Stay on top of port closures, security incidents, congestion events and freight rate movements impacting global shipping. Updated continuously from verified industry sources.
The Durban Multi-Purpose Terminals (Maydon Wharf MPT and Point MPT) are actively operational as of 30 June 2026, with multiple vessels in port, at anchorage, and a confirmed lineup of ship movements scheduled through early August 2026. Normal port activity is ongoing with a dense vessel schedule indicating high traffic levels at Durban's multipurpose terminals.
The IMO has suspended transits through the Strait of Hormuz following an attack on an Evergreen vessel, after Iran declared on 25 June 2026 that unauthorized transits of the strait were illegal. This critical chokepoint closure poses severe disruption to global shipping routes, particularly for oil tankers and container vessels transiting between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
Exolgan Terminal in Argentina, a PSA and TiL joint venture, plans to nearly double its container handling capacity by 2030. This expansion project is expected to significantly enhance port throughput and improve maritime logistics in the Buenos Aires region.
Ships were reportedly hit in the Strait of Hormuz during the week ending 28 June 2026, indicating potential security-driven disruptions to one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. Vessel rerouting, slowdowns, or heightened risk advisories may affect shipping traffic transiting the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz closure has significantly reshaped global crude oil flows, forcing VLCC operators to adapt routes and operations during Q2 2026. This major disruption affects tanker traffic transiting one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, likely causing widespread rerouting and delays for crude oil shipments.
CMA CGM and Asyad Group are investing $400 million to build a new multi-purpose logistics terminal at the Port of Sohar, Oman. This development is expected to significantly expand Sohar's capacity and strengthen its position as a regional maritime logistics hub.
El Niño is expected to intensify in autumn 2026, posing global-scale disruptions to shipping routes and port operations through extreme weather events such as storms, droughts, and altered wind and current patterns. Intelligence platform Sofar Ocean warns the climate event will compound existing industry challenges across multiple regions worldwide.
Renewed US-Iran tensions involving strikes over the Strait of Hormuz are stoking supply fears for natural gas, though talks are set to resume in Qatar. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for LNG and oil tanker traffic, faces potential disruption risks if diplomatic efforts fail.
Russia has extended its ban on supplying oil and petroleum products subject to the G7/EU price cap mechanism through the end of 2027, maintaining restrictions on trade flows originally enacted in February 2023. This prolongs uncertainty and rerouting pressures for tanker traffic, particularly affecting export terminals such as Primorsk, as Russia continues to redirect crude exports to India, China, and Turkey outside the price cap framework.
Global middle distillate seaborne loadings are rising above seasonal averages as the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopens, freeing up crude and product flows, while resupply regions (Red Sea, USGC, Nigeria) post historically high volumes. However, disruptions remain from damaged Middle East Gulf refineries (Satorp, Sitra, Ruwais limiting ~800-900 kbd), reduced Russian seaborne diesel exports (lowest since 2016), and ongoing rerouting dynamics across the Atlantic Basin and Asia.
Ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions following military exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz continue to pose shipping risks, with uncertainty over Iranian oversight of maritime traffic potentially slowing crude export recovery from the Persian Gulf. While the White House asserts the strait is open to tanker traffic, Iran's pursuit of joint maritime control raises concerns over persistent disruptions to one of the world's most critical oil shipping chokepoints.
Golden Pass LNG in Texas has exported its third commissioning cargo aboard the QatarEnergy-chartered vessel Al Na'amah, which departed on June 25, 2026, bound for Italy, as Train 1 commissioning advances and Train 2 receives FERC approval to begin commissioning. The facility is ramping up LNG exports with all three trains expected to be fully operational by 2028, adding significant new LNG shipping volumes to global maritime trade routes.
Bunker fuel availability is very tight in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) bunkering hub, with lead times of around 7 days recommended for HSFO and VLSFO deliveries and 6 days for LSMGO, as fuel oil and gasoil stocks remain under pressure. Vessel operators calling at ARA ports should anticipate potential bunkering delays and plan fuel procurement well in advance.
