The week in charts: One cable cutting vessel has three separate digital identities | Panama Canal sees rising ship traffic | US sanctions over 180 vessels
Lloyd’s List’s weekly showing of the data and figures behind our news, analysis and markets coverage
Taiwan is looking for one vessel, not three, for cable cutting; Panama Canal transits were up up 6% in December versus November and the US announces the largest round of Russian sanctions yet
THE vessel Taiwanese authorities believe is responsible for damaging an undersea cable off its coastline has three distinct digital identities, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows.
Analysis of the vessel’s recent operations suggests deliberate deceptive practices will frustrate Taiwan’s investigation into the incident that damaged part of the Trans Pacific Express system which connects Taiwan with the US west coast on January 3, wrote maritime risk analyst Bridget Diakun and reporter Joshua Minchin.
Lloyd’s List understands that so-called “Shunxin39” the Taiwanese Coast Guard Administration is actually one vessel using three digital identities. These are: Tanzania-flagged Xing Shun 39, Cameroon-flagged Shun Xing 39 and Cameroon-flagged Xing Shun 39.
Panama Canal, now a geopolitical hotspot, sees rising ship traffic
Traffic via the Panama Canal continues to rise amid an increasingly hostile geopolitical backdrop, wrote senior reporter Greg Miller.
According to data released on Friday* by the Panama Canal Authority, the Panama Canal handled a total of 1,059 vessel transits in December, up 6% from November to the highest monthly tally since April 2023, prior to the drought.
There were 780 transits via the older panamax locks, up 7% versus November to the highest number since March 2023.
The larger neopanamax locks handled 279 vessels in December, up 3% from the month before. Neopanamax transits have been relatively steady since August, hovering around levels last seen in October 2024, just prior to drought restrictions.
* The ACP does not release monthly transit statistics by segment or statistics on total monthly transits. It releases fiscal-year-to-date transits by segment and fiscal-year-to-date total transits since October, the beginning of its fiscal year. Lloyd’s List calculates monthly transits by comparing each month’s cumulative fiscal-year-to-date statistics, and derives transits per day from this data.
Going out with a bang: US sanctions over 180 vessels and dozens of entities in unprecedented Russia crackdown
In one of its final acts, the Biden administration announced the most aggressive round of shipping sanctions in years on Friday, targeting more than 180 vessels, and dozens of entities and individuals involved in Russian oil and gas trades and production, wrote senior reporter Tomer Raanan.
The unprecedented move, which targeted a broad array of actors from oil giants such as Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas to insurers Ingosstrakh and Alfastrakhovanie, was accompanied by a determination expanding the US’ targeting scope by authorising sanctions against “any persons determined to operate or have operated” in Russia’s energy sector. A similar determination was made in October regarding Iran.
Robust boxship charter market continues into 2025
The boxship charter market continues to be focused on smaller vessels, due to a shortage of vessels of above 3,000 teu, reported markets editor Robert Willmington.
While mainline operators are able to secure some bigger ships, most have very long delivery lead times.
“The containership charter market has started off 2025 on a strong note, in the same way as it ended 2024. Although the activity has been so far limited since key decision makers are only slowly coming back to their desks,” said analyst Alphaliner, which added that underlying demand remains strong in the run-up to the Chinese New Year.
It reported the fixture of two 6,000 teu newbuildings to Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd controlled by Greek tonnage provider Danaos with handover dates in early 2027. The very long lead times confirms the limited availability of larger units.
They have been both fixed for five-year charters at daily rates of low-$30,000s.