With much in the news, I wish you good fixtures and safe travels. And now for the news before the headlines.
 
Concern is growing among families of seafarers held aboard vessels seized by Somali pirates, amid reports the hijackers are escalating ransom demands for two laden product tankers.

Europe may have reduced its reliance on Russian gas, but a new Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) analysis warns it has simply replaced one foreign energy dependency with another.

BALTIC EXCHANGE LIMITED(THE) dry index rose 4.1% to 3,189.

Babcock International Group faces a £140m rework bill after the first two Royal Navy Type 31 frigates were built out of sequence, delaying progress on a programme central to the future fleet.
 
As President Trump arrives in Beijing for talks on Tehran, trade tariffs and Taiwan, China’s reliance on Iranian oil imports is set to become a key undercurrent in negotiations.

CMA CGM will invest $820m to modernise and expand two terminals at the Port of Mombasa under a cooperation framework with the Kenyan government.

DSV – Global Transport and Logistics’s new targets lean on organic growth and technology gains, with Jens Lund making clear another mega-deal is not required to deliver them: Shippign Watch

2020 Bulkers is exploring new opportunities after completing the sale of its entire fleet, securing around $4m.

TORM is riding record tanker rates above $70,000/day, but its chief warns a prolonged conflict would not serve the market’s long-term: Shipping Watch

Kuwait has accused four detained Iranians of an IRGC-linked maritime infiltration plot near Bubiyan Island.
 
The Iran US ceasefire appears increasingly fragile as negotiations stall, Trump warns the deal is “on life support,” and reports emerge of covert Gulf involvement in attacks against Iran.

Hapag-Lloyd AG swung to a first-quarter loss as weaker results hit carriers, with management calling the performance “unsatisfactory” while keeping full-year guidance intact.
 
UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary crews are staging fresh 24-hour pay strikes, with the RMT warning that weak settlements and poor transparency are deepening retention problems across the service.

Ocean Network Express will revise its Irish Sea Express service later this month, replacing Rotterdam with Southampton on the Dublin and Cork loop as carriers continue adjusting intra Europe networks to improve schedule reliability and regional coverage.
 
UK freight forwarders welcome signs of a renewed EU reset, but will be watching closely for substance ahead of this summer’s UK-EU summit and the TCA review.

Cape Shipping is returning to the dry bulk newbuilding market for the first time in more than 15 years after placing an order for two newcastlemax bulk carriers at China’s Dajin Heavy Industry Co.,Ltd.

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