NOVEMBER MARITIME NEWS RECAP 2025

02 Dec 2025

Suez Canal Traffic Recovering

Transits through the canal continue to rise.
On November 10, the Houthis officially suspended all maritime attacks.
Egypt expects a full return to pre-conflict traffic soon if the ceasefire holds.

U.S. & China Suspend Port Fees

Both countries froze their “mirror” port charges for one year.
The decision followed the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
U.S. unions criticize the reversal, but for shipping it means significant cost relief.

$20B Simandou Project Launched

Guinea officially kicked off Africa’s largest iron ore project.
Plans include a new port, 600 km of rail, and massive new dry bulk flows.
Simandou may reshape global iron ore trade, challenging Australia and Brazil.

Diana Shipping Moves on Genco

The company made a cash offer of $20.60 per share.
It already holds 14.8% of Genco and continues to increase its stake.
This could become one of the year’s major dry bulk consolidations.

Iran Detains a Commercial Vessel

Iran seized the tanker Talara — the first such incident since April 2024.
The ship carrying HSFO was diverted toward Bandar Abbas.
The move signals renewed tension in the Strait of Hormuz.

Somali Piracy Resurges

Pirate groups in Puntland now use captured dhow vessels as mother ships.
Attacks are carried out far offshore in the Indian Ocean.
RPGs and automatic weapons reappear — a return to 2010s-style escalation.

Baltimore Bridge Collapse Update

NTSB: a single failed cable on the Dali triggered a cascading power loss.
The ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six workers.
Reconstruction may exceed $5.2B, with reopening pushed to late 2030.

FEET Fund Surpasses Targets

FEET raised $35M — above initial expectations.
It’s the world’s first ship-retrofit fund using a pay-as-you-save mechanism.
Goal: expand to $500M by 2030 and retrofit around 200 vessels.