Tag - shipping

 
 

SHIPPING

Tourists on the beach in Mirissa, Sri Lanka in 2022. Some hotels in South Asia have seen a sharp drop in occupancy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 21, 2026
The forces of scarcity hitting Asia may soon spread across the world
Many countries across the region are experiencing sudden jolts of disruption that they are struggling to manage.
Attendees at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, take pictures of various service robots on display.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 21, 2026
China flashes new tech swagger to world markets convulsed by war
The world’s factory floor is increasingly getting retrofitted for a new era of artificial intelligence and robotics, churning out technological innovation the world craves.
Iranians ride past a large billboard depicting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on a street in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 21, 2026
Gulf worries U.S.-Iran talks may cement Tehran’s ‘golden’ grip on Hormuz
Diplomacy appears now centered less on rolling back Iran’s missile program and more on enrichment levels and tacitly accepting Tehran’s leverage over Hormuz.
China may be pushed into an uncomfortable reactive stance by the Iran war, but over time it retains a steadier position to outmaneuver Washington.
COMMENTARY / World / Perspectives
Apr 20, 2026
Is Xi feeling stronger than Trump?
In the U.S.-China great power competition, the American president’s handling of the Iran war may have given a strategic edge to Beijing.
Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 19, 2026
Hormuz at standstill, denting U.S.-Iran peace deal hopes
The standoff threatens to deepen the energy crisis and undermine expectations of a peace deal touted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the Liberal Democratic Party's annual convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2026
Japan pledges ‘all possible measures’ for Hormuz safety
Momentum for a lasting peace has been building, with Tehran saying Friday that Hormuz is open for commercial shipping after Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Dream City Church in Phoenix on Friday.
WORLD
Apr 18, 2026
Defiant message from Iran as vessels attempting to cross Hormuz report gunfire
At least two merchant vessels reported they were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron leave a news conference after the multinational virtual summit at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
European leaders offer military help to secure Strait of Hormuz
Trump said the waterway is “open and ready for business,” though a U.S. naval blockade would remain in place until a broader agreement is reached.
A vessel is seen in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2026
Iran proposes allowing ships to exit Oman side of Hormuz free of attack, source says
The proposal hinges on whether Washington is prepared to meet ​Tehran’s demands, the ​source added.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet taxis the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 2.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2026
U.S. allies are steering clear of naval mission in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump insists U.S. allies are ready to help him in the Strait of Hormuz. They’re not even close.
An explosion during an Israeli strike in Beirut on March 31
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2026
IMF cuts growth outlook and warns world drifting toward ‘adverse scenario’
Under the IMF’s worst-case outlook, the global economy teeters on the brink of recession, with oil prices averaging $110 a barrel ​in 2026 and $125 in 2027.
A ship is seen in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Sharjah, UAE, the day after the failure of U.S.-Iran peace talks on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2026
U.S. and Iran may resume talks this week despite port blockade
While the U.S. blockade drew angry rhetoric from Tehran, signs that diplomatic engagement might continue helped calm oil markets.
Visitors look at a display of semiconductor devices at the SuperSiC booth during SEMICON China, a trade fair for semiconductor technology, in Shanghai on March 25.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2026
China’s export engine stutters as Iran war chills global demand
The effects of the conflict in the Middle East have exposed the risks in Beijing’s strategy of leaning on manufacturing to sustain growth.
A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday. The fate of some 40 Japan-linked ships stranded in the Persian Gulf remains uncertain, with a blockade of the strait having been in place since Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2026
Fate of Japan-linked ships in Persian Gulf remains uncertain
“We don’t know again how the situation will develop,” a Japanese government official said regarding Japanese ships leaving the Persian Gulf.
A vessel is seen at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 14, 2026
What does a U.S. naval blockade of Iran mean for oil flows?
Oil tankers were steering clear of the strait on Monday.
The Yehliu headland in northern Taiwan has long served as both a fishing ground and a strategically defended area, with natural rock formations and coastal cliffs historically used to monitor maritime routes approaching Taipei.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2026
Taiwan plans drills to break potential Chinese energy blockade
A blockage would not be just Taiwan’s problem but that of the entire region, the island’s deputy interior minister says.
A map showing the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command claimed that two of its warships transited the Strait of Hormuz to begin clearing Iranian-laid mines — a claim Tehran has denied.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 12, 2026
U.S. says warships transit Strait of Hormuz in mine clearance op
Trump called the operation “a favor” to countries such as China, Japan and France that “don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”
Iran cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the Strait of Hormuz and lacks the capability to remove them, the U.S. says, one reason Tehran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the waterway.
WORLD
Apr 11, 2026
Iran unable to find mines in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. says
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One on his way to Virginia, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 11, 2026
U.S. asks allies for quick plans to secure Hormuz after pact
A U.K.-led coalition of more than 40 countries, which includes many European nations, Japan and Canada, has pledged to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
An oil refinery in the Keihin industrial area in Yokohama. Japanese refiners are opting for smaller ships that can transit the Panama Canal to get U.S. oil faster.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2026
Japan taps smaller ships to get U.S. oil faster on supply concerns
Three midsize tankers are scheduled to deliver U.S. oil to Japan from late April through May.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival