John Fredriksen made a bold bid to combine his Frontline tanker company with Belgium’s Euronav. The merger has been fiercely contended by Euronav’s largest shareholder, the Saverys family who run Compagnie Maritime Belge.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated shipping headlines all month with a dozen merchant ships hit by artillery, many seafarers injured and shipping routes out of the Black Sea severely disrupted.

Rolling lockdowns across China, including the country’s l...