Shipping Industry News

Russia has threatened to deploy its navy to protect merchant tankers linked to its oil trade, marking a sharp escalation in the battle over Western sanctions that is increasingly shifting from financial pressure to physical enforcement at sea. Senior Kremlin security official Nikolai Patrushev warned that if blockades cannot be resolved peacefully, the Russian Navy would “break any blockade,” raising the risk of direct confrontation in contested waterways such as the Baltic and North Atlantic.

Leaders from two Nordic states expressed skepticism over ambitions to seize vessels linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, signaling that proposals among allies to tighten restrictions on the Kremlin’s war economy face limits.

Soybeans are showing fractional to 2 cent weaker trade to kickoff Thursday. Futures failed to hold the early Wednesday strength, as contracts closed fractionally mixed on Wednesday. Open interest rose 6,657 contracts. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is down 4 cents at $10.64 1/2. Soymeal futures were down...

Wheat is posting 5 to 6 cent gains across most contracts on Thursday morning. The wheat complex was in bounce back mode on Wednesday, with gains across all three markets. Chicago SRW futures were up 9 to 10 cents at the close. Open interest was down 3,094 contracts, mostly in...

Corn price action is showing fractional to penny losses so far on Thursday morning. Futures managed to hold onto some strength on Wednesday, as contracts closed fractionally to a penny higher. Preliminary open interest was down 2,381 contracts on Wednesday. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was up ½...

Russia has for the first time conducted three simultaneous LNG ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in Arctic waters, a move highlighting Moscow’s increasingly sophisticated logistics network for exporting gas despite Western sanctions.