CABALLO PINTO

Two supertankers and one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker exited the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week with their transponders switched off, and are heading for India and China, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The vessels joined a number of tankers leaving the Gulf this month, although oil and LNG traffic overall has still been limited.The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Eagle Veracruz, carrying 2 million barrels of crude loaded from Saudi Arabia in late February, is heading to Quanzhou port in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian. The VLCC is expected to arrive at the port where Sinochem's refinery is located on June 16.

Dubai-based GMS has won U.S. government approval to scrap four container ships that were under Iran-related sanctions, potentially paving the way for Washington to reduce the shadow fleet of such vessels, the leading ship recycler's CEO said.Hundreds of ships with no known insurance or compliance with environmental safety standards have not only helped Iran and Russia circumvent sanctions, but also posed a threat of oil spills and fuel leaks in busy sea lanes.An approved mechanism for scrapping such vessels offers an incentive to take them out of circulation, helping reduce environmental risks and better contain trade in sanctioned crude and goods.

U.S. forces on Monday conducted strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions.The strikes came as Iran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the U.S. to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran in "another way".

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its newest Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in New York City on Friday.The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, presided over the ceremony. Members of the Danz family were also in attendance, including the cutter's sponsor, Angela Donohue, widow of the late Vincent Danz.“Vincent Danz’s legacy will live on not only through his family and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD, but through the Coast Guard crew who will breathe life into this cutter today,” said Adm. Tom Allan.

The IMO's Maritime Safety Committee met for its 111th session from May 13 to 22 and adopted a global code for autonomous ships and advanced guidelines for ships operating on alternative fuels.First global code for autonomous shipsIMO adopted a new International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS Code) to support the safe integration of AI-enabled and remotely operated commercial ships into global shipping.The MASS Code sets out a comprehensive, goal-based framework to ensure that remotely controlled or autonomous ships are designed and operated to a level of safety, security and environmental protection that is expected of a conventional ship.