Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Marugame Headquarters

The world's largest car carrier making its maiden voyage is generally cause for celebration. But in the case of Chinese car manufacturer BYD and its mammoth new BYD Shenzhen -- a 16,300 dwt, 9200 CEU, LNG Dual-Fuel PCTC that measures 219.9 x 37.7m with a 9.2m draft -- the ship instead represents the flooding of a market with cheap electric vehicles (EVs).The world's largest car-carrying ship - with the equivalent of 20 football fields of vehicles - completed its maiden journey late last month to dock in Brazil's Itajai port.

Van Oord's new offshore wind installation vessel Boreas was officially christened on June 18 in Rotterdam. The event marked a milestone in Van Oord’s commitment to enhancing the energy transition. In addition, Van Oord announced that it had become the first marine contractor to receive approval on science-based targets for its decarbonization approach. The Boreas was christened by Ms. Carola Schouten, the mayor of Rotterdam. Guests and Van Oord employees gathered to celebrate this moment. Once it is operational, the Boreas will be the largest and most sustainable offshore wind installation vessel in the world.

The Front Tyne oil tanker was sailing through the Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday when just past 9:40 a.m. shiptracking data appeared to show the massive vessel in Russia, in fields better known for barley and sugar beets.By 4:15 p.m., the ship's erratic signals indicated it was in southern Iran near the town of Bidkhun, before later placing it back and forth across the Gulf.Mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran has affected nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, according to Windward, a shipping analysis firm.

While global energy markets are not yet pricing in worst-case scenarios for the Israel-Iran war, oil tanker rates are providing a good real-time gauge of the escalating risks.Geopolitical risk has spiked following Israel's surprise bombardment of the Islamic Republic last Friday and Iran's retaliatory ballistic missile strikes, leading to a rally in global energy prices, with Brent crude rising 8% to roughly $75 a barrel.But markets and investors now appear to be in a holding pattern as the conflict unfolds, with possible scenarios spanning everything from an imminent ceasefire and strengthened nuclear deal to a joint U.S.

Former Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi has said that tankers and LNG cargoes should only transit the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian permission and this policy should be carried out from "tomorrow [Wednesday] for a hundred days."It was not immediately clear whether Khandouzi was echoing a plan under theIranian establishment's consideration or sharing his personal opinion.Tehran has long used the threat of blocking the narrow waterway as a means to ward off Western pressure, without acting on its threats. The stakes have risen since Israel launched an air war on Iran last week after concluding the latter was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.