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

A slightly cooler day is expected in London with sunny spells at times. A light north-easterly breeze, 14C.

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

Marcus Hand and Gary Howard reflect on the month of February, with their highlights from the news in maritime and shipping.

In Iran’s starkest threat yet to commercial shipping a senior advisor to the Commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened set fire to vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Several leading P&I clubs have suspended war risk cover for transits through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing exposure beyond what most tanker owners can accept. As a result, energy traffic has nearly halted, with maritime tracking showing virtually no declared tanker movements.

Qatar has halted LNG production at Ras Laffan, one of the world’s largest natural gas production and export terminals.

The conflict between the US Israel and Iran may well put off any real hope of a return to Red Sea container ship traffic for the rest of this year: Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand

Most carriers have for now suspended either all bookings into the Persian Gulf, or in some cases “just” for reefer containers.

Damage to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet base at Bahrain appears to be more significant than initially estimated, according to new satellite imaging analysis by The New York Times’ visual investigations team.

A tanker supplying fuel to the U.S. military was damaged early on Monday morning, March 2, as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes on neighboring countries.

Swiss insurance giant Zurich Insurance is buying British rival Beazley for $10.8bn, having had an earlier £7.7bn bid rebuffed.

Wolfgang Lehmacher tells readers about a hacking group called Diesel Vortex. Diesel Vortex shows how freight fraud is becoming a repeatable service.

The gap between software vulnerability and live cyber attack has shrunk to hours — sometimes minutes — as AI scales phishing, voice cloning, and fraud, making cyber exposure for AI-enabled shipowners immediate and real.

Nasdaq-listed Greek tanker owner Performance Shipping Inc. has signed contracts in China for two suezmaxes, expanding its presence in the crude segment.

Malaysia’s MISC Group has increased its LNG newbuilding programme in China to five vessels after signing for two additional carriers at Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding (group) Co., Ltd.

Two merchant vessels and a fishing boat are assisting the South African Maritime Safety Authority in the ongoing search for crew missing after a tug sank overnight along a stretch of coast known for severe sea conditions.

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