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Aerial view of a vessel with a red deck travelling along a wide river, with a bridge and city skyline behind

Maritime Industry

Decks and Deals Weekly #56

During 31 October–6 November 2026, shipping markets paired profits from delays with softer freight, expensive ship purchases and a proposed European storage acquisition

07/11/2026

Conceptual illustration of a tanker-shaped jigsaw puzzle with a large missing piece and a smaller red tanker that cannot fit, symbolising the mismatch between vessel supply and buyer demand

Maritime Industry

Tanker buyers are chasing what owners aren’t selling

03/11/2026

Editorial illustration of a container ship passing through the eye of a giant sewing needle against a textured beige background, symbolising global trade’s dependence on vulnerable maritime chokepoints

Maritime Industry

Seven narrow passages and the price of global dependence

03/11/2026

Aerial view of a geared bulk carrier sailing through deep blue waters beneath a partly cloudy sky

Market

A tale of two markets: when geography dictates freight

02/11/2026

Conceptual illustration of a container port integrated into a circuit board, with a disconnected Ethernet cable symbolizing cybersecurity vulnerabilities and potential operational disruption

Ports can fall without a shot: Dr Sotiris Theofanis on the cyber threat

13/10/2026

Editorial illustration of a distant vessel above a scarred seabed, suggesting deliberate selection among vulnerable submarine cable routes

When the adversary chooses the failure

27/08/2026

Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman and Sharif holding signed copies of the Mecca Pact in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The Mecca Pact meets the Hellenic triangle, and both want Cairo

17/08/2026

Bulk carrier alongside Kavala’s Philippos II commercial terminal, with mobile harbour cranes and cargo-handling equipment on the quayside

Port2Port

A.P. Moller Capital enters Kavala: could Maersk reshape Northern Greece’s port map?

20/10/2026

Conceptual illustration of Piraeus container terminal, where a towering orange gantry crane lifts an empty container frame casting an oversized shadow resembling stacked containers across the quay

Port2Port

Piraeus: higher profits, fewer containers

15/10/2026

Editorial illustration of fragmented railway tracks separated by gaps, with a red freight container waiting before the disconnected network

Supply Chain

Rail corridors: ports do not create corridors, connections do

24/09/2026

Two melting clocks in a sparse desert landscape, one more solid and one dripping black oil, representing contrasting oil strategies and timelines

Two clocks, one cartel: The UAE OPEC exit and the Sunni Gulf’s real fault line

02/05/2026

Aerial view of solar farm in Tengger Desert, Ningxia, China, November 2024

The war for oil in a world that is leaving it behind

06/03/2026

Expansive petrochemical refinery complex in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, featuring tall distillation columns, cranes, dense pipelines, and heavy industrial structures

Global oil at risk—and China feels the pressure first

03/03/2026

Conceptual illustration of a lone headscarf-wearing woman walking along Stockholm’s waterfront beneath an enormous red projection bearing Chinese flag symbols, representing transnational repression of Uyghurs in Nordic countries

World Affairs

China’s long arm is silencing Uyghurs in Europe’s safest democracies

06/11/2026

Minimalist editorial illustration of an oil tanker crossing a blue-grey sea, casting an enormous shadow resembling a bank vault door

Geopolitics

Russia’s shadow fleet enters a new geopolitical phase

22/10/2026

$Conceptual illustration of a fractured chessboard collapsing into a dark abyss, with data centers falling from its edges. A solitary black chess piece remains standing beneath a vast red sun against a muted beige sky, symbolizing financial instability and the geopolitical struggle for control of artificial intelligence infrastructure$

Strategic Technology

AI’s $3.5 trillion trap: who will control the digital future?

21/10/2026

Gadi Taub, wearing round glasses and a light blue shirt, sits thoughtfully before bookshelves, with a podcast microphone in the foreground

Gadi Taub: “Netanyahu will not leave before bringing down the Iranian regime”

24/10/2026

Portrait of Sinan Ülgen, EDAM director and Carnegie Europe senior fellow, discussing Türkiye’s regional strategy and Eastern Mediterranean tensions

Sinan Ülgen: “Greece–Israel partnership is viewed in Ankara as an axis to counter Türkiye”

10/10/2026

Xiaoyu Lu, professor at Peking University’s School of International Studies, pictured outdoors in an academic setting

Xiaoyu Lu: “A China–U.S. clash is entirely avoidable — and the decisive choice lies largely in Washington”

26/09/2026

Portrait of Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute and expert on Iranian politics

From micromanager to collective rule: Ali Alfoneh on Iran after Khamenei

22/08/2026

GeoTrends Analysis

Editorial illustration of a Greek island port, passenger ferry and European maritime routes, with underwater cables and digital surveillance systems symbolising critical infrastructure resilience

Port security and resilience: new European priorities and challenges for Greece

27/10/2026

Europe’s new maritime priorities are redefining port security and resilience. For Greece, the challenge extends beyond major commercial gateways to the infrastructure sustaining island connectivity, economic activity and territorial cohesion

Conceptual illustration of a container ship crossing the ocean, its wake transforming into a flowing ribbon entering a black cube, symbolising AI’s growing control over maritime knowledge

AI and the battle for shipping’s knowledge

16/10/2026

Artificial intelligence promises to transform shipping. But as algorithms absorb decades of maritime expertise, a more consequential battle is emerging over who controls the knowledge that gives companies their competitive edge

Beyond Borders

Editorial illustration of an empty marble pedestal with an embedded spirit level showing imbalance. Warm, Hopper-inspired light casts an elongated, sail-like shadow across a muted blue background, symbolising political legacy and institutional accountability

Greece has enough saviours who will hold its leaders accountable?

Iakovos (Jack) Archontakis 05/11/2026

A container ship crosses a blue ocean, leaving a dark shadow containing global shipping routes and symbols of maritime risks

Lloyd’s leads marine cargo insurance as global shipping risks mount

George S. Skordilis 29/10/2026

Technician working on a large precision-engineered industrial structure, illustrating advanced manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise in aerospace production

Israel can gain commercial freedom by sharing control with Greece

Shay Gal 28/10/2026

Dada-inspired editorial collage featuring oversized AfD lettering alongside USA, Russland, China, Türkei, Ukraine, Realpolitik, and “Im deutschen Interesse”

If the AfD ruled Germany: a foreign policy blueprint

Dimitris B. Peponis 01/10/2026