The global shipping industry was rocked by two deadly attacks in the Red Sea, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels launching their first campaign against merchant shipping of the year, sinking two bulk carriers, killing at least four seafarers, wounding others, and kidnapping crew. A new Houthi policy of targeting any company that has called in Israel means approximately one in six ships of the global merchant fleet are now viewed as legitimate targets by the Houthis. The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, confirmed they targeted the Galaxy Leader, a car carrier seized by Houthi forces in late 2023, during a series of coordinated airstrikes on Yemeni ports and infrastructure at the start of the month. X.com A new Russian port security decree that requires Federal Security Service (FSB) clearance for all foreign vessels created some tanker turmoil with a temporary halt on foreign oil tanker loadings at key Black Sea export hubs. The clampdown follows recent port mishaps — including explosions, sabotage incidents, and drone attacks — that have threatened Russia’s oil infrastructure. Officially, authorities cite regulatory violations, but the timing aligns with heightened domestic security measures and escalating Western sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector. Russia’s state-run port operator FSUE Rosmorport has also announced a RUB3.16bn ($39.5m) tender to inspect the underwater sections of vessels at key Baltic Sea ports amid mounting concerns over maritime sabotage. The Louis-Dreyfus family, shareholder of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), sold an 80% stake in the shipowner to Paris-headquartered InfraVia Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum. The Louis-Dreyfus family retains a 20% share, with Edouard Louis-Dreyfus remaining president of the group. P&O Maritime Logistics, a unit of ports and logistics heavyweight DP World, acquired a controlling stake in NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers (NACC), the leading operator of pneumatic cement carriers, in a move that positions the Dubai-based group deeper into infrastructure-driven dry bulk trades. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ordered the owners and operators of the X-Press Pearl container vessel to pay $1bn in compensation for the devastating environmental and economic damage caused when the ship caught fire and sank off Colombo in 2021, leading to what the court described as the largest recorded marine plastic spill in history. Bauxite shipping out of West Africa, a fast-growing source of extra tonne-miles for the cape trades, faces headwinds with news from Guinea where the government is vowing to take greater control of the maritime supply chain. The nation’s minister of mines and geology, Bouna Sylla, has demanded that 50% of all shipments move on ships flying the Guinean flag. With this new rule, the government has also revealed it has set up its own shipping company, Guinéenne des Transports Maritimes (GUITRAM), which will transport bauxite. South Korea’s Hanwha Group placed a landmark order for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier at its US-based Hanwha Philly Shipyard — the first such export-market-viable vessel to be built in the United States in nearly half a century. Delivery is slated for the first half of 2028. While a significant portion of the construction will take place at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje yard in South Korea, Hanwha Philly Shipyard will be responsible for US regulatory compliance and safety certification. The vessel will not qualify under the Jones Act, but Hanwha said it aims to transfer