LNG tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is recovering, with at least 10 empty LNG vessels transiting westward in a single week — the highest weekly count since the conflict began on February 28 — as Qatari LNG exports are expected to resume in September. Ships are currently navigating cautiously, hugging the Omani side of the strait, while geopolitical disruptions have taken nearly 20% of global LNG production offline, affecting freight rates and shipping routes.
Drewry reports only 24 blank sailings expected over five weeks (weeks 27–31, June 29 – August 2, 2026) across major East–West trades, representing a low 3% cancellation rate, as the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopens. Despite improving operational conditions, freight rates continue to rise, with the World Container Index reaching $4,166 per 40ft container, driven by strong demand and tight vessel availability during peak season.
A Gazprom-owned LNG carrier, Marshal Vasilevskiy, has been spotted transiting the Baltic Sea armed with heavy machine guns and staffed by Russian military-linked personnel, marking an unprecedented militarisation of a commercial vessel. This development heightens security tensions in the Baltic, potentially affecting shipping routes and NATO surveillance operations in the region, particularly around the Kaliningrad corridor between Poland and Lithuania.
MSC's Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) has agreed to acquire a 49% stake in Adani Ports' Vizhinjam transhipment terminal in India for $1.4bn, marking the largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure. The deal includes an expansion programme set to increase the terminal's annual capacity from 1.6m TEU to 5.7m TEU by end of 2028, significantly boosting the port's role as a major transhipment hub.
Global container shipping is experiencing significant tightening in 2026, with nearly 11% of the world's containership fleet waiting outside ports — the highest congestion level since 2022 — driven by the ongoing Red Sea crisis, Strait of Hormuz tensions, and surging teu-mile demand outpacing fleet supply. These disruptions are sustaining elevated freight rates and network instability, with Gulf crisis-related disruptions expected to persist at least into September 2026.
Ship attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have significantly slowed energy shipping traffic, with overall tanker sailings well below pre-conflict levels of 125 daily, though Middle East producers continue oil and LNG loadings amid a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Multiple VLCCs are transiting with transponders switched off ('going dark') to reduce attack risk, indicating ongoing disruption and heightened security concerns across the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
South Carolina Ports will temporarily suspend container operations at the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in Charleston starting August 1, consolidating all activity at the Wando Welch and North Charleston terminals due to weaker cargo volumes and trade uncertainty. No restart date has been announced, marking a significant reduction in the Port of Charleston's active container handling capacity.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is recovering after Iran's attacks on ships disrupted the waterway, with US-Iran technical talks set to resume in Doha to manage de-escalation and reopen the strait. Mines remain a hazard, with France and Oman announcing a joint effort to de-mine the strait to restore safe and unconditional passage.
Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are causing shipping disruptions, with tanker owners wary of transiting, some vessels abandoning crossings, and approximately 80 mines present in the main transit corridor. Traffic continues at reduced levels via two alternative routes, with a US-Iran ceasefire offering some relief, but the Joint Maritime Information Center has raised the regional threat level to 'substantial'.
Maersk has sharply raised its 2026 earnings outlook amid sustained container market strength, driven by prolonged supply chain disruptions including ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz. The carrier continues to restrict bookings to Gulf markets, reroute cargo through alternative hubs, and levy emergency surcharges, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is reportedly picking up again after Iran's recent attacks on vessels.
A Chinese-flagged asphalt tanker, JIN ZHOU WAN (operated by COSCO Shipping Asphalt Hainan), has completed at least two U.S. coastwise voyages under the Trump administration's emergency Jones Act waiver, transporting asphalt between domestic ports including New Jersey to Baltimore and Louisiana to Connecticut. The continued use of the waiver — originally justified by Strait of Hormuz disruptions — is generating significant controversy, with 138 completed waiver voyages recorded since March 2026.