April 29, 2026

What next for the Straits of Hormuz?

The Straits of Hormuz (or “SOH” as we refer to it) remains a constant source of enquiries for the BDM team. On the one hand, we have trading companies and charterers who have ships on charter trapped within the Arabian Gulf. They are desperate to find a way for those... Read more >

March 3, 2026

Can Iran close the Straits of Hormuz – and what happens if they do?

Despite threats to close the Straits, it seems unlikely that Iran could in fact achieve this. At their narrowest the shipping lanes are still two miles wide. The US naval forces in the area are unlikely to stand by and allow Iranian vessels to mine the area and, even... Read more >

September 24, 2025

The magic pipe

In shipping circles, this is not a reference to the piper dressed in multicoloured (“pied”) clothing who lures the rats (and, in the folk legend, children) away. It is a reference to a device commonly used to transfer oily waste from the waste oil tank to a tank that... Read more >