Maritime Events
Morning Watch — today

The brief · Wednesday, 28 October 2026

Houthis claim Ras Tanura strike as Iran threatens Sinokor tankers in Hormuz

  1. 01Safety & incidents

    Houthis claim missile strike on Saudi Ras Tanura refinery

    Yemen's Houthis said they hit Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia's largest refinery and a major loading terminal, with a ballistic missile, and claimed fighting near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Oil traded both ways on Tuesday: Brent rose early to about $116 a barrel, then eased as attention shifted to Middle East peace talks.

  2. 02Safety & incidents

    Iran's Hormuz authority targets Sinokor fleet from 1 November

    Iran's self-declared Persian Gulf Strait Authority says it will take 'legal action' against Sinokor tankers from 1 November. It accuses the owner, the world's largest tanker owner, of the most breaches of its transit rules. Hormuz saw six VLCC transits on 25 October, the most since 17 October. A Sparta analyst says flows match or exceed pre-war levels.

  3. 03Cyprus & East Med

    Eni awards Cronos contracts as East Med maritime dispute widens

    Eni has signed the main engineering, procurement, construction and drilling contracts for its Cronos gas development offshore Cyprus. Separately, Arab states have backed Greece against the Turkey-Libya maritime accord. Turkey's energy minister said new acquisition or exploration deals could come by year end, as part of a target of 1 million barrels of oil and gas a day.

  4. 04Fuel & energy

    Japanese group plans ammonia supply chain and four car carriers

    Seven Japanese firms, including Imabari Shipbuilding, K Line, NYK and JERA, will develop an ammonia fuel supply chain in the Chubu region. They will also build and operate four ammonia-fuelled car carriers. Seatrade reports the aim is a world-first commercial ammonia bunkering chain by 2030.

  5. 05Regulation & policy

    US proposes two-month extension of China port fee freeze

    Washington plans to extend the suspension of port fees on Chinese ships from 9 November 2026 to 9 January 2027. The 100% duty on Chinese cranes is now tied to the US-China truce and is renewed two months at a time.

  6. 06Markets & finance

    Dry bulk softens as iron ore sinks; box rates mixed

    The Baltic Dry Index fell for a third session to 2,603, its lowest since 20 October. Iron ore futures hit four-year lows on ample supply and weaker demand. Container benchmarks were mixed: global indices rose while Chinese indices weakened. Typhoon Champi and Asian port congestion are giving rates only temporary support.

  7. 07Markets & finance

    IUMI: marine premiums up 5.5% but market stays soft

    Global marine insurance premiums rose 5.5% to $42.6 billion in 2025, according to IUMI's annual Stats Report. Competition, excess capacity and currency swings kept conditions soft across all main business lines.

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.