Energy — MSI Blog

4 June 2026MSI

Structural risks on the horizon in Middle East offshore industry

A combination of contract terminations, spiralling insurance costs and the threat to EPC projects are creating a complex combination of risk for offshore operators in the Middle East as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz In its latest Horizon Monthly Offshore report, MSI notes that, whilst contract terminations for rigs have … Continue reading Structural risks on the horizon in Middle East offshore industry →

EnergyMODU Jack-Up RigOffshoreOSV Anchor Handler

13 April 2026MSI

What war reveals about energy security

Should the energy transition be reframed as a trade resilience strategy, asks Mariam Tzannatos, decarbonisation analyst at MSI. The conflict in the Middle East has once again exposed a structural feature of the global energy system: concentration risk. Read more at Splash247.com

Dry BulkEnergyHydrogenLNG

1 April 2026MSI

MSI appoints North American director

MSI has appointed John Moulopoulos as director, North America, with responsibility for business development in the Americas. The company said Mr Moulopoulos joins from Boston-based maritime intelligence and data delivery service Marsoft Inc, and his role will include working with North American shipowners and maritime investors, while also drawing on his heritage and network to … Continue reading MSI appoints North American director →

Car/TruckChemicalContainer BoxContainership

24 March 2026MSI

From theory to reality: scenario analysis for Strait of Hormuz tanker trades

MSI’s latest scenario modelling asks what happens to Gulf tanker trades when Strait of Hormuz access shifts from disruption to prolonged denial. The effect on tanker markets from the US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s subsequent retaliation, while extreme and spectacular, was somewhat predictable, with a rate spike following similar patterns to previous … Continue reading From theory to reality: scenario analysis for Strait of Hormuz tanker trades →

EnergyOil Tanker

20 March 2026MSI

LNG market facing years-long Qatari supply shortage following attacks

The world’s LNG supply outlook darkened sharply last night after Iran struck key gas infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, escalating the regional conflict and raising the prospect of prolonged disruption to one of the market’s most critical production hubs. The impact on shipping could be mitigated by more long-haul LNG trade from the … Continue reading LNG market facing years-long Qatari supply shortage following attacks →

EnergyLNG

28 January 2026MSI

China’s demographic cliff: can shipping live without its golden growth engine?

The demographic sweetspot for China, the 21st century’s driving force of shipping profits, has long passed. This month, Beijing reported its steepest birth rate decline since the Communist Party took power in 1949. Splash Extra investigates what a dwindling population means for global shipping. Adam Kent, managing director at MSI, explains to Splash Extra that … Continue reading China’s demographic cliff: can shipping live without its golden growth engine? →

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipCruise

2 December 2025MSI

Has the US ceded the race for clean fuels to China?

China-led hydrogen and ammonia regional exports will curb the development of longhaul trades and limit large carrier fleet growth, argues MSI decarbonisation analyst Mariam Tzannatos. Read more at Riviera.

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipDry Bulk

20 October 2025MSI

Trump officials go all out to block carbon tax on shipping

In the near term, the impact on freight costs will be relatively minimal, said Stuart Nicoll, a director at MSI, a London-based consultancy. The fees on high-emitting fuels like oil will start in 2028 and rise, but by 2035, some of the rewards for using low-carbon fuels may start to outweigh the penalties. Read more … Continue reading Trump officials go all out to block carbon tax on shipping →

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipDry Bulk

26 August 2025MSI

Can hydrogen make good on its clean energy potential?

Ten for ambition, five for achievement. Hydrogen’s journey to alternative fuel solution at scale continues to be a slow one, but the tempo is changing, argues Mariam Tzannatos, hydrogen sector analyst at MSI. Read more at Splash247.com

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipCruise

29 July 2025MSI

All aboard the LNG FSRU merry-go-round

No new FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification Units) have been delivered to the fleet since Nov-21 and the next newbuild is not scheduled for delivery until mid-2026, but conversions and relocations to Egypt are keeping the market busy. The European scramble for LNG to replace lost pipeline gas from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine … Continue reading All aboard the LNG FSRU merry-go-round →

EnergyLNGShipbuilding

14 July 2025MSI

MSI Consultancy Case Study – Market Overview and Competitive Positioning

The client, a leading SOV owner requested a market study and analysis of the competitive positioning of its assets relative to the market, as well as an assessment of further vessel requirements both in terms of number of vessels and likely specification. MSI provided forecasts for SOV demand, built on a granular database of current … Continue reading MSI Consultancy Case Study – Market Overview and Competitive Positioning →

EnergyOffshore Wind

24 June 2025MSI

Oil prices ease as Trump announces Iran – Israel ceasefire

The Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway for oil and gas with around 20% of global supplies shipped through the narrow stretch of water. MSI Horizon monthly tanker report said that about 15 million barrels per day of crude and 4 million barrels per day of products are shipped through the Strait. Read more … Continue reading Oil prices ease as Trump announces Iran – Israel ceasefire →

EnergyOil Tanker

9 June 2025MSI

MSI Consultancy Case Study – Theoretical Emissions Analysis

MSI is increasingly commissioned to research and analyse the impact of environmental regulation and decarbonisation on vessel operations and fleet profiles. This can be supported with access to MSI SEASCAPE. Our expertise in understanding shipping markets extends to specialist analysis of the industry in the energy transition, including impact on vessel types, cargoes and supply … Continue reading MSI Consultancy Case Study – Theoretical Emissions Analysis →

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipCruise

4 June 2025MSI

What will be powering ships in the 2030s?

