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A weathered red wooden boat beached on a rocky shoreline, bound by fraying ropes, with a stormy sky and turquoise sea behind it

Decks and Deals Weekly #35

Between 8 and 14 March 2026, the tanker market set confirmed all-time rate records, Greek-owned ships took direct hits in two separate war zones, and the IEA launched its largest-ever emergency oil release

Illustrated hourglass with miniature shipping containers falling instead of sand over a vintage world map showing global maritime routes

Hormuz shock and the shipping gamble

The duration of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz will determine whether shipping markets see a temporary freight-rate boom or face the early signal of a broader global economic slowdown

World map showing major maritime trade routes between Shanghai, Rotterdam, and New York, including Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope alternatives with distances and transit times

Middle East conflict disrupts global shipping

Developments in the Middle East test global maritime trade routes, as rising geopolitical tension increases costs, alters shipping patterns, and places critical energy corridors under renewed pressure without any formal blockad

A miniature sailing ship inside a glass bottle, reflected on a dark surface, photographed in vintage black-and-white style

Decks and Deals Weekly #32

During the week of 15–21 February 2026, global shipping was reshaped by Hapag-Lloyd’s $4.2bn ZIM bid, Hormuz tensions, surging tanker rates, container overcapacity, Ukrainian port strikes, and bold Greek newbuilding orders

Aerial view of the Port of Piraeus at dusk, showing container terminals, cranes, shipping activity and the surrounding urban coastline

Shadows of espionage over Chinese investments in Greece

Rising security scrutiny around Chinese-linked investments is reshaping Greece’s port and shipping landscape, as an espionage case injects geopolitical risk into markets already navigating shifting EU and transatlantic investment priorities

A large container ship transits a narrow maritime chokepoint between rocky coastlines, viewed from above under dark, overcast conditions

Shipping in the age of geopolitical risk

When the map becomes the business model, shipping stops pricing distance and fuel and starts pricing access, leverage, and geopolitical exposure, as routes evolve from neutral corridors into strategic assets shaping costs, risk, and reliability