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Europe Braces for Energy Shock as Hormuz Shipping Grinds to Halt
The de facto closure of the world's most critical oil chokepoint is reviving memories of 2022 for European policymakers and energy traders alike Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to near-zero, with Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM all suspending operations through the waterway following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on 28 February. The effective closure — enforced not by physical blockade but by the withdrawal of war-risk insurance, whi
Mar 122 min read


Maersk Suspends Europe Routes as Hormuz Closure Sends Shockwaves Through Container Shipping
With 147 vessels sheltering in the Gulf, European supply chains brace for the next wave of disruption The world's largest container shipping group has moved to suspend key trade arteries linking Europe and Asia as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz compounds what was already shaping up to be one of the most testing years in recent memory for the maritime industry. Copenhagen-based Maersk confirmed on March 6 that it was halting two critical services — its FM1 route
Mar 92 min read


Europe Tightens Grip on Russia's Shadow Fleet With North Sea Tanker Seizure
Belgian and French forces board the Ethera in a landmark enforcement operation, signalling a harder European line on sanctions evasion In the small hours of 28 February, Belgian special forces rappelled from French Navy helicopters onto the deck of a tanker moving through the North Sea. What followed — the boarding, seizure and escorting of the vessel to the port of Zeebrugge — marked one of the most assertive acts of maritime enforcement Europe has yet taken against Russia's
Mar 52 min read


Europe's Carriers Scramble as Hormuz Crisis Shatters Red Sea Return
Europe's largest container lines have suspended all transits through the Strait of Hormuz and reversed course on a long-awaited return to the Red Sea, after the escalation of hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran threw global shipping into its most severe disruption since the Houthi attacks began in late 2023. Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd, Copenhagen's Maersk and France's CMA CGM each confirmed over the weekend that vessels would be rerouted around the Cape of G
Mar 32 min read


Shipping's Green Reckoning: EU Carbon Costs Surge as Full Compliance Kicks In
Europe's shipping industry is absorbing a sharp increase in emissions costs this year as the EU's Emissions Trading System reaches full enforcement, reshaping the economics of every vessel touching the bloc's ports. The EU-ETS has now completed its phased introduction for maritime transport, requiring shipping companies to purchase European Union Allowances covering 100 per cent of their verified emissions, up from 70 per cent in 2025 and 40 per cent in 2024. The step-up alon
Feb 262 min read


Trump's 15% Tariff Salvo Throws Transatlantic Shipping Into Fresh Disarray
European carriers and port operators are bracing for a renewed wave of trade disruption after President Donald Trump raised his universal tariff rate to 15 per cent over the weekend, just days after the US Supreme Court struck down his previous levies as unconstitutional. The move has blindsided Brussels. The European Commission issued a terse statement on Sunday insisting that "a deal is a deal," demanding Washington honour the terms of a transatlantic trade pact negotiated
Feb 232 min read


Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Signal Cautious Return to Suez After Two-Year Absence
The Gemini Cooperation, the shipping alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, has announced a phased return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal beginning in mid-February, marking the most significant step yet toward restoring normal operations on the world's busiest trade artery after more than two years of disruption. The move follows a six-month period without confirmed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels and comes after French carrier CMA CGM led the way with tentative transits
Feb 162 min read


Brussels Moves to Sever Europe's Last Maritime Ties to Russian Crude
The European Commission's proposed ban on shipping services marks the bloc's sharpest escalation yet against Moscow's oil revenues — and a decisive break from the G7 price cap that was meant to keep Russian barrels flowing at a discount. The 20th sanctions package, unveiled on 6 February as the war in Ukraine nears its fourth anniversary, would prohibit European firms from providing insurance, shipping, financing, port access and any other maritime service linked to Russian c
Feb 102 min read


EU Shipping Costs Surge 73% as Emissions Trading System Reaches Full Compliance
European shipping operators face sharply elevated operating costs following the implementation of full emissions coverage under the EU's Emissions Trading System, with compliance expenses for container vessels projected to rise as much as 73 percent compared to 2025. The escalation stems from regulations that took effect January 1st, requiring maritime operators to surrender carbon allowances covering 100 percent of verified emissions on voyages touching European Union and Eu
Jan 282 min read


CMA CGM Reverses Suez Return, Exposing Fragility of Red Sea Shipping Recovery
French container giant CMA CGM abruptly reversed course on Red Sea transits this week, rerouting three major Asia-Europe services back around the Cape of Good Hope mere days after Danish rival Maersk announced its first structural return to the Suez Canal in over two years. The volte-face, confirmed in a 20 January customer advisory, affects the carrier's FAL1, FAL3 and MEX services, which CMA CGM diverted citing a "complex and uncertain international context." The decision r
Jan 232 min read


COSCO Deepens German Foothold with Hamburg Hinterland Logistics Bid
China's state-owned COSCO Shipping is pouring cold water on European concerns over critical infrastructure ownership, filing with Germany's Federal Cartel Office to acquire an 80 per cent stake in Hamburg-based logistics operator Konrad Zippel. The proposed transaction, submitted in late December, would extend COSCO's reach beyond port terminals into the arteries of European hinterland transport. Founded in 1876, Konrad Zippel employs approximately 350 staff and operates 200
Jan 212 min read


European Shipyards Secure Major Orders as Green Transition Accelerates
European shipbuilders reported a surge in new contracts during the first weeks of 2026, driven by stringent environmental regulations forcing fleet renewals and growing demand for specialised vessels capable of alternative fuel propulsion. Italian shipyard Fincantieri announced a €2.4 billion order book for the year, including contracts for six methanol-ready container ships and four ammonia-powered bulk carriers. The deals mark a significant reversal for Europe's shipbuildin
Jan 131 min read
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