MSI has given an early indication of the impact that the Net Zero Framework will have on the bunker market, based on data from its new SEASCAPE platform. By extending the annual fuel consumption estimates calculated for 2024 through to 2035, and applying MSI’s forecasts for bunker prices, it is possible to project the future … Continue reading What will be powering ships in the 2030s? →

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipCruise

12 May 2025MSI

New IMO fuel penalties could raise $1trn over a decade, MSI says

Consultancy’s new MSI SEASCAPE platform calculates that carbon levies will add 82% to bunker costs by 2035. Its new SEASCAPE market analysis, vessel performance and asset valuation platform crunched the numbers on new carbon levies proposed in April. Read more at TradeWinds.

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipDry Bulk

28 March 2025MSI

Despite rig suspensions, ‘path for growth’ remains in the Middle East

MSI senior offshore energy market analyst, Todd Jensen, sees significant prospects for OSV demand in the Middle East over the next three years. Read more at Riviera

EnergyOffshoreOSV Platform Supply

14 March 2025MSI

Methanol ships depend on China

According to Maritime Strategies International, the average cost for e-methanol in 2024 was $2,348 per ton of low sulphur fuel oil equivalent, nearly four times the price of low sulphur fuel oil. Mariam Tzannatos, a decarbonisation analyst at the London-based consultancy, tells EEI: “Pricing is currently a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of renewable … Continue reading Methanol ships depend on China →

Car/TruckChemicalContainershipDry Bulk

20 September 2024MSI

MSI affirms ‘very positive outlook’ for tanker sector

High tonne-mile demand as a result of tankers diverting round the Cape of Good Hope has underpinned crude and product tanker deadweight demand growth of 5.5% and 4.5% respectively so far this year. Second quarter analysis by MSI reveals that deadweight demand growth is about three times higher than growth in cargo volumes so far … Continue reading MSI affirms ‘very positive outlook’ for tanker sector →

EnergyOil Tanker

9 July 2024MSI

MODU Market Shrugs Off Contract Suspensions to Keep Year of Growth in Sight

The Middle East Gulf offshore market continues to exhibit strong growth in contract awards, even as it adjusts to the decision by Saudi NOC Aramco to suspend contracts for over 20 jack-up rigs. The Gulf region continues to contribute strongly to contract volumes in 2024. MSI tracked circa $50 bn of contract awards during the first … Continue reading MODU Market Shrugs Off Contract Suspensions to Keep Year of Growth in Sight →

EnergyMODU DrillshipMODU Jack-Up RigMODU Semi-Sub

4 July 2024MSI

MSI affirms ‘very positive outlook’ for tanker sector

High tonne-mile demand as a result of tankers diverting round the Cape of Good Hope has underpinned crude and product tanker deadweight demand growth of 5.5% and 4.5% respectively so far this year. Read more at Seatrade Maritime.

EnergyOil Tanker

5 June 2024MSI

How the energy transition could create a fleet of ghost ships

MSI Director Tim Smith comments in this article “The long-run view for oil demand is not necessarily the same as the view for the international oil trade,” Read more at FT.com

Dry BulkEnergyHydrogenLNG

2 May 2024MSI

All eyes are on the large LNG carrier orderbook

The large LNG carrier sector is about to experience an unprecedented level of deliveries, but not all will start work immediately in their respective projects. MSI’s LNG shipping analyst Andrew Buckland tackles some of the difficult questions the surge in large LNG carrier deliveries in 2025 will pose for the industry in Riviera.

EnergyLNGShipbuilding

26 April 2024MSI

MARITIME: From theory to practice. The hydrogen economy gives ammonia and methanol export trades the green light

Read this article by MSI Director Stuart Nicoll at Baltic Transport Journal

ChemicalEnergyHydrogenLPG

22 April 2024MSI

Shipping industry turns to high-tech wings for faster decarbonisation

Stuart Nicoll, a director at MSI, a London-based consultancy, insisted that wind power had clear benefits given steady growth in taxes on shipping emissions. Since the start of the year, ships entering EU ports have had to pay for the emissions on their journey under the bloc’s emissions-trading scheme. Read more at FT.com.

ChemicalContainershipDry BulkEnergy

29 January 2024MSI

OPINION | What the global trade in hydrogen-derived clean ammonia and methanol will look like in the coming years

Demand for clean shipping fuels will supercharge these sectors, writes MSI Director Stuart Nicoll. Read more in Hydrogeninsight

ChemicalContainershipDry BulkEnergy

23 January 2024MSI

Clean ammonia trade boom to swell VLAC fleet to 400 ships

Demand to be transformed by increasing move from fertiliser production to bunkers. A surge in demand for clean energy is set to boost the ranks of very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) as the ammonia trade is transformed. MSI predicts the next 25 years are likely to see requirements for green and blue ammonia providing the … Continue reading Clean ammonia trade boom to swell VLAC fleet to 400 ships →

ChemicalEnergyHydrogenLPG

15 March 2023MSI

Offshore wind farm logistics risk becoming a quayside carpark

HLP believes project developers will struggle to meet demand based on current logistics practices and equipment provision based on MSI forecasts for the total number of offshore wind projects to be installed, per year, for both fixed and floating foundation windfarm. Read more at Energyvoice

EnergyMulti-PurposeOffshoreOffshore Renewables