Cargo News

U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) carried 71.3 million tons of cargo in 2025, an 8.9 percent decrease from a year ago. 2025 cargo movement on the Great Lakes was 8.1 percent below the fleet’s 5-year average.Except for salt shipments, which increased by 4.1 percent, all commodity shipments decreased in 2025. Iron ore shipments were down 10.8 percent from 2024 to 39.1 million tons. Coal cargos declined to 6.5 million tons, a decrease of 12 percent. Limestone shipments of 20.1 million tons were below last year’s shipments by 4.7 percent.

Shipping groups Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk will resume some transit routes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal this month under their shared services network, Maersk said on Tuesday.Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor after vessels were rerouted around Africa in late 2023 following attacks in the Red Sea, which Yemen's Houthis said were to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's joint ME11 service, a route connecting India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean, will resume routing through the Red Sea and the Suez Ca

An alarming rise in cargo theft and freight fraud across global supply chains is being highlighted by the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) and the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) EMEA, with incidents escalating across Europe, the Americas and Africa. Latin America and several African nations are experiencing particularly severe and violent attacks.According to TAPA’s intelligence system, nearly 160,000 cargo-related crimes were recorded across 129 countries between 2022 and 2024…

"In 2025, India’s oil imports from Russia made up 33% of the country’s total seaborne oil imports and 25% of Russia’s seaborne oil exports. A new trade agreement between the US and India could, according to US President Donald Trump, put an end to that trade,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.On Monday, President Trump announced that a new trade agreement between the US and India would lead to mutual tariff reductions. US tariffs on Indian goods would fall from 50% to 18% and Indian tariffs on US goods could fall to zero.

The UP World LNG Shipping Index gained 4.05% last week, closing at 182.36 points and exceeding the 180-point mark for the first time in its history. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% over the same period.Trading activity was robust, with volume well above average and a 15:4 ratio of rising to falling stocks. Several companies broke through resistance levels on strong volume, led by COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation (+10.6%) and Chevron (+6.1%). Shell, BP, Tsakos Energy Navigation, and Nakilat all moved above their respective resistance levels.Atlantic spot charter rates continued declining to $11…

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said India will buy Venezuelan oil, helping to replace some of the Russian oil that the world's third-biggest oil importer buys. "We've already made that deal, the concept of the deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to his vacation home in Florida from Washington.Reuters reported on Friday that the United States has told Delhi it could soon resume purchases of Venezuelan oil to help replace imports of Russian oil…

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California had disrupted several major wildlife trafficking operations, including seizing hundreds of illegal products made from ivory, rhino horn, walrus tusks, suspected bear gall bladders, saiga antelope, and turtle shells.“The international illegal market for these products encourages poaching and threatens global biodiversity — California wants no part of it. We’re using every tool at our disposal to catch and shut down these trafficking rings…

BIMCO estimates that the dry bulk supply/demand balance will remain stable in 2026 and weaken in 2027.“An improvement in the economic and demand outlook has led us to revise our demand forecast for 2026 up by 0.5 percentage points,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised global economic growth projections for 2026 up 0.2 percentage points amid stimulus policies and strong investment in technology and AI. Consequently, the global economy is now forecast to grow 3.3% in 2026, the same as in 2025, and by 3.2% in 2027.

A crude tanker chartered by Trafigura departed on Sunday from Venezuela's Jose port to Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), LSEG data and documents showed, the first cargo going directly to the U.S. as part of a 50-million-barrel supply deal agreed this month between Caracas and Washington.This month, trading houses Vitol and Trafigura received the first U.S. licenses to load and export Venezuelan oil as part of the deal. They have since shipped cargoes to storage terminals in the Caribbean…

Frontline plc (NYSE and OSE: FRO)  entered into one-year time charter-out agreements for seven of its VLCCs. The charters will commence during the period from late-January to April 2026 at a rate of $76,900 per day per vessel.“We are in unprecedented times, and these are charter-out-levels not seen for decades," said Lars H. Barstad, CEO, Frontline Management AS. "Frontline remains largely spot exposed after these contracts become effective, retaining upside in one of the most volatile markets in the world.”

