Confusion reigns supreme towards the end of the fourth week of the Hormuz shipping crisis, with president Donald Trump yesterday stating one line only to be contradicted repeatedly by Tehran. Vessel traffic movement in and out of the Strait of Hormuz remains minimal and bunker availability around the world is a growing concern. Ukraine went hard after Russia’s oil fortunes in recent days. Beginning on March 23 with a drone attack on the Baltic port of Primorsk, the attacks continued two days later with strikes on another key oil export terminal at Ust-Luga before targeting one of Russia’s largest refineries in the Kirishi district on March 26. A Reuters analysis on March 25, before the latest attack, estimated 40 percent of Russia’s export capacity had been halted, describing it as “the most severe oil supply disruption in the modern history of Russia.” A laden Russian-linked suezmax was also targeted in the Black Sea off Istanbul. Having cornered the VLCC markets with the financial aid of Giuanluigi Aponte’s Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), Ga-Hyun Chung-led Sinokor is now turning its attention to the suexmax segment. Greek broker Xclusiv is reporting Sinokor has shelled out around $82m per unit for the three 10-year-old Korean-built suezmaxes, the first in what brokers believe will be an avalanche of suezmax purchases by the aggressive Korean player. German shipowners are calling for the creation of a civilian “sea service” to strengthen the country’s ability to keep trade moving in times of crisis. The proposal, put forward by the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR), would allow young people to complete part of a future military service requirement at sea, building up a pool of trained personnel who could be called on to crew merchant vessels in emergencies. VDR managing director Martin Kröge said the initiative should be seen as a contribution to national resilience rather than a military measure. “Because a resilient nation needs not only soldiers, but also seafarers who ensure its supplies,” he said. Many nations around the world are looking to either enter or resuscitate the shipyard sector, something South Korea’s largest shipbuilder is eyeing as a separate business avenue – selling not ships, but the knowledge of how to build them. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the holding company of HD Hyundai, will add “development and supply of digital engineering and manufacturing platforms” to its business purposes, marking a formal pivot toward exporting its accumulated shipbuilding expertise as a packaged commercial product. With shipping in the mainstream media at levels rarely seen, the industry is not getting its message across, as this week’s Splash Wrap podcast highlights. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); });