Black Sea deaths outpace Hormuz as shipping consolidation advances

At least 40 seafarers have died in the Black Sea this year, compared with 24 in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to figures compiled by maritime security firm Ambrey and the International Maritime Organization. The higher toll comes in the same week that European shipping consolidation sought greater control over supply chains.

What do the European deals change?

Two significant European consolidation deals this week showed shipping groups seeking greater control over shortsea and Mediterranean supply chains.

• Boluda–Samskip: Spanish shipping group Boluda agreed to acquire Dutch multimodal operator Samskip, creating a shortsea network spanning 28 countries, 32 vessels and 18 routes.
• Contship–Tarros: Contship returned to the liner business through its acquisition of Italy's Tarros, bringing shipping, terminals and inland logistics together across the Mediterranean.

For shippers, the proposed Samskip network offers broader shortsea coverage through 18 routes, while giving forwarders more scope to coordinate services across 28 countries. The Tarros combination could reduce handoffs between ocean service, terminals and inland logistics, though the source specified no cargo-volume, rate or timetable changes.

What changed in Hormuz?

Security risks have moved beyond the missile and drone strikes that have dominated the conflict. In the Strait of Hormuz, attackers attached explosives directly to the hull of a tanker and set its engine room ablaze.

Iran also singled out Sinokor, described as the world's dominant VLCC owner, threatening action against its entire fleet from Sunday. The fleet-wide threat could tighten effective tanker capacity if operators avoid exposed waters, while shippers could face rerouting and higher security costs.

No rate move was reported. Any price effect remains a risk, not a measured market shift.

The Black Sea is deadlier. The casualty gap makes crew safety a more immediate operating constraint for Black Sea services than the Hormuz count alone, and it compounds the crewing pressure documented in the industry's technology debate.

What does the dockworker action threaten?

Today's coordinated dockworker action stretches across 113 ports in 22 countries and territories. Strikes and demonstrations target military cargo shipments, while workers also cite longstanding grievances over pay, working conditions and automation.

For carriers, that reach can complicate arrival planning, berth sequencing and onward connections; for forwarders, it can narrow dependable port options. The action therefore bears on effective capacity across several regions, although no cargo tonnage or TEU reduction was quantified.

Is digitalisation saving seafarers' time?

Two contributions this week put technology under scrutiny. A SplashTech investigation asked whether digitalisation creates more work than it saves. Research showed that 72% of seafarers lack sufficient time onboard to learn new systems.

Training remains the bottleneck. New systems may not deliver expected productivity if crews lack the onboard hours to learn them.

Raal Harris argued cargo shipping could learn from the cruise industry's approach to crewing technology. He said it should connect "recruitment, career development and retention rather than simply filling vacancies." For operators, that approach treats filling vacancies as only one part of building and retaining capable crews.

Where is terminal technology heading?

Over at Splash Cruise, the site's newest title, the head of the Singapore Cruise Centre revealed plans to export terminal expertise. The centre could operate facilities overseas and license technology developed for the city's revamped HarbourFront terminal.

The proposal would take the centre's terminal operating model and technology beyond HarbourFront, potentially creating overseas operating and licensing work; no overseas site or launch date was specified.

Can ships navigate without GPS?

In this week's Maritime CEO interview, Danish researcher Kian Bostani Nezhad issued a direct navigation warning: "GPS can no longer be considered a dependable means of navigation. Seafarers must relearn how to navigate without it." The warning makes conventional navigation skills part of risk management, not merely a fallback.

The weekly Splash Wrap podcast came from the Maritime CEO Forum at the Yacht Club de Monaco, where shipowners, investors and industry leaders debated the opportunities and risks shaping shipping's fortunes.

For freight buyers, the next indicators are whether the threat against Sinokor's fleet becomes fleet-wide disruption and whether today's 113-port action spreads. Either development could reduce effective capacity, while the Black Sea toll adds pressure on crew safety and training; with no rate move reported, any freight tightening remains a forward risk rather than a measured price shift.