Energy shipping has topped the agenda this week with oil and gas supply driving the political debate and China's rapacious appetite for coal opening fresh challenges for owners.
But the story that has turned most heads has been news that drinks' behemoth Coca-Cola has turned to bulk carriers to move products in the face of the container shipping crunch.
The box boom really is turning into the real thing.
Here's what I've been reading this week:
1. MSea and Scorpio Tankers team up to buy Marinvest's methanol tanker fleet
A new name has entered the tanker market, and it is carving out a low-carbon niche. MSea Group, Scorpio Tankers and Arkview Capital have snapped up the fleet of Marinvest, which includes five tankers that are fuelled by methanol. And CST wants more.
2. China still hungry for coal — but don't expect import ban to end
So much for coal's swan song. A power crisis in China has led to surging demand for the dirty commodity. And while that has helped clear the queue of bulkers caught up in a diplomatic rift with Australia, China would rather source it from landlocked Kazakhstan than ease its restrictions on volumes from Down Under.
3. Coca-Cola switches to bulk carriers in face of sold-out containerships
There was a time when Coca-Cola's slogan was "ride the wave", but no one said it had to be on a containership. Facing what procurement director Alan Smith called a "supply chain crisis", the beverage giant has turned the bulker chartering market to move its fizzy products.
4. Record year for containership newbuilds as orders stack up
As containership operators add to their money piles thanks to high freight rates, they have not been afraid to spend that cash on newbuilding tonnage. Some 470 boxships with a total capacity of 3.9m teu were ordered in the first nine months of this year, according to figures from Clarksons Research. With three months left to go, 2021 is already a record year.
5. Saudi price cut signals more crude to be shipped overseas, Clarksons Platou says
Remember when Opec+ declined to lift crude output further than the planned monthly uptick of 400,000 bpd. That was so four days ago. Saudi Arabia is cutting its prices on oil shipping abroad, and Clarksons Platou Securities takes that as a sign that more volumes are headed for the water.
6. Rivlin's VesselsValue hopes for lift-off with aircraft valuation launch
Ten years ago, Richard Rivlin's VesselsValue shook up the shipbroking world by offering an automated valuation platform for ships across the fleet. Now, the firm is looking to do the same thing in aviation. Spoiler alert: Since January last year, the price of a five-year-old Boeing 777 has decreased by 10% to $57.1m and those mini-pretzels are no longer free.
