Global oil at risk—and China feels the pressure first
China faces one of its most serious energy security crises after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as escalating Middle East tensions disrupt a corridor vital to global oil flows
Home » STRAIT OF HORMUZ »
STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Hormuz on hold: Freight markets reprice risk as geopolitics tightens the Strait
Freight markets turned sharply cautious in the week that closed on 27 February 2026, as escalating tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced a reassessment of risk, routing and pricing across global dry bulk trades
Decks and Deals Weekly #33
From February 22 to 28, 2026, the global shipping market absorbed three simultaneous shocks: a US-Israeli strike on Iran closed Hormuz, Panama ejected Hutchison, and container rates logged their seventh straight weekly decline
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
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
Oded Ailam: “Iran won’t surrender its missiles—and that’s why no deal will hold”
Oded Ailam, former head of the Counterterrorism Division at the Mossad and senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, explains why Iran is more resilient—and more dangerous—than the West admits
The Iranian trap: Neither military action nor nuclear negotiations can solve Trump’s (and Israel’s) conundrum
After a failed regime-change strategy and an increasingly risky military buildup, the Trump administration turns back to nuclear negotiations with Iran—yet structural incompatibilities and Israeli opposition render both diplomacy and war perilous options
Tanker War—When history passes again through the Strait of Hormuz
Echoes of the 1980s Tanker War resurface as tensions grip the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, with shipping companies deploying historical lessons to navigate new threats in the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint
When freighters fear the strait: Maritime commerce under fire
As tensions escalate between Israel and Iran, commercial shipping faces unprecedented threats across vital Middle Eastern waterways, forcing global maritime commerce into uncharted territory
What a closure of the Strait of Hormuz would mean for the world
A closure of the Strait of Hormuz would unleash an en-ergy shock, spike inflation, paralyze shipping routes, and fuel global tensions—pushing markets, governments, and central banks into a new era of volatility