Sanctioned Tankers Arrive at Alang, Forcing Indian Scrapyards to Absorb Dark Ships
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Tanker freight explodes as sanctions and route shifts deepen a vessel squeeze
Global crude shipping costs have jumped sharply into 2026 as sanctions, rerouted flows from Venezuela and Russia, and extended voyage distances tighten tanker availability. The squeeze has pushed benchmark freight indicators and VLCC charter fees to multi-year highs, benefiting owners while keeping refiners and supply chains under pressure.

Global rise in abandoned oil tankers leaves crews stranded and regulators exposed
A surge in ships left without support has created a humanitarian and regulatory crisis for seafarers and coastal authorities, driven by opaque ownership, permissive registries and sanctions-distorted trade. At the same time, a freight-market squeeze — longer voyages, repurposed fleets and high charter rates — has intensified incentives to hide, repurpose or abandon older tonnage, worsening crew welfare and environmental risk.
Sanctions on Russian and Iranian Oil Tighten Global Crude Market, Traders Say
Traders and refiners say heightened enforcement and commercial avoidance of Russian and Iranian cargoes have shrunk the pool of readily tradable barrels, pushing demand onto unconstrained grades and lifting benchmark crude. The dislocation is amplified by rising freight and insurance costs as tonnage is repurposed and voyages lengthen, boosting returns for shipowners and traders while raising feedstock costs for refiners.

US forces intercept oil tanker tracked from Caribbean to Indian Ocean
US military personnel boarded the tanker Aquila II after locating and shadowing the vessel from the Caribbean into the Indian Ocean, officials said. The action is part of a broader US campaign that has sharply reduced Venezuela’s oil shipments and included multiple vessel seizures over the past year.

India signals further reduction in Russian crude purchases, reshaping trade and market dynamics
India’s energy minister warned that purchases of Russian oil could keep falling, a signal that New Delhi’s post-sanctions buying patterns may be shifting. The change could tighten global crude flows, squeeze Russian export revenues and force buyers and refiners to adjust supply chains and pricing strategies.

Sinokor’s tanker buying spree tightens global VLCC market
Sinokor’s rapid acquisitions and time‑charters—tied through transactions to an entity linked with Gianluigi Aponte—have concentrated control of about 120 VLCCs , removing a large share of immediately hireable tonnage and helping push benchmark earnings above $120,000/day . That private consolidation is amplifying a wider, geopolitically driven tonne‑mile shock (longer voyages, redirected cargoes and floating storage), extending spot‑rate volatility into 2026 and lifting second‑hand values and newbuilding appetite.
Europe Moves to Cripple Russia’s Covert Shipping Network
European governments have issued coordinated warnings and stepped up scrutiny of vessels and services suspected of ferrying goods to and from Russia in ways that sidestep sanctions. The effort aims to choke the maritime logistics and financial plumbing that sustain those flows, but it faces legal, technical and market limits that will determine whether it sticks.
Greece and Malta stall EU move to bar shipping services tied to Russian oil
Greece and Malta resisted an EU proposal to shift enforcement from a price cap to barring maritime services for certain Russian oil cargoes, exposing fractures in bloc unity. At the same time, a group of European capitals is signalling tougher operational steps — warnings, inspections and potential denial of services to shipowners, insurers and ports — which raises enforcement, legal and market questions that could determine the measure’s ultimate impact.