Commentaries - Firstlink Global

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September 14, 2026

Commentary

Beyond the Bottom Line: Family Work Culture in Shipping

Earlier Articles

March 23, 2026

In the MR segment, the Atlantic basin continues to outperform Asia, with strong gains observed on US Gulf export routes.

March 16, 2026

Commentary

Feast MRs were minimally impacted from this USA-Iran war as compared to TC1/TC5/shipments out of AG affected by Iran pressure on Straits of Hormuz. Though bunkers are up two-fold, MR freight remains only about 10% up from pre-war levels.

March 9, 2026

Commentary

The VLCC freight party might be ending soon, with no feedstocks to support the freight. Oil prices reached a breakthrough $100 per barrel for the first time in more than three and a half years Sunday as the Iran war hindered production and shipping in the Middle East.

March 2, 2026

Commentary

Even in the absence of physical disruption in the Straits of Hormuz, any escalation could quickly translate into higher arbitrage cracks, escalating insurance premiums, and more cautious vessel deployment across the region.

February 23, 2026

Commentary

This week we observe a notable divergence between the MR and SR segments across North Asia. While MR freight remains softening across most benchmark routes, the SR/coastal segment in Japan–Korea has been comparatively active.

February 16, 2026

Commentary

February continues to be under the gloom of weak arbitrage cracks, over tonnage, seasonal slump, and macroeconomics factors. Rates have been soft across the board and we should see continuation of this trend going into the Lunar New Year.