Purple Fleet Limited

U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed a deal led by U.S. firm BlackRock to buy most of the $22.8 billion ports business of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison which includes assets along the Panama Canal.The deal will give the U.S. consortium control of key Panama Canal ports amid White House calls to remove them from what it says is Chinese ownership. The high purchase price sent CK Hutchison's stock up more than 20%."My administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we've already started doing it," Trump told the U.S. Congress.

The first thirty days of the new Trump Administration have brought sweeping changes throughout the federal government.  We take a pause to assess where things stand for maritime stakeholders and what may be coming next in Washington, DC, for our industry.A Maritime DirectiveFor those that work in the U.S maritime space, it is axiomatic to state that all aspects of the maritime industry are critical to our national security. U.S. flag vessels and merchant mariners not only support U.S. economic prosperity, but also build the key sea lines of communication to support military operations.

On February 21, 2025, the Office of the US Trade Representative (UST) released a notice of a proposal to impose wide-ranging fees on shipping companies and vessels with a Chinese nexus. The USTR has yet to release regulatory or administrative language that implements the proposals, and there is no guarantee this will actually happen. Interested parties should consider submitting comments as well as reviewing their charterparty and other relevant agreementsSUMMARY OF USTR PROPOSALSThe USTR notice does not set forth a single unified scheme of fees; rather, the notice includes several alternative fee structures, one or more of which may be implemented.

Europe soaked up most U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports for the second straight month in February, as cold weather and strong prices pushed up demand for the superchilled gas across the Atlantic, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG.The U.S. is the world's largest exporter of LNG and continues to play a major role in supplying Europe since Russia's invasion of Ukraine significantly reduced the amount of Russian gas piped to Europe.In February the U.S. exported 8.35 million metric tonnes (MT) of LNG, shy of the monthly record of 8.6 MT hit in December 2023 and just short of the 8.46 MT exported in January, LSEG data showed.

U.S. proposals to hit Chinese vessels with high port fees would have a major impact on all firms in a container shipping industry in which most vessels are built in China, French-based shipping firm CMA CGM said on Friday.The U.S. Trade Representative's office has proposed charging up to $1.5 million for Chinese-built vessels entering U.S. ports as part of its investigation into China's expansion in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors."China builds more than half of all container ships in the world, so this would have a significant effect on all shipping firms," Chief Financial Officer Ramon Fernandez told reporters.