Lloyd's List: The Shipping Podcast

This episode of the Lloyd’s List podcast is brought to you by Veson. Visit www.veson.com for more information

EVERY year, seafarers are held for months on end on suspicion of crimes that ultimately, there is little evidence they had anything to do with.

Whether its pollution events or, as is increasingly common, suspected drug smuggling, crew are often the only potential perpetrators investigators can lay their hands on.

So is there a lot the industry can do to stop this? Once seafarers do land themselves on the wrong side of the law, how can flag states intercede on their behalf?

Joining Joshua on the podcast this week are:

Ben Bailey, director of programme, Mission to Seafarers

Kiran Khosla, principal legal director, International Chamber of Shipping

Eleni Antoniadou, lawyer, Gard

Leo Bolivar, country manager, Marshall Islands Registry

ATTEND any one of the multiple receptions and parties thrown in Athens this week and you would not walk away necessarily thinking anyone in shipping is remotely worried.

A packed exhibition with the whole spectrum of industry stakeholders demonstrated shipping’s diversity and vibrance, but quietly, over coffees in corners, there was tangible concern.

Markets are good at the moment, ask any tanker owner, but the undercurrent of caution was palpable.
On this week’s episode of the podcast are:
• Joshua Minchin, senior reporter, Lloyd’s List
• Linton Nightingale, deputy editor, Lloyd’s List
• Declan Bush, senior reporter, Lloyd’s List

This episode of the Lloyd's List Podcast is brought to you by Veson

SHIPPING is resilient, and many will tell you it thrives on volatility, but the number of and frequency of crises is taking its toll.

It’s also preventing the industry from having honest conversations about other, equally meaningful and perhaps even more treacherous problems coming down the track.

Are we going to run out of seafarers? Do we really understand AI? Do regulators listen to shipowners and how long can we expect what some are calling the next supercycle to last?

Joining Joshua on this week’s podcast from Capital Link are:

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Costas Delaportas, chief executive, Drydel Shipping

Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, chief executive maritime, DNV

Andy McKeran, chief growth officer, Lloyd's Register

Joshua Divin, senior vice president maritime business development, American Bureau of Shipping

Polys Hajioannou, chief executive officer, Safe Bulkers

Sotiris Raptis, secretary general, European Shipowners

Speak to a shipowner about bunker supply at the moment, and you’ll find a spectrum of responses.
Some are remarkably calm: nothing to worry about, supply is healthy despite the still closed Strait of Hormuz. Yes you might have to pay a bit more, but that’s shipping and you can still operate effectively.

Others are decidedly less optimistic. For them, the Strait of Hormuz represents a real threat to bunker supply in major hubs around the world, and spiraling pricing could make some voyages unprofitable altogether.

So what’s the reality? Should you be worried about supply? Is quality suffering as a result of scarcity? And how has this latest geopolitical crisis affected how bunkering works as a sector?

Joining Joshua on the podcast are:
• Alexander Prokopakis, executive director, International Bunker Industry Association
• Kenneth Dam, executive director, TFG
• Peter Grünwaldt, head of bunkering, Hafnia
• Matthew Rajendra, senior reporter, Lloyd's List

Learn more about Lloyd’s List Intelligence here: https://www.lloydslistintelligence.com/

You can throw almost every outlook or prediction made for the tanker market in 2026 in the garbage, says Lloyd’s List senior reporter Greg Miller.

After all, the US-Iran war and ensuing Strait of Hormuz crisis is perhaps the black swan to end all black swans for the market.

More than two months later, the chokepoint remains closed: so what happens to tanker stocks now?

To find out, Greg spoke to Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Robertson, who ran through the year so far for tanker stocks and offered some insight as to what might be in store if the crisis continues into late 2026.