Maritime Events
Morning Watch — today

The brief · Tuesday, 27 October 2026

Gulf ship attacks hit record month as oil slick nears UAE coastline

  1. 01Safety & incidents

    October becomes worst month for attacks around Hormuz

    gCaptain reports that October has seen more attacks on merchant ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz than any month on record. A tanker was disabled by a projectile in the Strait, and another vessel caught fire off Iraq. A widening oil slick from a damaged tanker is approaching the UAE coast.

  2. 02Markets & finance

    Mercuria sues Baltic Exchange over tanker benchmark

    Mercuria accuses the Baltic Exchange of continuing to publish the benchmark tanker rate despite distortions from the Iran war, allegedly for fear of losing business to a rival. The Exchange says the lawsuit threatens markets. Reports on Brent differ: one puts it down $2 at $114.70, while Rystad says it rose to $117 as freight rates surged.

  3. 03Regulation & policy

    Russian diesel heads to US under sanctions relief

    The Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes left Primorsk on 22 October, reportedly bound for New York with about 40,000 mt of diesel, after the US lifted sanctions on such imports. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has warned banks and port authorities against facilitating these shipments. Russia is reportedly easing export curbs and raising diesel output.

  4. 04Regulation & policy

    US again delays port fees on China-linked ships

    The US Trade Representative has proposed extending the suspension of port fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated ships until 9 January, giving Washington and Beijing more time to negotiate. The fees had been due to resume in about two weeks. The delay postpones higher shipping costs for US metals and coal exporters.

  5. 05Cyprus & East Med

    Cyprus: Eni starts gas project, new patrol vessel deal

    Eni has begun the execution phase of a 3 tcf gas project in Cyprus, targeting first production in the first half of 2028. The defence ministries of Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement for a new offshore patrol vessel. In Busan, Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis argued that global shipping rules should reflect national circumstances.

  6. 06

    Stena agrees to buy Norwegian ferry operator Color Line

    Stena AB, owner of Stena Line, has agreed to acquire Norway's Color Line, subject to regulatory approval. The deal combines two of Europe's largest ferry companies and expands Stena's presence in Scandinavia.

  7. 07Safety & incidents

    Cruise ship damages MSC boxship at Bremerhaven

    TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 3 struck two berthed containerships while leaving Bremerhaven on 25 October, causing heavy damage to MSC Victorine. Authorities have barred all three vessels from departing. Separately, seven crew were rescued after jumping from a listing cargo ship off Lebanon.

Written by Maritime AI at 06:30 Cyprus time from 250 headlines and their outlets’ own summaries. It can get things wrong — read the original articles before you rely on anything here.