Associated Terminals and Liebherr Maritime Cranes celebrated the christening of two CBG 500 E cranes in New Orleans, introducing the first all-electric transshipment cranes of their kind on the Lower Mississippi River. Each crane is engineered for high-volume bulk handling, offering maximum grab capacities of 90 tonnes in sheltered waters and up to 65 tonnes inopen water, complemented by a lattice boom design with up to 50 metres outreach. Integrated LiCaTronic energy recovery systems improve efficiency by recovering energy generated when braking or lowering loads…

Over eight in every 10 (82%) citizens across the EU are concerned about the welfare of animals during live transport, a new survey concludes, as EU regulation remains at risk of being weakened and leaving millions of animals unprotected.A newly-launched survey conducted across nine EU member states has highlighted public concern for the plight of millions of animals transported over long distances, with an overwhelming majority supporting the need for stricter rules.Most participants (80%) agree that long-distance journeys cause unnecessary suffering to animals…

The CMA CGM Group recently received its 400th owned vessel, the CMA CGM Monte Cristo, the first in a series of six methanol container ships.This key milestone reflects the Group’s long-term investment strategy, built on asset ownership and the integration of advanced technologies to enhance the environmental and operational performance of its fleet.With the CMA CGM Monte Cristo, the Group reaches a milestone of 400 owned vessels, within a fleet of more than 650 vessels worldwide.

"In 2025, China’s total import of crude oil rose nearly 5% -- 4.9% to 11.6 million barrels per day (mbpd) from 11.1 mbpd in 2024 according to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GACC) in China. Seaborne imports increased an estimated 4.0% year-on-year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), China’s stockpiles rose slightly less than 1 mbpd, indicating that the underlying import demand fell nearly 0.5 mbpd,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief…

CMA CGM has announced its FAL1, FAL3 and MEX services connecting Asia and Europe, which recently began transiting Suez Canal again on backhaul voyages, will return to sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.CMA CGM cited the "the complex and uncertain international context” in reversing its decision to return to the Red Sea.“Shippers crave predictability in supply chains. Carriers taking the decision to return to the Red Sea then reversing that decision - even if it is done for important safety reasons - still risks undermining confidence in schedule reliability and eroding trust in partnerships…

Interferry is calling for an immediate halt on the further implementation of the EU ETS for the ferry sector, maintaining the surrendering obligation for maritime emissions frozen at the 70% level scheduled for 2025, and halting the planned increase to 100% in 2026. The demand follows the recent decision to continue exempting road transport from a parallel ETS mechanism and the lack of clear regulations on the distribution of the funds collected.“This action must remain in place until road transport is also in an ETS and funds collected are actually ringfenced for maritime decarbonization.

Brazilian beef exports will remain stable in 2026 compared with last year, beef lobby ABIEC said on Monday, projecting shipments between 3.3 million and 3.5 million metric tons this year.That compares with 3.5 million tons of beef exported in 2025, including fresh and processed products, when Brazil's beef shipments had their best year on record both in volumes and revenue, according to trade data. Roberto Perosa, ABIEC president, said exports would remain broadly unchanged after top importer China imposed safeguards to protect its industry…

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited has firmly pushed back on takeover interest from Diana Shipping Inc., with its board unanimously rejecting a non-binding $20.60-per-share cash proposal that it says "significantly undervalues" the company and carries unacceptable execution risk.In a statement released January 13, Genco Shipping & Trading Limited said its board, acting on the recommendation of an independent committee and advised by external financial and legal counsel, concluded…

"In 2025, seaborne coal shipments to China fell 10% as domestics supply increased and demand from steel manufacturing and electricity generation weakened. The decline affected shipments out of Indonesia, the US, Australia and Colombia in particular,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.China is the world’s largest importer of coal and the destination of 28% of seaborne coal shipments, which account for 4% of dry bulk tonne mile demand. Thermal coal, which is used for electricity generation…

The U.S. government has filed for court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked to the Venezuelan oil trade, four sources familiar with the matter said, as Washington consolidates control of oil shipments in and out of the South American country.The U.S. military and Coast Guard have seized five vessels in recent weeks in international waters that were either carrying Venezuelan oil or have done so in the past. The seizures were part of Washington's campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power that culminated in U.S.

Spanish police have made their largest-ever cocaine seizure on the high seas, intercepting a vessel carrying almost 10 metric tons of the drug concealed in a shipment of salt en route from Brazil to Europe, police said on Monday.The operation led to the arrest of 13 people on board. The vessel, which ended up running out of fuel, had to be towed to port by coastguards in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, police said in a statement.Officers recovered 294 bales of the drug…

Russia has attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring another, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's maritime export arteries over the last two months as retaliation for attacks on "shadow fleet" tankers heading to Russia to export its oil.Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement that one ship had been sailing along Ukraine's maritime export corridor to pick up a grain cargo at the port of Chornomorsk, and was under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.The ot

“100 days ago, on 29 September, the Minervagracht was to become the last ship to be attacked by the Houthis, at least for now. Forty-three days later, the Houthis declared an end to their attacks on ships. Despite this, traffic through the Suez Canal have not significantly increased and in the first week of 2026 remained 60% below the corresponding week in 2023, before ships started diverting around the Cape of Good Hope,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.According to Lloyd’s List, the Houthis have attacked or hijacked ships 99 times since November 2023.