12 MAR 2025 Maybe dogs who chew sticks are on to something. We don’t necessarily have to chomp with a canine’s zeal, but the basic concept – safely gnawing some hard, durable material – might be worth considering. According to a new study, chewing on a hard substance like wood …
Read More »SANCTIONS ARE TANGLING, NOT STOPPING, CHINA’S IRAN OIL TRADE
11 MAR 2025 Successive rounds of sanctions on companies and tankers said to be aiding Tehran are finally slowing the flow of Iranian oil to China, as costs rise and more traders are compelled to engage in risky efforts to circumvent US measures. In recent weeks, shipments have been disrupted by a …
Read More »TRUMP TRADE WARS, SANCTIONS GRIP ALREADY-TIGHT HEAVY OIL MARKET
10 MAR 2025 US President Donald Trump’s trade wars and sanctions are tightening the market for heavy crude, boosting prices for the sludgy oil and raising costs for the largest American refining center. Heavy Canadian Cold Lake is trading at $4.20 a barrel less than light, sweet West Texas Intermediate …
Read More »INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: FEMALE SCIENCE STARS TO FOLLOW IN 2025
09 MAR 2025 Some of the science communicators taking over social media in 2025. (TikTok/X) Female science communicators are taking social media by storm in 2025. These aren’t your average content creators, and their numbers aren’t average either. This year, out of the top 50 STEM influencers on FeedSpot’s media …
Read More »SANCTIONED SHADOW TANKER STRUCK BY CONTAINERSHIP OFF TURKEY
08 MAR 2025 One of the mysterious tankers operating in the shadow fleet and sanctioned late last year was involved in an incident off Turkey late on Friday, March 7. Turkish authorities have not commented on the allision where the tanker was hit by a Turkish-owned containership, but it was …
Read More »KOREAN BOXSHIP CROSSING NORTH PACIFIC REPORTS LOST AND DAMAGED CONTAINERS
07 MAR 2025 South Korea’s SM Line issued a customer alter on March 5 reporting that one of its vessels has experienced damaged and lost containers in a Pacific storm. The SM Portland (51,314 dwt) has resumed its voyage bound for Vancouver where it will be inspected by Canadian authorities. …
Read More »OFAC SANCTIONS REVEAL HOUTHIS COORDINATED SAFE PASSAGE FOR RUSSIAN AND CHINESE SHIPS THROUGH RED SEA
06 MAR 2025 New sanctions by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) have revealed that Houthi leaders actively coordinated with Russian and Chinese officials to ensure their vessels would not be targeted during the group’s ongoing maritime attacks in the Red Sea. According to Treasury documents, Mohamed …
Read More »UNINHABITED OCEAN SPECK FUELS DEBATE ON SHIPPING’S FALSE FLAGS
05 MAR 2025 The issue of false flags continues to grow and promises to take center stage in an upcoming meeting of the IMO Legal Committee scheduled for the last week of April. Citing the dangers and the required steps, France and the Netherlands submitted proposals which are drawing attention …
Read More »WHITE HOUSE DRAWS UP LIST OF SANCTIONS RELIEF MEASURES FOR RUSSIA
04 MAR 2025 Just as the Biden administration’s tanker sanctions are beginning to affect Russian oil exports, the Trump White House has begun looking at options to lift U.S. restrictions on Russian entities, according to Reuters. The State Department and Treasury Department have been asked to draft a list of …
Read More »FINLAND RELEASES TANKER BUT DETAINS THREE CREW FROM DECEMBER CABLE INCIDENT
03 MAR 2025 Finnish authorities confirmed in a statement on Sunday, March 2, that they have released the product tanker Eagle S that it has been detaining since a December 25 incident with damage to undersea transmission cables. They determined that the seizure could be canceled in part after the cable …
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