US forces seized the VLCC Skipper off Venezuela last week as the battle between Washington and Caracas intensified with the Trump administration suggesting other vessels could be hijacked, too. A week later, US president Donald Trump said he is ordering a “a total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned tankers going into and out of Venezuela. The US military build-up in the Caribbean is now the biggest since 1962’s Cuban missile crisis. Insurance rates for ships trading in the Black Sea jumped sharply following a fresh wave of attacks on vessels, ports and offshore infrastructure linked to Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could expand its response if such attacks continue, saying retaliatory measures could extend to ships belonging to countries that support Ukraine. Ukrainian special forces are also thought to have been behind the targeting of a product tanker at anchor thousand of kilometres away off Senegal. Turkish Directorate General for Maritime Affairs China’s state-run shipping COSCO, the world’s largest shipowner, placed a massive order for 87 newbuildings worth more than $7bn with yards under China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), sealing the largest single domestic shipbuilding contract ever awarded in the country. Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Co and Maersk have all been linked to potential interest in acquiring Israeli carrier ZIM. Two very famous shipping brands are set to fade from view. Dubai-based ports and logistics player DP World is drawing its core marine services units under one global identity, retiring the long-standing Unifeeder, P&O Ferrymasters and P&O Maritime Logistics brands. The three businesses will now operate as Shipping Solutions, Multimodal Solutions and Maritime Solutions. TagsSplash Extra December 2025