According to the UKMTO report, on October 10 and 11, an outbound oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile on its port side and caught fire. The crew was safe; the Panamanian crude oil tanker GEM NO.2 was also attacked near the United Arab Emirates. The US Central Command said that fighter jets attacked the cargo ship "Ocean Molica" that broke through the Iranian blockade on the 10th, causing its power to fail - this is the fourth merchant ship to be paralyzed since the blockade was resumed on July 14. During this period, the US military also forced 135 merchant ships to stop and destroyed 10 IRGC shadow fleet oil tankers. According to Reuters, Iran said that the US response to its seven-point proposal for reopening the strait was "inadequate".
According to weekly data from Clarksons Research (reprinted by Hellenic Shipping News), the global average daily revenue of VLCC reached US$805,000/day, a record high; the freight rate is equivalent to the crude oil price difference of US$20-45/barrel (USG-China line US$37.5, only US$5 in 2025); LPG also broke the record, with the VLGC US-Japan line US$209,000/day. The conflict in the Middle East has had an unprecedented impact on the energy shipping market.
According to reports from the shipping industry/China Water Transport Network, COSCO Shipping Lines, BYD, and SAIC Anji Logistics are planning to build 21 PCTCs with 11,000 parking spaces, with a total cost of approximately US$2.5 billion (approximately 16.7 billion yuan): COSCO Shipping Lines has a maximum of 11 ships (3 ships have been signed with Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry, and the rest are planned to be undertaken by Guangzhou Shipbuilding International), BYD 8 ships (Guangzhou Shipbuilding International, China Merchants Weihai, China Merchants Haimen Branch), SAIC Anji has launched international bidding for two LNG dual-fuel ships, with the first ship to be delivered no later than September 2029, aiming to make up for the shortcomings in China's automobile export ocean shipping capacity.
Drewry's assessment on October 8th showed that the world container freight index fell by 2% month-on-month: Shanghai-Los Angeles fell by 3% to US$7,624/FEU, Shanghai-New York fell by 2% to US$10,220, and Shanghai-Rotterdam fell by 2% to US$3,337. There will only be 4 blank sailings next week (11 this week), and the capacity will be increased; Drewry expects freight rates to be stable next week. U.S. wire demand may rebound with the extension of the Sino-U.S. trade truce and recovery after the Spring Festival.
The Panamanian ship "PanStar Acro" departed on August 22 and returned to Busan on October 11 after 50 days. It called at Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdańsk in Poland via the Arctic route. South Korea said that this route can shorten the voyage by about one-third and plans to launch regular services before 2030. However, the first voyage only carried 737 TEU of cargo (target 1300 TEU). Moreover, the route is along the Russian Arctic coast, and issues involving Russia’s isolation pose the risk of diplomatic friction with Western allies.
According to data from Clarksons Research (reported by Hellenic Shipping News), 82 large LNG ships have been ordered around the world since the beginning of this year. Competition between China and South Korea has intensified: China has launched a "quantity offensive" with shipyard expansion and super-largeization, while South Korea has maintained a "super gap" with efficiency improvements and gas processing technology advantages. The market structure of high value-added LNG ships is facing reshaping.
According to reports from the shipping industry, the Hanwha Marine Branch of the Korean Metal Workers Union entered the ninth day of the high-altitude sit-in on October 8. The union chairman joined the protest, demanding an extension of the retirement age and improved pay.