A feeder and short sea shipping operator has been launched in Saudi Arabia, headed by former Hamburg Sud boss, Poul Hestbaek.

A partnership between DP World and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) will identify opportunities to deploy solar power at DP World sites.

The ABS Middle East Committee meeting brought shipping leaders together to discuss regulatory changes, market based measures, energy efficiency technologies and the key role of people in the energy transition.

Yet another attack on commercial vessels in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden region, this time on the US flagged chemical tanker Torm Thor, again emphasises the difficulty in protecting trading routes from missile and drone attacks.

A Houthi missile found its target some 70 nm south of Aden causing minor damage and a minor injury to a crew member, according to reports from US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The idle container ship fleet has contracted again as the crises in the Red Sea and Panama Canal suck capacity into service diversions and distort the market, as newbuildings arrive to alleviate tonnage crunch.

SeaLead and Blue Water Line are rolling out a new service connecting Indian ports with Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman.

Shipping associations have welcomed the European Union’s operation Aspides, a defensive maritime security operation to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder, but few observers would describe the widening chasm that has opened between western and some Middle Eastern interests in the Red Sea as objectively attractive.

Heavy lift outfit Jumbo Offshore will be represented by Sea Horizon offshore in the Middle East under a new agreement between the companies.