Saudi Arabia's National Shipping Co. (Bahri) provisionally hired at least five supertankers as freight rates approach $200,000 per day, the highest since 2020. The bookings signal rising Saudi crude exports to Asia amid geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trading houses and buyers of Venezuelan oil have chartered the first very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to export from the South American country since a Caracas-Washington supply deal began, which is set to speed up shipments starting in March while boosting deliveries to India, according to four sources and data.

The Proteus Bohemia carrying 100,000 tons of diesel from India's Reliance facility has arrived in Rotterdam, the first such cargo since EU sanctions on Russian-sourced fuel took effect Jan. 21, testing trader confidence in the new rules.

Fin whales feeding in Chile's northern bays face escalating threats from ship collisions and fishing nets, making the region a global hotspot for whale strandings. Marine experts warn the deaths threaten climate-critical species.

The cost to hire oil supertankers could be headed for the highest levels this decade on the growing risk of a major US attack on Iran, and as ownership of the vessels becomes more concentrated.

Chinese refiners are snapping up Russian oil that India is shunning, helping Moscow to overcome a dip in purchases by the country that’s normally its biggest buyer of seaborne barrels.

India temporarily extended permission for four Russian insurers to cover tankers calling at its ports, as the government seeks to sustain crude imports while also managing US pressure to end shipments from Moscow.

Denmark's maritime authority said on Thursday it had detained an Iran-flagged container vessel anchored in the Nordic country's waters on the grounds that it was not properly registered.

The U.S. trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion in December, pushing the full-year 2025 shortfall to $901.5 billion despite months of tariff-driven volatility. Imports rose 3.6% while exports slipped 1.7%, with swings in gold, pharmaceuticals, and computer equipment distorting monthly figures.

Donald Trump’s trade levies aren’t the main reason why China is exporting more to other parts of the world, a European Central Bank study showed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez on Wednesday that Moscow was urging the U.S. not to impose a full naval blockade on the communist-run island and was advocating negotiations instead.

The most extensive sea ice in 15 years around Russia’s key Baltic Sea commodity ports could curb a chunk of the nation’s vast exports program because of a shortage of vessels that can cope with the conditions.