Oil Tanker News

Shipowners have already ordered more than twice as many supertankers this year as in all of 2025, a buying spree worth over $20 billion that is the biggest for at least 25 years, as the US-Iran war redraws trade routes and boosts demand for long-haul crude shipments.Data from Signal Group, a shipping analytics platform, show 217 Very Large Crude Carriers ordered so far in 2026, against 93 last year. Allied Shipbroking recorded 164 VLCC orders, up from 83. A VLCC carries about…

A tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, port officials said, and British navy-affiliated UKMTO reported that several merchant vessels in the Gulf had been hit by disabling fire overnight.A fire broke out aboard the Panama-flagged oil tanker New Andros after it was hit in Iraqi waters at around 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, two Iraqi port officials told Reuters.There were no reports of casualties among the 22 crew members…

Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war.The attacks sent the price of oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing.Iran also said it had fired ballistic missiles at a base used by U.S. forces in Jordan.

Lloyd's Register (LR) and the Marine Design and Research Institute of China (MARIC) have secured Approval in Principle (AiP) for a new 114,000 DWT product and crude oil tanker designed to accommodate future conversion to LNG, methanol or ammonia.Announced at SMM 2026, the concept addresses the need to develop vessels and capabilities that can support a range of alternative fuel options and pathways as technologies, infrastructure and regulations evolve.While LNG is already a mature fuel pathway…

Tankers and cargo ships are transiting the Bosphorus strait adorned with nets, water tanks and tyres to try to fend off growing Russian and Ukrainian drone strikes in the Black Sea, according to security experts and video obtained by Reuters.In a stark illustration of the risks, the abandoned Russian-flagged cargo ship Omskiy-107 - its command deck burned out - drifted from Russian waters to a northern Istanbul beach east of the Bosphorus, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.Ukraine has stepped up attacks on ships and infrastructure facilitating Russian oil and grain exports since July…

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, said on Wednesday that an Iranian attack on an oil tanker owned by its national shipping company had killed two Filipino seafarers.Sidr, owned by Bahri, was one of two supertankers carrying Saudi oil reported to have been hit late on Monday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to sail through the narrow waterway without authorisation, impeding energy exports from neighbouring oil-rich Gulf…

Two supertankers carrying Saudi oil were struck by unknown projectiles within minutes of each other while transiting outbound through the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, according to shipping intelligence and tracking firms Marisks and Kpler."The near-simultaneous incidents represent a further escalation in the threat environment within the Omani corridor," Marisks said.The tankers each loaded 2 million barrels of Saudi crude at the Juaymah terminal last week, Kpler data showed. Saudi Aramco resumed oil loadings and sales from inside the strait in August.Iranian and U.S.

A tanker has reported being struck by three projectiles while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz, 17 nautical miles east of Oman's Khasab, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.No casualties or environmental impact have been reported, UKMTO said.TRANSITSThe number of vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz was little changed on Monday compared with the weekend, hovering around five, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday, below the 10-day average of around 14.Four of the vessels entered the strait and one exited…

A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 63 nautical miles west of Saudi Arabia's port city of Yanbu, leading to a fire on the vessel's main deck, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Monday.The UKMTO said all crew were safe and accounted for with no reported environmental impact.Yanbu is Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea oil port, where millions of barrels a day are loaded, and has become the main route out for Saudi oil skirting the Strait of Hormuz, which has…

An oil tanker under U.S. sanctions for allegedly transporting Iranian petroleum products has become the latest victim of resurgent Somali piracy when it was boarded off the coast of Yemen and diverted toward Somalia.The Eritrea-flagged Sibu 1 was seized on Thursday by six armed individuals, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The tanker was sanctioned last December by the U.S. Treasury for allegedly being part of a shadow fleet that helps Iranian petroleum products evade U.S.

