U.S. oil import prices fell 7.5% in July; non-oil import prices rose 0.3% in July.

UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Aug 18 it received a report that a vessel departing the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile, damaging its engine room; one crew member was injured and may have died. Remaining crew were rescued by the Oman coastguard.

Aug. 18 — Tianwan nuclear plant unit 7 in Lianyungang, Jiangsu completed initial fuel loading and has entered fueled commissioning, advancing toward reactor criticality, grid connection and commercial operation. Units 7 and 8 under construction are 1.265 GW each with a 60‑year design life; the project targets commercial operation in 2026 and 2027 respectively. Tianwan plans eight units in total; units 1–6 are already operational and have supplied over 500 billion kWh. With all eight online, total capacity will exceed 9 GW, annual output about 70 billion kWh and CO2 emissions would be cut by roughly 57.4 million tonnes per year.