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European shipping operators are confronting their toughest cost environment in a generation, as the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz compounds the final phase-in of the EU Emissions Trading System. Bunker fuel prices in Singapore, the industry's largest refuelling hub, have climbed above $800 per tonne, up from roughly $500 before Iran shut the strait on 4 March, according to commodity site OilPrice. The European Federation for Transport and Environment estimated the

Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched a new Europe to Red Sea container service designed to keep European cargo flowing to Gulf markets without transit through the Strait of Hormuz, in the clearest sign yet that liner operators are rewiring their networks around the Iranian chokepoint. The first vessel on the Europe, Red Sea and Middle East Express sailed from Antwerp on 10 May under voyage OC619 A, the Geneva-based carrier confirmed. The eastbound rotation calls at Gda

European auto manufacturers are pushing for a swift conclusion to EU-US trade trilogues opening in Brussels on Wednesday, as Donald Trump's threat to lift tariffs on EU-made vehicles to 25 per cent raises the stakes for a sector already facing margin pressure from Chinese competitors. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), whose members include Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault and BMW, urged co-legislators on Monday to find common ground and finalise the le

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched a dedicated Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service designed to keep cargo moving between European exporters and Gulf customers as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut to commercial traffic. The world's largest container carrier, headquartered in Geneva, will sail its first vessel from Antwerp on 10 May, with a single-direction rotation calling at Gdansk, Klaipeda, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Valencia, Barcelona and Gioia

Ryanair will close its base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on 24 October, the fourth such withdrawal by Europe's largest low-cost carrier in Germany since 2019, as escalating taxes and airport charges drive capacity towards lower-cost EU member states. The Irish airline confirmed last week that all seven Boeing 737s currently stationed in the German capital will be redeployed to bases in Sweden, Italy, Albania and Slovakia, countries that have recently abolished or reduced avi

Conflict in the Middle East is redrawing the map of long-haul aviation — and European carriers are moving fast to capitalise The suspension of scheduled services through Gulf hubs has triggered one of the most significant reconfigurations of long-haul aviation in years, forcing European carriers to expand direct Asia-Europe capacity at speed and reshaping a competitive landscape that had long been defined by Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. With operations at Emirates, Qatar Airway

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

Brussels unveiled a €1.8 billion battery strategy this month as European automakers grapple with declining internal combustion engine sales and intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers, even as the new Trump administration signals a dramatic reversal of America's electric vehicle transition. The European Commission's automotive omnibus package introduces a new "small affordable cars" category and proposes revised car labelling rules, part of a broader industrial pl

The European Union has escalated its trade measures against Chinese electric vehicles as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism enters full implementation from January 1, 2026, with plans to expand coverage to automobiles and auto parts from 2028. China's Ministry of Commerce responded this week to the EU's latest legislative proposals and implementation rules for the controversial policy, which aims to align the carbon cost of imported products with the bloc's internal prici

Benteler's electric shuttle subsidiary has missed key delivery milestones and failed to establish its promised U.S. manufacturing facility, raising questions about the automotive supplier's ability to execute its ambitious autonomous vehicle strategy ahead of planned 2026 deployments. Court documents filed in New York reveal that Holon Motors failed to deliver prototype vehicles by their May 2025 deadline and has yet to break ground on the Jacksonville, Florida production sit

The European Union's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation represents one of the bloc's most ambitious attempts to decarbonise a notoriously difficult sector. From January 2025, fuel suppliers at EU airports must blend at least 2% alternative aviation fuels into their kerosene mix, rising to 70% by 2050. It's a bold policy signal that should catalyse billions in clean fuel investment. But recent modelling suggests Brussels may be setting itself up for a climate reckoning. The arithmet

The European Commission could announce a package to support the local automotive sector, including a possible watered down version of its 2035 combustion engine phase-out, on December 16, an industry source briefed on the matter said. Brussels is so far planning to announce the package on December 10, but EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said earlier this week that the package could be delayed until January. The source said that December 16 was a target but c