D'AMICO TANKERS LTD. IRELAND

A vessel has been attacked 34 nautical miles (63 km) southwest of Yemen's Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) reported on its website on Thursday, adding an investigation is underway.British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said the incident involved a sailing vessel that managed to escape an attempted boarding from occupants of skiffs, and that the crew has been reported safe.It said the vessel was "likely Hong Kong-flagged" but did not give further details.A U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet spokesperson told Reuters the navy is aware of an incident in the Red Sea.

According to the latest crowd-sourced data from Xeneta, long-term rates for reefer containers on the key US West Coast to Far East route soared almost 60% in April.In its report Xeneta notes a surge in rates of around $2000 per 40-ft. unit after the latest 12-month contracts came to a close. The average contracted rate recorded on 15 May stood at $5850 per container, while the average for new agreements running from Q2 2022 to the end of Q1 2023 was even higher, at $5945 per 40-ft. reefer.“This is an almighty increase, pushing prices to an all-time high” said Patrik Berglund, Xeneta CEO.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose on Thursday, due to higher rates for all vessels.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was up 100 points, or 3.1%, at 3,289 points, the highest since December 9.The capesize index gained 221 points, or 5.31%, to 4,385 points.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, were up $1,837 at $36,368.Strong demand for vessels in the far East, with increased activity in both West Australia and Indonesia, is impacting "nearby laycans out of South Africa which see limited amount of tonnage available

Braemar signed a seven-year contract with the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide global shipbroking services across all commercial maritime sectors. Under the contract, Braemar will provide the MOD with access to its S&P, chartering and research departments across Braemar’s 14 global offices. The seven-year contract encompasses all aspects of S&P, as well as spot and period chartering for routine and emergency response requirements globally.

CGG announced today that Sercel, its Sensing & Monitoring division, has acquired Geocomp Corporation, specialized in high-value services and products for geotechnical risk management and infrastructure monitoring. This acquisition gives Sercel access to the US infrastructure market and will accelerate deployment of its S-lynks and S-scan infrastructure monitoring solutions.