The Shipbrokers Podcast

Seven weeks before the US-China maritime trade truce expires, American shipbuilding policy is at a crossroads. Richard Matthews sits down with Ryan Lynch, Managing Partner of Maritime Opportunity Investment Corp, to ask what comes after Section 301 and whether the rules that stunned shipping last year are about to do it again. Lynch's answer: everyone was watching the wrong statute. The port fees that made headlines were never the full story. The real leverage sits in a dormant provision a pr...

Six months into the Middle East war, oil has barely moved. Richard Matthews asks Vortexa Chief Economist David Wech the obvious question: why so calm and how long can it last? Wech's answer is that everyone has been watching the wrong chokepoint. Hormuz was never the real story, and the numbers underneath the headline price look very different from the numbers on the screen. Diesel, inventories, and a European winter he's genuinely worried about. Listen for the full picture, including why he ...

In one of the most turbulent weeks in recent maritime history, Richard Matthews sits down with Nick Maddalena, Managing Director of Ambrey Global Specialty, and Robert Peters, Director of Risk Analytics at Ambrey, to unpack an unprecedented convergence of maritime threats. With tankers struck in the Middle East, a new Houthi maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, Somali pirates hijacking vessels, and ongoing attacks in the Black Sea the experts at Ambrey break down what's driving the crisi...

Host Richard Matthews is joined by Lindsay Hunting (Head of Tanker Projects), Gerrit Stricker (Head of LNG), Sen Raviraj (Lead LPG Analyst) and Dan Gifford (Head of Newbuildings) to review a turbulent first half of 2026. From geopolitical disruption and freight market swings to changing trade flows and record vessel ordering, the panel explores the key forces shaping shipping markets and the outlook for the months ahead. 00:31 2026 Chaos Overview 01:54 Tanker Talk Begins 04:18 Clean vs Dirt...

Host Richard Matthews speaks with journalist Sean Matthews on the risk of a “no war, no peace” standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, as US and Iranian tensions simmer below open conflict. They unpack how Gulf states are navigating the pressure, from Qatar’s cautious diplomacy to the UAE’s exposed trade position and Saudi Arabia’s strategic balancing act, alongside rising regional rivalries, proxy conflicts, and a shifting post-American order. About Sean Matthews Covering a wide swath of the Midd...