Michelle Wiese Bockmann
Principal Analyst, Lloyd's List Intelligence
Latest From Michelle Wiese Bockmann
VLCC rates rebound on September lift in Middle East Gulf oil exports
Increased shipments suggest biggest tankers are emerging from post-summer slump for fourth-quarter peak season surge
Norway’s Ro Marine investigates ‘dark trading’ of newly insured Iran-linked LPG carriers
Ro Marine said it is sending inspectors to each vessel to check logbooks and talk to crew after it was revealed the ships were formerly part of a fleet linked to transporting hundreds of millions of dollars of propane and butane, while engaged in deceptive shipping practices
Pelagic Partners revives Oaktree strategy to launch capital fund
Although the Pelagic fund has no target, ‘you need to be a billion [dollars] plus to be meaningful in this market,’ says Tobias Backer, former Fleetscape founder and the fund’s executive director
Bauxite boom underpinning capesize rates seen easing for 2025
UAE-backed Guinea Alumina Corporation says it is pushing ahead with plans to build an alumina refinery as the West African government signals it wants to refine more bauxite rather than exporting the raw material
UK contributed to ‘shadow fleet’ evolution as sanctions side effect, says Sovcomflot
On Wednesday, the UK sanctioned a further 10 tankers owned by Sovcomflot for breaching the oil price cap imposed on Russian oil and shipping. The company decries such sanctions as being completely counter-productive, arguing that trying to outlaw some ships has merely hot-housed the growth of a so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers
Dark fleet tanker Mando One seen at anchor off Italy
Elderly ship is one of 30 linked to Radiating World Shipping Services and Star Voyage Shipping Services, listed by the UK government last December. Seven of the 30 tankers have been directly sanctioned this year