China was the world’s largest shipbuilding nation in 2023 across all three measures of output, new shipbuilding contracts and orders-on-hand. It was also achieved double-digit growth across all three in 2023.

A bulker owned by US-listed Eagle Bulk Shipping has been struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile according to US Central Command (US Centcom).

The US and UK have launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen to disrupt and degrade the capabilities of rebels to attack shipping in the Red Sea and protect global trade.

An apparently indiscriminate attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea was carried out on January 9 and thwarted by US and UK naval assets.

War in Gaza has so far led to attacks on merchant vessels transiting the Red Sea, but some experts are also concerned about the spread of vessel attacks to Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea region.

Lemissoler Navigation and Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) received ABS approval in principle (AiP) for their design of a 65,000 dwt methanol-fueled ultramax bulk carrier.

Houthi rebel leader Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi has ordered his forces not to fire on vessels transiting the Red Sea which declare they have no connection to Israel.

As more and more ships divert from the Red Sea over the threat from Houthi rebels opinion writer Michael Grey warns the situation should not be allowed to drift on.