Panama Canal sets record for annual tonnage driven
Despite the challenges the Panama Canal has faced due to the drought and effects of El Niño, it completed a strong fiscal year, emphasizing its role in global trade. The canal authority cited a sustained recovery in demand, supported in part by shifts in international trade flows, while also reporting, with a recovery in water levels, it is now restoring the Last-Minute Reservation service to further support shipping.
Speaking with the French news outlet AFP (Agence France-Presse) on Tuesday, officials highlighted a new record for the total volume of cargo moving through the canal. In the FY ending September 30, they report a total of 521 million tons (PC/UMS). That is a 6.5 percent increase versus the previous year and beats the 2022 record of 518 million tons.
Detailing the performance for the year in a presentation, Panama Canal Administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta reported that the Panama Canal handled 13,951 transits in FY2026, up 4.1 percent from 13,404 in FY2025.
Iraqi line resumes shipping
An Iraqi-owned container ship departed the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates presently, October 21, northbound in the Persian Gulf. What makes the departure so notable is that it signals Iraq’s efforts to revive a state-owned shipping line after a more than 50-year hiatus.
The country’s Ministry of Transport had announced at the beginning of the month the plan to restore a national shipping line. It cited the opportunities to increase the flow of goods in the Persian Gulf, along with supporting trade with the country’s neighbors. The report said the new initiative aligns with the strategic objectives to develop the country’s transport infrastructure and enhance its operational capabilities.
While the initial reports had said the service would launch in mid-month, it may have been delayed by the recent escalations by Iran. In a report put out by UK Maritime Trade Operations on October 21, it said it had been informed by a master that a tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile.
Russia says first diesel shipment is ready
Russian officials are indicating the country is ready to begin its promised exports of diesel fuel, with the first tanker ready to sail as early as Thursday. It comes as the political debate continues over the deal between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, while analysts continue to downplay the impact of the Russian supply on the American and global markets.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, said the tanker could depart on Thursday, October 22, according to a report from the Russian news agency TASS. Few details were provided other than that it would consist of 40,000 metric tons (the equivalent of 300,000 barrels according to Bloomberg). The report did not specify the name of the vessel or where it had loaded, possibly for security reasons, nor where it would be headed in the United States.
Novak is quoted as saying the contract signing for the deal between the United States and Russia is “nearing completion,” and that Russia could restore its normal volumes of diesel exports by the end of the year.
Maritime industry will unlock the value of AI?
Every industry has spent the past few years moving Artificial Intelligence into daily operations. Mining, aviation, construction and energy companies are finding ways to put intelligence where the work actually happens. The maritime industry faces the same opportunity, with the additional challenge that its assets operate where the supporting infrastructure for computing power does not exist.
A modern cruise ship generates terabytes of data in a single voyage, and some of that data can be only operationalized live. Thousands of cameras, entertainment and revenue systems, engine and hull sensors, navigation feeds, environmental monitoring. Almost none of it is analyzed. A ship running twelve crossings a day loses data every day. So does a bulker three days from the nearest port.
Australian government seizes historic ship
The Government of New South Wales and preservationists are battling over the fate of a historic little vessel, MV Cape Don, with the local government announcing on October 18 it had seized the vessel for immediate disposal. Local officials are calling their actions “the last resort,” as they contend the vessel’s condition continues to worsen, posing substantial risks to public safety and the environment.
NSW Maritime asserts it has been monitoring the condition of the vessel as it has further deteriorated for the past several years. It highlights that the vessel has been issued two unsafe vessel notices, and they assert they met with the owners, a private foundation, nearly 50 times, raising concerns about the vessel’s condition and the immediate need for repairs to stabilize the vessel.
Ukraine to prosecute captain
Ukraine’s Security Service and Prosecutor General’s Office reported they are proceeding with the case against a Russian captain accused of controlling a ship transporting stolen grain from Crimea. The captain was charged in absentia, with media reports noting it is the first time Ukraine has charged a captain with a war crime for their role in the export of grain.
Several similar cases have been filed, and Ukraine has even seized a few smaller cargo ships on charges of entering the closed ports of occupied Crimea or transporting grain and other materials out of the region. Last month, they reported an investigation into the cargo ship Matros Pozynich (IMO 9573816) and the master, Mykola Telagin, age 54, a Russian citizen, who, it says, was controlling the vessel.
“According to the investigation, the grain export was carried out by the decision of the top political leadership of the aggressor country. Such actions violate the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the theft of property in occupied territories,” said the SBU.