Maritime Industry Briefing: New Tug Design for Ningbo, Tanker Market Volatility, and Russian Crude Shipments

## Maritime Industry Briefing ### Robert Allan Ltd. Wins RAmparts 3800 Tug Design Contract for Ningbo Port Vancouver-based naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. has been awarded a contract to design a new RAmparts 3800 Ship-Handling/Fire-Fighting 2 (FiFi 2) harbour tug for Ningbo Port, one of China's busiest and most strategically significant port facilities. According to gCaptain, the vessel will be constructed by Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard. The RAmparts 3800 series is a well-established Robert Allan Ltd. platform known for its high bollard pull performance and compact, manoeuvrable hull form — qualities particularly suited to the demanding ship-handling requirements of a major bulk and container port such as Ningbo. The addition of FiFi 2-class firefighting capability elevates the vessel's role beyond conventional towage, positioning it as a critical emergency response asset within the port's operational fleet. The contract underscores continued investment in port infrastructure and safety capability across China's major gateway ports. --- ### Supertanker Owner's WhatsApp Messages Move Oil Tanker Markets In an unusual illustration of how informal communications can drive formal market behaviour, gCaptain reports that WhatsApp messages from the world's largest supertanker owner are regularly sending ripples — and at times waves — through the global oil tanker market. The messages, which reportedly open with the cordial salutation 'Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,' are said to circulate rapidly through industry networks, becoming the subject of immediate discussion among brokers, traders, and operators. The phenomenon highlights the concentrated influence that major tonnage owners can exert in a market already under significant pressure. The tanker sector has faced considerable disruption in 2025, with the conflict involving Iran introducing fresh uncertainty into crude oil trade flows and vessel routing decisions. The episode raises broader questions about market transparency and the role of informal communications channels in price discovery within the shipping industry. --- ### Russian Crude Exports Dip Despite Baltic Port Recovery Russian seaborne crude exports fell to their lowest level in more than a month, even as throughput at a key Baltic export terminal rebounded strongly following an earlier operational halt, according to gCaptain. The divergence between port-level recovery and overall export volumes suggests that disruptions elsewhere in Russia's export infrastructure, or adjustments to production and scheduling, are offsetting gains at the Baltic facility. Russia's crude export flows remain a closely watched indicator for global oil supply balances, particularly as Western sanctions continue to shape the routing and pricing of Russian barrels. Any sustained decline in seaborne volumes could have implications for the shadow fleet of tankers servicing Russian trade, as well as for benchmark crude price spreads.