Good morning, and welcome to my daily Panamax Post column.

London: wet and overcast this morning, with rain moving in from the south-west. It turns dry and mostly bright in the afternoon, winds ease later. Around 9°C.

With much in the news, I wish you good fixtures and safe travels. And now for the news before the headlines.

Insurance rates for ships calling at ports in the Black Sea are surging after a series of Ukrainian attacks on vessels with links to Moscow.

A Portugal-flagged LPG carrier has been attacked by pirates off Equatorial Guinea, with at least nine seafarers reportedly kidnapped Security firm Vanguard said the CGasSaturn was boarded around 50 nautical miles west of Mbini.

Denmark has introduced a state-backed War Risk Insurance Act designed to keep its merchant fleet operational if commercial insurers withdraw cover during a major conflict. It also creates a state-loan facility of US$1bn.

The Houthi in Yemen have released 10 surviving seafarers from the EternityC nearly five months after they attacked and sank the Greek bulker in the Red Sea.

India and Russia expected to sign new agreements as they reinforce a long-standing partnership shaped by energy, trade, geopolitics and India’s growing appetite for discounted Russian oil.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the “very scary” attacks of recent days on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea threatened the safety of all in the region and showed the reach of the war in Ukraine was expanding.

Norway’s Northern Lights project, along with Japanese ship operator “K”​ line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd) marked the delivery of the third commercial liquefied CO2 transport vessel.

Large bulkers specialist Winning International Group Pte Ltd has expanded its push into the very large ore carrier segment, ordering another six 325,000 dwt VLOCs to support its growing West Africa–China bauxite trade.

IKEA Supply has joined the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) partnership programme for advancing digital standards across the container shipping industry.

Glencore faces a $186m lawsuit in Panama over the supply of contaminated fuel in 2018 that caused damage to over 107 vessels.

Gambia’s maritime administration has begun removing tankers flagged through its privately run ship registry, reports maritime AI data analytics.

To fund expansion and infrastructure upgrades, Ireland’s Dublin Port has proposed a massive hike in its port fees starting next year.

Wind-assisted propulsion continues to make advancements into more segments of the shipping industry, with Norsepower reporting it has signed its first contract for newbuild VLCCs and its first newbuilds in Japan.

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