According to the UKMTO report, a merchant ship was hit by an unknown projectile and caught fire 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates on Friday (it has been extinguished). This is the second attack on a ship in the Persian Gulf within three days. The risk of shipping safety around Hormuz has increased significantly. According to gCaptain/Reuters report.
According to Ship & Bunker reports, the U.S. OFAC issued General License No. 135 (GL 135), authorizing the sale, transportation and import of Russian diesel to April 7, 2027, implementing the agreement between Trump and Putin to lower fuel prices; the EU and UK sanctions on Russian oil remain unchanged.
On October 1, the United Kingdom added 8 LNG carriers to the sanctions list (including 3 new Arc7 ice-class ships, of which PYOTR STOLYPIN was listed before it had shipped its first order), and sanctioned Novatek's Singapore chartering subsidiary; Japan subsequently imposed single-ship sanctions on Sovcomflot series oil tankers and froze the assets of 33 Russian entities. The focus of law enforcement is shifting from companies to individual ships. According to Kpler analysis (published by Hellenic Shipping News).
Assessment on October 8: Weak demand during the National Day Golden Week dragged down east-west routes - Shanghai-Los Angeles fell 3% to US$7,624, Shanghai-New York fell 2% to US$10,220, Shanghai-Rotterdam fell 2% to US$3,337 (the Asia-Europe line has fallen for 13 consecutive weeks); shipping companies plan to push up FAK in late October, and Drewry expects it to be stable next week. Primary source: Drewry official website.
Drewry's "Container Forecast" estimates that a 24,000TEU ship sailing the entire journey via Suez will only save about US$1 million (US$43/TEU) per round trip; if the war insurance premium reaches 1% of the ship's hull value, the cost will exceed the Cape of Good Hope. The real driving force is shipping schedule and network efficiency rather than voyage costs. Drewry assumes that the resumption of sailings will start in August 2026, and February 2027 will return to 80% before desailing. According to Hellenic Shipping News.
VLCC freight rates have risen to historical highs, and the cascading effect has driven Suezmax and Aframax freight rates to rise across the board. The tight supply in the tanker market is difficult to resolve in the short term. According to an article on the Maritime Online public account.
According to the international shipping network "China Shipbuilding Observer" (via Clarkson data on October 7): In September, there were 202 ships sold globally, worth 6.2 millionCGT, and China received 165 ships, worth 4.74 millionCGT (share 76%); in the first nine months, China accumulated 1,995 ships, worth 53.91 millionCGT, accounting for 76%, a year-on-year increase of 92%, ranking first in the world. The Clarkson New Ship Price Index reported at 186.59 points in September, and the VLCC new ship price remained at a historical high of US$131 million.
Yangzijiang Maritime Development signed a new order for 8 LR2 tankers at Jiangsu Haifeng Shipbuilding, and the new shipbuilding investment portfolio exceeded 100 ships from the previous 98 ships. According to the maritime service network CNSS.