Russia has begun shipping crude oil via its Arctic sea route this year at a faster pace than a year ago, with seven cargoes carrying some 6 million barrels of crude already heading to Asia, according to three trade sources and LSEG shipping data.The Northern Sea Route, which links Russia's western ports with Asian markets through Arctic waters, is typically open from July 1 until October 1 each year.Russia is speeding up usage of the route as it enables its cargoes to reach China and other parts of Asia without transiting waters where tankers face inspections…

Six Saudi-flagged supertankers have changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days and are heading to southern Africa following threats by Yemen’s Houthi movement to target Saudi shipping, tracking data showed on Monday.The tankers, which were empty of cargo after returning from destinations in Asia, were sailing in formation towards southern Africa, rather than opting to transit the southern Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, according to AIS ship-tracking on LSEG and MarineTraffic.One of the tankers…

A sanctions-hit tanker is leaking oil off the coast of Oman and the spill has spread in recent days, increasing concern about possible environmental damage to coastal areas, according to an analysis of satellite imagery and shipping specialists.The Caroline Bezengi took Russian oil on board at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before leaving for its most recent voyage, ship tracking data shows.It first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources ⁠said…

A drone strike that damaged two gas tankers in Egyptian waters has renewed energy security concerns about the nearby Suez Canal and a related pipeline, a vital export route for Saudi Arabian oil since the beginning of the Iran war.Even as Iran and its Houthi allies have fired on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, Egypt's Suez Canal and Sumed pipeline continued to offer safe, northbound export routes for Saudi Red Sea energy cargoes.While no party has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack on the tankers at Egypt's port of Damietta…

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they targeted a number of sensitive crude oil supply and transport sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the critical Red Sea oil export hub of Yanbu.Saudi state oil giant Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the operation was in response to what he described as Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.Saudi Arabia has re-routed its crude output to Yanbu via its east-west pipeline to get around Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which began after the U.S.

Drones have attacked another two oil tankers approaching the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's terminal on Russia's shores of the Black Sea, further clouding prospects for oil exports from Kazakhstan, which uses the outlet, three industry sources said on Thursday.The closure of the terminal, which accounts for more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports, earlier this week over safety concerns forced the country to cut its oil production, authorities said.The sources said the HERA and ALATAU tankers should have received oil from the CPC.

Four tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday, with two signalling the Suez Canal as their new destination after Yemen's Houthi militia warned ships to avoid sailing to Saudi Arabian ports, ship-tracking data showed.The Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the United States in its war with Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf."The threat of Houthi hostile actions against Saudi Arabia ...

Fairfield Maritime Japan Ltd. (FMJ) signed a long-term charter contract with Neste enabling FMJ to fund and manage the construction of two Ice Class 1A medium range (MR) oil and chemical tankers for Neste's transports to and from its refinery in Porvoo, Finland. The two new ships will each have the capacity to ship 50,000 deadweight tons (DWT) and will be built by HD Hyundai Co., Ltd. of South Korea and delivered in the first and second quarters of 2029.As Ice Class 1A certified ships…

Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after threats from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, as a widening Middle East conflict disrupted shipping through two of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.The diversions came as U.S. forces bombed targets in the south and west of Iran overnight, Tehran targeted U.S. sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan and at least one tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the latest escalation of…

A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz reported being struck by an unknown projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel and board a lifeboat, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.UKMTO said it had received multiple reports on Tuesday that a tanker had broadcast over VHF Channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile. The incident was reported eight nautical miles east of Oman's Limah and authorities were investigating.UKMTO said…

An oil tanker chartered for loading oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal off Russia's Black Sea coast was attacked and damaged by two drones on Friday, CPC said.Sources told Reuters the vessel, the Suezmax-class Nordic Zenith, had been chartered by ExxonMobil.CPC did not identify any party as responsible for the incident. The past week has seen a sharp escalation in attacks by both Russia and Ukraine on shipping in the Black and Azov seas, marking a new phase in a war…

A tanker has reported being approached by six small boats 50 nautical miles (93 km) south of Yemen's Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported on Monday, adding warning shots were fired by the tanker.The British maritime security firm Ambrey later said that Automatic Identification System data indicated the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker initiated evasive maneuvers after the skiffs approached on its starboard side.Ambrey reported that one skiff came very close to the tanker before its armed security team fired warning shots.

Chevron-chartered oil tanker Yasa Polaris, used for Caspian Pipeline Consortium shipments, was hit by a drone off Russia's Black Sea coast, the vessel's managing company said on Wednesday, as Kyiv steps up attacks on Russian energy targets.Ukrainian drones have attacked a dozen tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet" that were delivering fuel to Russian-annexed Crimea in recent days, according to the Ukrainian military.There was no official comment from Ukrainian authorities about the incident involving the Chevron-chartered tanker.Yasa Tanker…