Weight of Freight: VLGC troubles to persist through the rainy season at Panama Canal
Weight of Freight: VLGC troubles to persist through the rainy season at Panama Canal
As draught restrictions ease with the start of a much-awaited rainy season in the Panama Canal, difficulties are likely to persist for very large gas carriers (VLGCs) as other shipping markets move back to the route and escalate competition for transit slots.
Listen to Andres Pacheco, Analyst at the LPG Trading desk for Spain’s Repsol, and Yohanna Pinheiro, LPG Freight Market Reporter, discuss how increased competition to transit the Panama Canal and other market drivers will shape the costs of shipping LPG.
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Key topics covered
- Competitive advantages of the Panama Canal route in US-Asia routes for VLGCs
- Details of the Panama Canal booking system and slot auction price trends
- Effects of eased restrictions at the canal in heightening competition for slots among other markets
- Weather outlook and possible La Nina effects in the markets
- Long term projects to alleviate transits at Panama Canal
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Texas, Louisiana ports closed by winter storm: Update
Texas, Louisiana ports closed by winter storm: Update
Updates status of operations at Port Houston facilities. Houston, 21 January (Argus) — Ports in Texas and Louisiana remained closed to shipping traffic Tuesday afternoon due to a winter storm, a shipping agent said. Marine pilots suspended boardings at the Texas ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City and Freeport late on 20 January. Traffic also was halted at the Sabine-Neches Waterway on the Texas-Louisiana border, which offers access to terminals and refineries in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas, as well as Cheniere's Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas terminal. Pilots also halted traffic at the Louisiana port of Lake Charles late on 20 January. Port Houston facilities, which include eight public terminals on the Houston Ship Channel, will remain closed through Wednesday, according to statement from port officials. Vessel operations may resume at container terminals on Wednesday evening, the statement said. By Tray Swanson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Texas, Louisiana ports close due to winter storm
Texas, Louisiana ports close due to winter storm
Houston, 21 January (Argus) — Ports in Texas and Louisiana remained closed to shipping traffic Tuesday morning due to a winter storm, a shipping agent said. Marine pilots suspended boardings at the Texas ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City and Freeport late on 20 January. Traffic also was halted at the Sabine-Neches Waterway on the Texas-Louisiana border, which offers access to terminals and refineries in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas, as well as Cheniere's Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas terminal. Pilots also halted traffic at the Louisiana port of Lake Charles late on 20 January. A blizzard warning from the US National Weather Service remains in effect until 1pm ET Tuesday for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, including Beaumont, Lake Charles and Cameron, Louisiana. By Tray Swanson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Houthis signal Red Sea attacks pause after Gaza truce
Houthis signal Red Sea attacks pause after Gaza truce
Dubai, 17 January (Argus) — The Yemen-based Houthi militant group said it will monitor implementation of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Gaza-based Hamas, raising the possibility of a reprieve for shipping in the Red Sea, but will remain prepared for military action if the deal is breached. "Our position regarding the situation in Gaza is linked to the position of our brothers in the Palestinian [armed] factions," Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on 16 January. "We will continue to monitor the stages of implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and any Israeli [violation], we will be directly ready to support militarily the Palestinian people." Al-Houthi's remarks suggest a halt in his Iran-backed group's campaign against shipping passing through the mouth of the Red Sea and against Israel directly. But with no clarity if he was referring to attacks on Israel or shipping lanes, shipping firms are likely to remain cautious about returning to the Red Sea. The Houthis began attacking commercial vessels with western and Israeli affiliations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden following an escalation of fighting between Hamas and Israel. Al-Houthi said his group have carried out 1,255 operations, including using ballistic missiles, drones and gunboats, since November 2023. But the risk of an attack in the Red Sea remains despite the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, tanker owner Frontline said today. "We [are] all hopeful with the ceasefire, but… any ceasefire will be vulnerable with risk of [a] crew being caught if it breaks," Frontline chief executive Lars Barstad wrote on X. The possibility of an attack has compelled many ship operators to forego the Suez Canal in favor of longer voyages around the Cape of Good Hope in the last year, adding time and cost to movement of commodities. Transit of liquid and dry cargoes through the Suez Canal totaled 343mn t last year, less than half the 763mn t in 2023, according to data from Kpler. The ceasefire deal was announced late on Wednesday, 15 January, by Qatar and the US, two of the three countries that have been helping to mediate the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Egypt is the third. Israel's security cabinet will meet today to sign off on the deal, and will send it for approval from the full government. By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Узбекистан начал поставлять карбамид в Бразилию
Узбекистан начал поставлять карбамид в Бразилию
Riga, 16 January (Argus) — Компания Uzkimyoimpeks в декабре приступила к контейнерным поставкам карбамида в направлении Бразилии. Первый блок-поезд с 54 сорокафутовыми контейнерами (по 28 т карбамида в каждом) компания отправила 11 декабря с терминала First Dry Port Terminal в Ташкенте. Состав с удобрениями производства компании Maxam-Chirchiq отправлен транзитом через Туркменистан и Азербайджан в направлении грузинского порта Поти. В Поти контейнеры планируется погрузить на морское судно для доставки в бразильский порт Паранагуа. Ожидается, что вся партия карбамида будет доставлена из Узбекистана в Бразилию в течение 60—70 дней. Из Узбекистана в Поти контейнеры планируется доставить за 20 дней, а морская перевозка займет 35—45 дней. До конца текущего года компания планирует вывезти в направлении Бразилии всего 108 контейнеров с карбамидом. Услуги по экспедированию контейнеров до конечного пункта оказывает компания First Dry Port Terminal, которая владеет терминалом для сухих грузов, площадью в размере 22 га в районе железнодорожной станции Сергели в Ташкенте. Станция оборудована восемью подъездными путями общей длиной 5,3 км. С данного терминала вывозится также минеральная продукция в направлении портов Латвии и Эстонии. Uzkimyoimpeks, дочерняя госкомпании Узкимесаноат, оператор экспортно-импортных операций химической продукции предприятий Maxam-Chirchiq, Аммофос-Максам и других производителей Узбекистана. ________________ Больше ценовой информации и аналитических обзоров рынка транспортировки грузов в странах Каспийского региона и Центральной Азии — в отчете Argus Транспорт Каспия . Вы можете присылать комментарии по адресу или запросить дополнительную информацию feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Группа Argus Media . Все права защищены.
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