issues and loss prevention measures. Many owner-operators who seek a drop-in solution to drive maritime decarbonization choose biofuel blends.
Everllence Develops Hydrogen-Capable 4-Stroke Test Bench
A research-engine test bench at Everllence’s Augsburg site has been upgraded to enable hydrogen combustion.The new development occurred under the umbrella of the HydroPoLEn project, an Everllence partnership with industry leaders and research institutes. The project is supported by funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy within the framework of the Maritime Research…
IMO Secretary-General Visits NYK Training Center
On February 18, as part of the official engagements with maritime stakeholders in the Philippines, Arsenio Antonio Domínguez Velasco, secretary-general of the IMO, visited NYK-Fil Maritime E-Training Inc. (NETI) and NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA), the NYK Group’s training center and maritime academy in the Philippines.The visit included a tour of NETI’s advanced simulator facilities, showcasing cutting-edge maritime education and training technologies that support global shipping operations.
BOEM Advances Leasing Process for Offshore California
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced its intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for proposed oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central and Southern California Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.This marks the initial step under the National Environmental Policy Act which initiates the process to analyze a representative California lease…
Russia Aims to Maintain Urals Oil Exports to China
Russia will aim to keep its Urals crude oil exports steady in March by boosting shipments to China as India, a key buyer, cuts purchases following a trade deal with the U.S.Export options for seaborne Urals cargoes are set to narrow next month, with India expected to sharply reduce intake. Suppliers are turning to China, the world's top crude importer, as Turkey - the third-largest Urals buyer - lacks the capacity to process more Russian barrels.In the current market…
Rates for Mideast-Asia Oil Tanker at Highest Since 2020
The cost of hiring a supertanker from the Middle East to China exceeded $200,000 a day on Thursday for the first time since 2020 as the threat of U.S. attacks on Iran grows and buyers seek to lock in oil cargoes, according to data and market sources.Iran pledged to show flexibility at indirect talks with Washington on their longstanding nuclear dispute on Thursday, with Tehran under pressure to agree to a deal or face U.S. military strikes.
