By Hannah Pantos

Windstar Cruises is launching itineraries that combine river and ocean cruising without switching vessels.

If you’re torn between an ocean and river cruise, why not take both?

Windstar Cruises is leaning into river-to-ocean voyages, allowing guests to explore both kinds of waterways without changing vessels.

"Seasoned river cruisers have fallen in love with a way of traveling that’s intimate and deeply connected to place," the small-ship cruise line’s Chief Commercial Officer Janet Bava said in a news release. "But many have already sailed all the iconic rivers and are ready for the next frontier. We’re introducing a new way to cruise, with yachts that move seamlessly from rivers to the open sea, unlocking destinations that are inaccessible to traditional river ships or large ocean vessels."

Guests can choose from a range of itineraries, with a number of 2027 departures aboard Windstar’s newest yacht, the 224-guest Star Explorer, debuting in December. Those include the eight-night Connoisseur’s Delight: Northern Spain & Portugal sailing through the Garonne and Gironde rivers, the coast of Spain and more, and a 10-night Ireland Circumnavigation, where passengers can explore the River Lee and take in cliffs from beyond the shoreline.

On the eight-night Moroccan Markets & Iberian Icons itinerary, meanwhile, passengers will sail Spain’s Guadalquivir river with an extended visit to Seville, along with other stops in Valencia, Cartagena and Tangier.

River-to-cruise itineraries are available on other Windstar ships, including on Star Seeker, Star Pride and Star Legend. Prices vary by sailing, but a three-night Quick Getaways: Belgium departing on May 19, 2026, currently starts at $1,258 per person based on double occupancy.

By April Lanux

Supertanker costs in the Middle East have hit ?all-time highs, according to shipping data and industry sources on Tuesday, as the U.S.-Iran conflict intensifies with Tehran attacking ships passing through the ?Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping through the Strait between Iran and Oman, which carries around one-fifth of oil consumed globally as well as large quantities of liquefied natural gas, has ground to a near halt after vessels in the area were hit as Iran retaliated against U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The disruption and fears of prolonged closure ?have caused oil and European natural gas prices to jump, with Brent crude futures up nearly 10% this week as ?the conflict triggered multiple oil and gas shutdowns in the Middle East.

The benchmark freight rate for the very ?large crude carriers (VLCCs) used to ship 2 million barrels of oil from the Middle East to China, also known as TD3, ?rose to an all-time high of W419 on Monday on the Worldscale industry measure used to calculate freight rates, or $423,736 per day, LSEG data ?showed.

The rate had doubled from Friday, extending gains from a six-year high hit last week, after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday.

Iran has responded by attacking Gulf countries, prompting precautionary shutdowns at oil and gas facilities across the Middle East.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards senior official said on Monday that the Strait ?of Hormuz was closed and Iran would fire on any ship trying to pass, Iranian media reported.

LNG SHIPPING RATES JUMP

Daily freight rates for LNG ?tankers jumped more than 40% on Monday after Qatar halted production.

Atlantic rates rose to $61,500 per day on Monday, up 43%, or $18,750, from Friday, according ?to Spark ?Commodities, a pricing assessment agency for LNG shipping. Pacific rates rose to $41,000 per day, up 45%, or $12,750, from Friday.

Fraser Carson, principal analyst for global LNG at energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, said spot daily LNG shipping rates could rise above $100,000 this week on tight supply.

"Vessel availability for the rest of March is considered weak as cargo operators try to work through the backlog created by weather disruptions ?during February," he said.

"There will ?be very strong competition for ?any available vessels." Until safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz can be assured, shipping will remain idle, Carson said.

An oil shipbroker who declined to be named due to company policy said it was very ?difficult to assess shipping rates in the Gulf as several shipowners had suspended operations indefinitely.

Meanwhile, bunker sales at ?Fujairah, a major ?bunkering port in the United Arab Emirates, have slowed as the conflict disrupted fuel supply, spurring a jump in prices and potentially shifting demand to other ports including Singapore.

South Korean shipping firm Hyundai Glovis (086280.KS), opens new tab said on Tuesday it was preparing contingency plans including securing alternative routes and ports.

South ?Korea's maritime ?ministry issued a notice to South Korean shippers with vessels sailing in the ?Middle East, asking them to refrain from business operations in the region, an official told Reuters on Tuesday.