The US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire on Tuesday evening, which included a temporary reopening of the strait of Hormuz, after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan, canceling an ultimatum from Donald Trump for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction. Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire agreement came less than two hours before the US president’s self-imposed 8pm Eastern time deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a

By Angelo Mathais (The Loadstar) – Indian shipping regulators and related authorities seem to be keeping a close watch on ongoing supply chain dynamics for export trades as ocean carriers arguably tend to profiteer from capacity disruption, especially in a larger crisis situation. The news comes as the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has also pushed back on carrier charges, with commissioner Laura DiBella rejecting liner requests to introduce war-related surcharges witho

Escalating military action in the Middle East is triggering a global wave of airline cancellations and diversions, disrupting key Europe–Asia and transcontinental routes and stranding passengers from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. Airspace Closures Ripple Across the Region Several Middle Eastern countries have imposed partial or full airspace closures in recent weeks as fighting involving Iran, Israel and United States forces has intensified. Publicly available notices to air

By Lori Ann LaRocco – Iran says it has begun enforcing new controls over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it blocked multiple container ships—including two operated by China’s COSCO—under a “permission-to-transit” system that could reshape access to one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. Just hours after COSCO announced a Gulf network redesign and a return to the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian authorities said they had intervened to stop vessels that fail

Global shipping networks are facing increasing congestion as the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt trade flows across key routes and ports. Recent data indicates that port congestion has intensified significantly, with more than 80% of major global ports now operating under critical conditions. A large portion of these ports are experiencing severe or high levels of congestion as cargo volumes continue to shift and reroute. The disruption

On March 19, Ras Laffan, the largest liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal in the world, supplying one-fifth of the world’s super-chilled fuel, was hit by Iranian missiles and drones. The Qatari terminal suffered substantial damage in the strikes – fires were raging across the gas-to-liquids facility within the complex, which covers 295 square kilometres – the size of a large city. Investments worth tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars disappeared into thin air. Damage

The Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping, though access is currently limited to vessels not linked to what Iran has described as “enemy” nations, according to comments from Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The update comes as tensions in the Middle East continue to impact vessel movements through the narrow waterway, which is one of the world’s most critical shipping routes. The strait handles roughly 20% of global oil

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is preparing emergency plans to evacuate nearly 20,000 seafarers and around 2,000 vessels currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. The situation has significantly slowed movement through one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, which handles close to 20% of global oil flows as well as a substantial share of liquefied natural gas shipments. According to IMO Secretary-