For your reference, please see below the highlights of this week’s report:
Europe & Mediterranean:
Russian drones hit foreign-flagged merchant vessels in Ukraine’s Black Sea export corridor. Drone attacks strike three Russia-linked shadow-fleet tankers off Turkey. Ukraine strikes St. Petersburg oil terminal and Kronstadt naval base.France intercepts Russia-linked shadow-fleet tanker west of Brittany. European Union weighs holding Russian oil price cap as 21st package takes shape. Russian western-port crude exports rise as drone strikes curb refinery output. European Union warns jet-fuel market may tighten if Hormuz disruption persists. Shipping leaders in Athens demand clear rules for any Hormuz restart. North Atlantic Treaty Organization prepares scaled-back Baltic drills amid wider naval strain. Russian missile and drone assault sustains Ukraine infrastructure and logistics risk. Russian drone hits apartment block in Romania, raising NATO spillover concerns. Ukraine’s railway seeks major freight tariff hike after attacks on export corridors.
Middle East & Indian Ocean Region:
Gulf hostilities flare as Kuwait, Bahrain and Hormuz approaches face renewed pressure. Container vessel struck by projectiles at Umm Qasr, widening direct commercial-shipping exposure. Seafarer evacuation remains unsafe as thousands stay trapped inside the Gulf. Joint Maritime Information Center keeps Hormuz at critical risk amid sparse traffic and navigation hazards. Ship operators call for clear passage rules before Hormuz business can normalize. Limited tanker and liquefied natural gas movements show controlled passage rather than recovery. United Arab Emirates crude tender reflects export continuity under high-risk Hormuz conditions. United States sanctions on Iran’s strait authority deepen passage-fee and compliance uncertainty. Somali piracy remains severe as three merchant vessels stay held. Hormuz disruption drives niche Saudi Red Sea workaround for Gulf importers. Hormuz disruption continues to reshape energy flows, tanker rates and shipping economics.
West Africa:
Abidjan inner anchorage robbery reinforces port-approach security risk. Tema, Abidjan and Lomé queues keep West Africa port-delay risk elevated. Dangote jet-fuel surplus strengthens Nigeria’s refined-products export role. Senegal political split raises IMF-track and financing uncertainty. Sahel jihadist rivalry sharpens inland-corridor spillover risk.Ivory Coast slows cocoa sales as El Niño risk complicates export outlook. Mali landmine strike reinforces inland-corridor risk west of Bamako. Indian Oil tender supports West African crude demand amid Middle East disruption.
North Africa:
Egypt studies Suez Canal Economic Zone logistics hub to strengthen redistribution role. Sudan killings in North Kordofan underline inland corridor and aid-movement fragility. Algeria advances southern rail and hydrocarbons agenda to deepen export connectivity. Morocco maritime sector flags higher cost pressure from global trade disruption. European Union scrutiny rises as Chinese industrial investment expands in Morocco. Tanger Med seizure reinforces port-screening pressure at Morocco’s main gateway.
Libya:
Zawia escalation raises renewed coastal-security and refinery-risk concerns. Fuel-distribution crisis exposes smuggling and logistics-control weaknesses. Central Bank foreign-currency programme aims to ease import-financing pressure. Libya–Crete migration flow sustains Central Mediterranean response pressure. Libya-bound cocaine seizure highlights trans-Saharan trafficking exposure. United Nations warning on misinformation adds political and security-pressure signal. National Oil Corporation records decade-high monthly revenue.
Asia:
Chinese carrier drills and Scarborough patrols raise South China Sea encounter risk. Taiwan-adjacent activity keeps cross-strait and first-island-chain sensitivity elevated. Selected Hormuz exits to India and China underline Asian energy-supply fragility. Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan deepen defense alignment around contested waters. United States–China safety talks and Japan–South Korea logistics dialogue signal mixed stabilization. No Asia piracy or armed-robbery incidents reported, but Singapore Strait watch remains necessary. India maritime financing and port reforms support longer-term capacity resilience. China Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan after Japan–Philippines maritime-boundary talks. Philippines says China threat persists despite improved United States–China tone. Solomon Islands reviews China security pact and seeks strategic reset with Australia. North Korea remains unwilling to re-engage, sustaining Northeast Asia alert sensitivity.
Latin America:
31 May 2026 – Peru | Runoff remains tight as mining-policy uncertainty weighs on investment. 01 Jun 2026 – Colombia | Presidential election heads to polarized June runoff. 02 Jun 2026 – Brazil | AD Ports enters Brazil with major agri-bulk terminal acquisition. 02 Jun 2026 – Colombia | Ecopetrol labor strike adds refinery and energy-supply sensitivity.
