One of the most famous names in German shipping died on May 22. Bertram Rickmers, 71, fell down some stairs while celebrating his wife’s 60th birthday.

The risk of casualties from the growing so-called opaque fleet manifested in Southeast Asia again where an uninsured aframax tanker exploded in Malaysian waters with three crewmembers dying. With Russia joining Iran and Venezuela in seeking vintage tonnage to shift cargoes as sanctions rain in, and major class societies, managers,...