As a US carrier strike group made its way to the Gulf, a familiar foe to commercial shipping reared its head for the first time in months.  A video titled ‘Soon’ published at the start of the week by the Houthis suggests the Iranian-backed Yemeni military group is gearing up to target vessels once again. The situation between US and Iran remains very tense as we head into the weekend.

Japan unveiled an all‑Japan shipping initiative designed to lock in work for its shipyards and tighten cooperation along the domestic maritime value chain, as competition from Chinese and South Korean builders intensifies. ORIX’s vessel trading arm SOMEC has signed a capital and business alliance with three of Japan’s most influential owner‑builder groups – Shoei Kisen (Imabari group), Kambara Kisen (Tsuneishi group) and Onomichi Dockyard – to form a new joint venture shipowner, Sakura Ocean Corporation.

Panama’s Supreme Court has thrown CK Hutchison’s flagship Panama Ports Company (PPC) concession into limbo, ruling the Hong Kong group’s contract to operate terminals at either end of the Panama Canal unconstitutional.

In big tech news, Signal Ocean made a move to tighten its grip on shipping data and software, announcing the acquisition of French-based SaaS specialist AXSMarine. “Signal acquiring AXSMarine looks to be about moving closer to daily workflow, not just deeper analytics. The companies that win in this space won’t be the ones with the cleanest dashboards, but the ones embedded where chartering, fixing and positioning decisions happen in real time,” commented Raal Harris, co-host of UnDocked, a maritime transformation podcast.

Across many ship sectors, the size envelope has been pushed in recent years. For the third time in less than a year, Chinese shipbuilders have broken car carrier size records, with the latest delivery smashing through the 10,000 car equivalent unit (ceu) threshold for the first time.  Built by Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, HMM’s new carrier can carry 10,800 vehicles, up significantly on last year’s record-breaking 9,500 ceu Anji Ansheng delivery.

Captain John Lloyd, chief executive of the Nautical Institute, was this week’s big Maritime CEO interview. He discussed how new technology, fresh regulation and alternative fuels are reshaping shipping, but the real test is whether the people at the sharp end are being properly supported.

As ever, Splash has been spoilt this week with many great Contributions. Pick of the bunch was Kuba Szymanski, secretary general of InterManager, who weighed in on the latest appalling data surrounding crew abandonment. 

This month, Beijing reported its steepest birth rate decline since the Communist Party took power in 1949. The week’s Splash Wrap podcast, carried below, investigates what a dwindling population means for global shipping.