Indonesia gets first Russian oil shipment
Indonesia imported Russian crude oil for the first time since a deal struck between the two nations in April, a sign of how Moscow has taken advantage of the Iran conflict to grow its customers.
Just under 770,000 barrels was delivered to Indonesia’s Balikpapan port on June 29, valued at about $75 million, according to customs data compiled by Big Trade Data. The port of loading listed was Kozmino in Russia, and the oil was carried on the tanker Sierra.
Appeals court upholds FMC’s authority
A federal appeals court has upheld a landmark Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) decision finding that ocean carriers cannot impose detention charges that do not serve their intended purpose of promoting the efficient movement of cargo through the supply chain.
In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected all of Evergreen Shipping Agency (America) Corp.’s challenges to an FMC order that found the carrier’s detention fees were unreasonable after a trucking company was unable to return equipment during a three-day closure of the Port of Savannah.
Russia bans diesel exports
Russia introduced a ban on diesel exports on Wednesday as part of a raft of measures to support the domestic fuel market after systematic Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries triggered gasoline shortages and price spikes.
Drivers in many regions are facing hours-long lines to refuel, as intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure squeeze supplies of diesel and gasoline.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told a televised government meeting, chaired by President Vladimir Putin, that the fuel situation remained complex and that “it is clear that the current situation at filling stations is causing concern among the public.”
Asian shipbuilding dominance could thwart lng expansion
The biggest expansion of global LNG supply on record, led by the United States and Qatar, could be slowed as most of the ships needed to transport the fuel are being built in South Korea and China, a Wood Mackenzie report said on Wednesday.
“The LNG industry talks constantly about energy security, diversification and resilience,” Ikram Elloumi, director of research at Wood Mackenzie, said in the report. “Yet one of its most critical dependencies – the ability to physically move gas – rests on a supply chain it does not control and cannot quickly replicate.”
Two more tankers struck
Two tankers were reportedly struck from the air on Tuesday morning, July 7, as they were navigating along the Omani coast to exit the Strait of Hormuz. It followed an earlier attack on a Qatari LNG carrier and reports on Iranian TV asserting that the vessels had been warned that they must use Iran’s shipping channel.
The Saudi-owned tanker Wedyan is being identified as one of the targets. The 319,990 dwt tanker was reportedly laden and outbound near the coast of Oman, 16 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan, UAE UK Maritime Trade Operations was advised that the vessel was believed to have sustained structural damage, but it was reported to be continuing its voyage.
UKMTO later reported another incident, very similar to the Wedyan report, and declined to name the vessel. In the third report, it said a tanker was approximately 6 nautical miles off the peninsula when it was struck by a drone and sustained minor structural damage. It was reported to be continuing to its next port.
U.S. container imports
U.S. container imports are on track to reach an all-time monthly record in July as retailers accelerate shipments ahead of potential new tariffs expected to take effect in August, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
The report forecasts U.S. ports will handle 2.47 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in July, surpassing the previous record of 2.4 million TEU set in May 2022 during the post-pandemic import surge. The anticipated volume represents a 3.3 percent increase from July 2025.
The surge reflects continued frontloading by importers seeking to avoid higher costs tied to expected changes in U.S. trade policy, according to the report.
UK, Netherlands launch £2.4 bn amphibious ship partnership
The UK and the Netherlands have agreed to jointly develop a new class of amphibious transport ships in a £2.4 billion program that will see the vessels built in British shipyards using a Dutch design, deepening defense cooperation between the two NATO allies.
The agreement, signed Tuesday by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten during a NATO leaders’ meeting in Ankara, outlines plans for each country to operate four next-generation amphibious transport ships.
The 160-meter, 15,000-ton vessels will be designed to carry troops, vehicles and equipment while supporting current and future generations of drones and autonomous systems.
IMO calls for release of 3 ships hijacked by Somali pirates
The IMO is growing increasingly concerned over the fate of dozens of seafarers who are currently being held for ransom by Somali pirates – including crewmembers who are suffering significant health setbacks.
The IMO’s regional piracy initiative – formally known as the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA) – has received word from the master of the hijacked tanker Honour 25 (IMO 9109735), which was boarded and seized on April 24. All of the 17 crewmembers on board are still alive, the master reports, but conditions are difficult. Five (including the master) have health problems, and the crew are surviving on rice. They are out of safe drinking water, posing further risks to their health. Worse still, the local pirate rivalries on the Somali coast pose a new and unexpected risk to their well-being: a competing pirate action group attempted to approach the already-captured vessel, prompting the pirates aboard Honour 25 to open fire to drive them off – and potentially putting the crew at risk of violence.