Crooked Bough News Round-up

+ Fresh Attacks Shatter ‘Open Hormuz’ Narrative as Iran Pushes New Maritime Regime—The fragile narrative that the Strait of Hormuz is “open” unraveled ag...

+ Iran’s Navy Tells Ships Strait of Hormuz Shut Again, Two Vessels Report Gunfire—ATHENS, April 18 (Reuters)Merchant vessels attempting to cross the Str...

+ Ukraine Strikes Two Russian Refineries, Baltic Sea Port—April 18 (Reuters)Ukrainian drones struck a handful of Russias oil fac...

+ Iran Requiring IRGC Coordination for Hormuz Transits—All ships can sail through the Strait of Hormuz but this needs to be c...

+ Greek Shipowner Sends Biggest Oil Tanker Yet Through Hormuz—(Bloomberg) A Greek shipowner whose vessels have repeatedly braved th...

+ Hold the Champagne: Oil Recovery Faces Weeks of Delay as Supply Chain Shocks Deepen—Don’t be fooled by the latest declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is...

+ Shipping Industry Pushes Back on ‘Open’ Hormuz Narrative as Risks Persist—The global shipping industry is urging caution after declarations from...

+ Europe Moves From Rhetoric to Planning as Paris Summit Weighs Hormuz Security Mission—The prospect of a multinational mission to secure commercial shipping ...

+ Iran and Trump Declare Hormuz ‘Open,’ But Route, Mines, and U.S. Blockade Cloud Reality—Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping fol...

+ European Countries Have Capacity to Clear Mines in Hormuz, French Defence Minister Says—European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France have mi...

+ Pakistan Oil Tanker Makes Rare Entry and Exit Through Hormuz—A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weeke...

+ U.S. Coast Guard to Homeport First Two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska—The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it will homeport its first two Arct...

+ Breaking the Bottleneck: Building a Resilient Future for U.S. LNG and Global Maritime Fueling—Amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery fo...

+ How the U.S. Could Clear Mines From the Strait of Hormuz—April 16 (Reuters)  As the United States embarks on clearing mines fro...

+ Six-Week Container Spot Rate Rally Runs Out of Steam—The six-week rally in global container freight rates has come to an en...

+ ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS Announce Planned Joint Venture to Advance Maritime Training—ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS (UW) have signed a letter of intent to establ...

+ U.S. Expands Iran Blockade With Global Boarding Powers, Broad ‘Contraband’ Crackdown—The U.S.-led maritime blockade of Iranian ports has entered a new and ...

+ Half-Full Tanker Heading to Japan Highlights Scramble for Oil—A partially filled supertanker heading to Japan after receiving its Mi...

+ US-Sanctioned Supertankers Enter Gulf Despite Blockade—A second U.S.-sanctioned supertanker has entered the Gulf via the Stra...

+ Iran War Pushes U.S. to Brink of Net Oil Exporter Status Not Seen Since WWII—The U.S. nearly turned into a net crude exporter last week for the fir...

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As of 4/18/26 1:05pm. Last new 4/18/26 1:05pm.

+ India’s oil and gas crisis is a wake-up call for transport electrification—The conflict in West Asia has once again exposed India’s vulnerability...

+ Energy market defined by “striking contradiction”, according to latest Willis Energy Market Review—Despite mounting loss activity, rising social inflation and geopolitic...

+ Oil prices crater below $90 after Iran, U.S. say Strait of Hormuz temporarily open—Oil prices tumbled below $90 a barrel on Friday after Iran and the U.S...

+ Trump’s ‘fossil fuelled war’ is the perfect opportunity to end reliance on oil and gas, experts say—Experts are calling on governments to ‘reduce the risk of every fossil...

+ The EU has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% since 1990—The European Unions greenhouse gas emissions fell a further 3% between...

+ Oil prices hover below $100 a barrel amid hopes for Middle East peace progress—Oil prices fell on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested ...

+ US fuel supply increases in April—The US has supplied 15% more fuel oil per day on average in April comp...

+ What’s in your gasoline? Understanding U.S. motor gasoline formulations—Motor gasoline in the United States is a blend of hydrocarbons and che...

+ India’s LPG shortfall spurs push for storage growth, supply diversification—India is accelerating plans to build strategic LPG storage and expand ...

+ Tax oil companies’ windfall profits, says European civil society—European NGOs call on Ursula von der Leyen to tax excess oil profits t...

+ Pakistan launches output from largest-ever oil and gas well, eyes $329 million annual savings—Pakistan on Wednesday launched commercial production from the largest-...

+ Running out of barrels: cumulative oil losses reach 430 mbbls—Cumulative crude and condensate supply losses in the Middle East have ...

+ Argentina on track to produce 1 million b/d of crude in 2026 and keep growing—Argentina is on track to produce 1 million b/d of oil this year and su...

+ The Commodities Feed: Oil trades lower on de-escalation hopes—Energy- US oil exports jump to record levels The oil market continues ...

+ The big chart: Where does the world’s oil come from?—In 2025, around 20 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil and oil...

+ Technology to be integral part of shale development in US—Technology will continue to play a pivotal role in the US multibillion...

+ TTF Prices Hover Near 6-Week Lows—European natural gas futures steadied near €41 per MMBtu on Thursday b...

+ Platts changes maximum incrementability for Asia crude, fuel oil, bunker MOC bids, offers for April 15—Due to the high volatility in crude and refined products futures marke...

+ US Crude Oil Stocks Unexpectedly Fall: EIA—US crude inventories fell by 913,000 barrels to 463.8 million in the w...

+ Trump renews criticism of UK, saying it should ‘drill, baby, drill’ for North Sea oil—U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Britain’s ene...

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As of 4/18/26 1:05pm. Last new 4/17/26 3:56pm.

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As of 4/18/26 12:53pm. Last new 1/31/26 2:31am.

+ Europe and Asia’s response to 60% Middle East crude export collapse reshapes global energy trade—Middle East crude exports collapsed nearly 60% between early February ...

+ Lack of alternative supply pressures jet fuel markets—Global jet/kero supply has been significantly constrained following th...

+ U.S. natural gas exports to grow nearly 30% by 2027 as LNG facilities ramp up—In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast that U.S. ...

+ Norway’s crude oil exports up 68% in March due to Iran war—Norway’s crude oil exports hit a record high in March as the war in Ir...

+ Europe’s ammonia imports fall in Q1 as buyers shun US product under CBAM—European ammonia imports dipped and buyers steered clear of US product...

+ TRADE REVIEW: Rising costs to support Asian nickel in Q2 despite supply surplus—This report is part of the SP Global Energys Metals Trade Review serie...

+ Aluminum Prices Retreat from 4-Year Highs—Aluminum futures in the UK fell to below $3,600 per tonne, pulling bac...

+ Blue House tackles ‘most urgent task’ by securing 273 million barrels of crude oil, 2.1 millions ton of naphtha—Korea secured 273 million barrels of crude oil and 2.1 million tons of...

+ Bangladesh’s BPC invites international suppliers for refined oil products—Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has invited international suppliers t...

+ Steel Rises on Stronger Demand—Steel rebar futures climbed above CNY 3,080 per ton, rebounding from m...

+ European fertilizer industry defends channeling CBAM funds to farmers—Industry group Fertilizers Europe has called for revenues from the EUs...

+ India spots opportunity in Venezuelan crude as Hormuz crisis squeezes supplies—India has turned to Venezuelan crude for near-term cargoes to fill par...

+ West Africa diesel, gasoil imports reach 899,000 mt so far in April: CAS—April imports of diesel and gasoil into West Africa so far have reache...

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As of 4/18/26 12:53pm. Last new 4/17/26 3:56pm.

+ Eurozone Current Account Surplus Rises in February—The Eurozone’s current account surplus widened to €21.1 billion in Feb...

+ Ankara pushes deeper economic ties with Astana ahead of Erdoğan visit—Astana and Ankara aim to boost trade, diversify exports and launch joi...

+ China Economy: China’s economy in first quarter of 2026 shows resilience amid global slowdown concerns—Chinas GDP grows by 5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, desp...

+ Strait of Hormuz disruptions force GlobalData to downgrade Gulf economic outlook—The war between Israel and Iran has sharply weakened economic outlook ...

+ ECB’s Lagarde says inflation risks tilted upward amid Iran conflict—European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Friday that ris...

+ Euro area international trade in goods surplus €11.5 bn—The first estimates of euro area balance showed a €11.5 bn surplus in ...

+ Europe is about twice as sensitive to oil shocks vs the US—Europe’s economy is about twice as sensitive to shocks as the United S...

+ EU’s employment rate grew above 76% in 2025—In 2025, 76.1% (197.7 million people) of the EU’s 20 to 64-year-olds w...

+ Weak Demand and External Shocks Weigh on China Credit—China’s credit outlook remains constrained by weak domestic demand, wh...

+ China’s GDP beats expectations amid intensifying global headwinds—Chinas GDP started 2026 off strong Chinas GDP came in at 5.0% year-on-...

+ Bets on Fed rate cut by year-end grow after Iran truce—Investors increased bets on Federal Reserve interest rate cuts after t...

+ BoE warns of ‘substantial shock’ as Middle East conflict rattles global stability—The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee warned Wednesday that...

+ US Manufacturing Output Falls in March—Manufacturing output in the United States decreased 0.1% month-over-mo...

+ NY Services Activity Contraction Eases in April—The Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorks general business activity index,...

+ Fed’s Williams warns Iran war driving up inflation pressures—Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said Thursday...

+ Trade in goods with China in 2025—In 2025, the EU exported €199.6 billion worth of goods to China and im...

+ China Industrial Capacity Utilization Hits 2-Year Low—China’s industrial capacity utilization rate fell to 73.6 percent in t...

+ UK Manufacturing Output Unexpectedly Falls—Manufacturing production in the UK edged down 0.1% month-on-month in F...

+ The world waits for a climbdown—Our new base case scenario It was 1983 when the movie WarGames taught ...

+ We (still) don’t expect the Bank of England to hike rates—No, the UK is not more vulnerable to the coming inflation shock Financ...

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As of 4/18/26 12:53pm. Last new 4/17/26 5:06pm.

+ Employment and labour force participation remained stable in most OECD countries in Q4 2025—In the last quarter of 2025, employment rates remained stable or broad...

+ Wars Impose Lasting Economic Costs, While More Defense Spending Means Hard Choices—War is again defining the global landscape. After decades of relative ...

+ China to grow 4.4% in 2026, IMF forecasts—The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday projected Chinas economy to...

+ IMF: War Darkens Global Economic Outlook and Reshapes Policy Priorities—Despite major trade disruptions and policy uncertainty, last year ende...

+ International aid fell sharply in 2025, says OECD—International aid from member countries and associates of the Developm...

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As of 4/18/26 12:53pm. Last new 4/17/26 3:56pm.

+ Owners need to consider the scope of their war risk cover as claims expand beyond high-risk zones, warns London P&I Club—Shipowners and brokers need to take greater consideration of the scope...

+ Harnessing the giants: safer windmill blade logistics—As wind‑energy deployment accelerates globally, the logistics of trans...

+ The Swedish Club launches new guide to help seafarers manage stress in high-risk areas—The Swedish Club has launched a new crew guide, Managing stress in hig...

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As of 4/18/26 1:05pm. Last new 4/17/26 3:56pm.