October 18 saw International Maritime Organization member states vote for a one-year delay in the Net-Zero Framework (NZF), throwing shipping’s path towards decarbonisation into considerable doubt. The campaign to down the NZF was led by the US and Saudi Arabia. 57 states backed the delay, 49 opposed it, and 21 countries decided to abstain. The entrenched split in countries’ positions suggests there is potential for greater regional fragmentation of shipping emissions regulations, adding to complexity and uncertainty for the shipping industry – and maybe a saving grace for conventional ship engines. IMO On October 14, China and the US levied tit-for-tat port fees against ships linked to each country. The trade spat has seen big shipowners Seaspan and Pacific Basin shift headquarters from Hong Kong to Singapore to avoid shelling out millions to the US Treasury. The controversial port fees are likely to be discussed this week when Xi Jinping and Donald Trump meet at a summit in South Korea. China and India — which together buy three-quarters of Russia’s seaborne crude — paused purchases following Donald Trump’s new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil last week. The measures, his first since returning to office, effectively place nearly all Russian oil exporters under US sanctions. Prices and tanker freight rates have surged, with analysts warning of major disruptions to Russian crude output. OPEC signalled readiness to boost supply if shortages arise. The EU and UK have rolled out parallel sanctions, further tightening restrictions on Russia’s energy trade and heightening volatility across global oil and shipping markets. A tentative ceasefire between Israel and Hamas reached at the start of the month may not just reverberate across Gaza — it could upend the maritime battleground in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have turned merchant shipping into target practice. The Houthis have long justified their strikes on commercial vessels as solidarity with Palestinians — over 100 attacks since late 2023. Ship operators and insurers will now be watching carefully to see if the militant group scales back operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as previous conditional pauses were tied to earlier Gaza ceasefires. There have been no Houthi attacks on ships so far this month. US Navy Doha pulled the plug on navigation with the Qatari Ministry of Transport on October 4, ordering all vessels to halt navigation in its waters, citing a “technical fault in the GPS” that’s disrupted routes. The ban – which lasted for three days – comes amid a regional spike in GPS jamming episodes. TagsSplash Extra October 2025