Fairplay Towage has joined Tug Network Team, extending the independent towage alliance into Europe with coverage across 113 ports in 13 countries and a combined fleet of more than 200 tugs.
The IMO has urged shipping companies to put crew safety first after attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz caused seafarer casualties. The agency also warned operators to use only confirmed information when making navigational decisions in the high-risk corridor.
Seafarers on IBF-covered ships can now refuse voyages through the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East Gulf after the threat level reached its highest category. The new arrangement includes repatriation rights, two months of basic wage compensation, higher pay in the zone, and doubled compensation in death or disability cases.
Iran said the Strait of Hormuz remained open and ruled out an immediate shutdown, even as ship movements through the waterway nearly came to a standstill during the US-Iran war.
War risk cover remains available for Persian Gulf and Red Sea shipping on a single-voyage basis, but insurers are tightening terms as disruptions, rerouting, and supply chain risks grow.
COSCO Shipping Lines has suspended new bookings to several Middle East destinations after a security risk review, joining major carriers avoiding the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions.
Sanctioned LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz was reported on fire off Malta on Tuesday after explosions were reported. Monitoring groups cited a possible drone strike, while the cause and crew status remained unconfirmed.
The Suez Canal Authority reports normal two-way traffic, citing 56 daily transits and recent tonnage totals, even as some major carriers temporarily pause passages due to regional security concerns.
Saudi Aramco told buyers of its light crude to load some cargoes at Yanbu on the Red Sea as the Strait of Hormuz became dangerous, using the East-West pipeline to reroute flows.
