Us News

Oil prices fell more than 2% on Friday, extending losses from the previous session after U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled plans to strike Iran, reducing fears of an escalation of hostilities following tit-for-tat attacks earlier in the week.Brent futures LCOc1were down $2.11 or 2.3% at $88.27 a barrel by 0640 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) CLc1 crude dropped $1.90, or 2.2%, to $85.81.Trump called off planned strikes on Thursday, saying discussions with Iran…

The United States issued sanctions against Cuban state oil company Union Cuba Petroleo (CUPET), the Treasury Department website showed on Thursday, adding more obstacles for the island's government to import much-needed fuel.Washington has imposed sanctions on an array of Cuban entities and people, including the island nation's president, as it seeks to intensify pressure on Cuba's communist leaders.The sanctions follow the U.S. declaration of a national emergency this year that would impose tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the island…

Shipping companies including Maersk and mining giant Vale are turning to ethanol as a marine fuel to cut emissions as abundant supply and lower cost make it more attractive than other low-carbon fuels, with further commercial usage expected as early as next year.The use of ethanol in shipping could open a new demand channel for the fuel, which in some countries is blended into gasoline, while offering shipowners another pathway to cut conventional fuel use to meet emission reduction…

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved a $3.4 billion annual budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 for the Port of Los Angeles. The financial blueprint calls for increased investments in Port operational and community public-access infrastructure, as well as support for a range of sustainability and technology programs.The Port’s FY 2026/27 adopted budget is based on predictions of steady, yet slightly lower cargo demand of 9.3 million container units, 7% less than the current forecast for FY 2025/26.

Saronic and Castelion have announced plans to join forces to launch a hypersonic vehicle from an unmanned surface vessel. By integrating Castelion’s Blackbeard with Saronic’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) Marauder, the two companies offer a powerful, credible option to deter would-be adversaries.A First-of-Its-Kind IntegrationThe collaboration between Castelion and Saronic marks the first integration of autonomous surface vessels with hypersonics and stands to accelerate…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced it would homeport its first two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak, Alaska with a third Alaska Arctic Security Cutter homeported in Seward when the infrastructure is ready. This follows April’s announcement that the Service would homeport its first two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska. With the first delivery expected in 2028, the Coast Guard is accelerating preparations to ensure each location is ready to support sustained Arctic operations including…

A U.S. jet fired two missiles into the engine room of the tanker Jalveer off Oman on Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed, as authorities said the 20 crew members were safe after the third strike on Indian-crewed tankers this week.Three Indian sailors died in a U.S. strike on the Settebello tanker off Oman a day earlier."A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces," Centcom said in a statement.It said U.S.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) announced its valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2026, recognizing two midshipmen who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and perseverance throughout their time at Kings Point.Midshipman John Walter Smolenski, a Maritime Logistics and Security major from Colonia, New Jersey, has been named valedictorian, graduating with a 3.87 GPA. Midshipman Connor Conrad Crymes, a Marine Engineering Systems major from Lincoln University…

ABS and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HD HHI), signed a joint development agreement to support the development of a U.S.-flagged 50,000 DWT oil and chemical tanker.Under the agreement, ABS will review the HD HHI design in accordance with ABS Rules and U.S. Coast Guard requirements.“From the first 100,000 DWT tanker to today’s most advanced tanker designs, ABS has provided owners and operators with the insight and guidance they need to achieve their goals, always with a focus on safety.

All three missing Indian seafarers have died after a U.S. military strike on a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday.The U.S. said its military carried out a "precision" strike on the vessel that failed to follow its instructions and was carrying oil from Iran.Indian sources told Reuters that New Delhi had summoned the U.S. deputy chief of mission after lodging a "strong protest" on the strike.(Reuters - Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee; Editing by YP Rajesh)

Three more liquefied natural gas tankers have exited the Strait of Hormuz with their transponders off and are bound for destinations in Asia, although the exact timing of their transit is unclear, ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed.This comes as the United States and Iran traded air attacks for a second straight day on Thursday, with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing further strikes unless Tehran agrees to a peace deal and Washington saying it fired on a vessel carrying…

The United States has become the world's largest oil exporter, upending a decades-old order long dominated by Saudi Arabia and Russia, a shift that tightens American companies' grip on energy markets as Washington's war with Iran reshapes global energy trade.America's ascendancy to the top spot marks a stunning reversal for a country that was dependent on Middle Eastern oil for decades and suffered from an oil embargo imposed by some OPEC members in 1973 to retaliate against U.S. support for Israel.U.S.

Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf producers will cheer the eventual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but the ensuing flood of oil risks eroding OPEC’s already fragile grip on the market.The Iran war and the closure of the vital waterway – through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flowed before the conflict – have sharply diminished output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and moved the industry’s centre of gravity away from the Middle…

Oil prices climbed more than $2 a barrel Thursday as Iran declared the critical energy chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, closed after the U.S. launched additional strikes against Iran.Brent futures LCOc1 rose $2.30, or 2.47%, to $95.40 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) CLc1 crude climbed $2.60, or 2.89%, to $92.63. U.S. crude futures gained more than $3 earlier in the session.Iran's top joint military command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday…

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will attack Iran if no peace deal is secured and that the U.S. military secretly escorted ships carrying more than 100 million barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz."We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard," Trump told reporters at the White House. He said the U.S. would strike Iran on Wednesday, in response to Iran's downing of an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump said later on Truth Social that he had directed last month the U.S.

The cost of shipping a container of goods from Asia to the United States has doubled since the start of the Iran war, driven by spiking fuel prices and an uptick in demand from importers who are worried costs will only rise further as the conflict wears on."If you want to know how seriously to take the threat of an energy crisis, look at container shipping rather than oil markets because the risk is priced into the spiraling freight rates far more clearly," said Peter Sand, chief…

As weather extremes, aging infrastructure and growing freight demands place increasing pressure on the U.S. inland waterway system, industry and government leaders say one factor is indispensable to maintaining reliable navigation: collaboration.That was the central message from a panel discussion during FreightWeekSTL 2026, where representatives from American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed how coordinated planning, shared data and targeted infrastructure investments are helping keep commerce moving on the Mississippi River.The session…

Caspian Offshore Construction (COC) has acquired an anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel from Sinopacific Engineering & Contracting (SPEC), marking the first vessel in the SPA90 series to join the Kazakh offshore marine service provider's fleet.The shipbuilding contract was signed on April 30, 2026, at Siying Shipyard, where the vessel is under construction. A launching ceremony for the vessel was held on May 20.Named Caspian Yili, the vessel is the first of its kind in COC's fleet and will be the company's largest vessel to date.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Japan Airlines (JAL) have entered into an agreement with Lloyd's Register and U.S.-based REGENT Craft to jointly develop certification and operational approval processes for REGENT's fully electric Seaglider vessel, as the companies work toward commercial deployment in Japan.The initiative marks the first collaboration in Japan involving a classification society aimed at supporting the commercialization of Seaglider vessels.Seagliders are fully electric wing-in-ground effect craft that operate a few metres above the water surface using ground effect.

The U.S. military carried out a "precision" strike on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman that failed to follow its instructions and was carrying oil from Iran, it said, while India said three Indian seafarers were missing after the attack on the tanker.The U.S. began a blockade of Iran-related shipping on April 13 after Iran severely curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil and gas route.The U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom) said a U.S. aircraft "fired…

Oil prices were steady on Wednesday, as renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities muddied direction, though a forecast U.S. stock draw offered support.Brent futures LCOc1 were up 25 cents, or 0.27%, to $91.70 a barrel at 0736 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was up 23 cents, or 0.26%, to $88.43 a barrel.Prices traded higher earlier on renewed strikes between the U.S. and Iran, before retreating towards the previous session's close.Global stock draws are underpinning prices…

An oil cargo delivered to the Philippines that Kpler had said last month originated from Iran was actually from Russia, the shiptracking firm said this week.Kpler data that had showed the Suezmax tanker Ocean Start delivered Iranian oil crude to Petron's Bataan refinery on May 17 was revised to show the tanker delivered Urals crude from Russia, Kpler told Reuters on Monday.The revision was due to a review of further information on the voyage, Kpler said.Kpler's revised data showed…

India's ship safety certifier is taking a tougher stance on vessels involved in evading international trade sanctions, by cancelling the certification of more than 200 tankers and other ships since 2023, the head of the agency told Reuters.The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) is among the world's leading ship certifiers and removal from its list is likely to complicate a vessel's ability to secure insurance and potentially access ports.Since 2023, Mumbai-based IRClass has de-classed 235 ships from its registry…