US tariff tussle: supply chain disruption, trade deal uncertainty and shipping impacts

Analysts see a US Supreme Court ruling against US President Donald Trump’s tariffs as positive for container trades in the short term.

MSI director Daniel Richards told Riviera that any tariffs introduced under the IEEPA are now invalid. “All other tariffs implemented since January 2025, including those targeting the steel, aluminium, copper, automotive and lumber sectors, remain in place,” he explained.

According to Mr Richards, the situation for many individual countries is now murky – particularly for those that have negotiated trade agreements with the US over the past year. Read more at Riviera.

Red hot VLCC market hits new highs amid US – Iran tensions

MSI cites a number of factors driving the large tanker sector including a build up of floating storage and Sinokor’s aggressive moves to acquire and control VLCC tonnage, which has been estimated to control 24% of the spot trading fleet. “Sinokor is reportedly already withholding its VLCC tonnage in order to push rates up further.” The squeeze on the market is exacerbated by the proportion of the VLCC fleet that is either sanctioned or part of the dark fleet. Read more at Seatrade.