Showing 31 - 40 of 200
The product tanker orderbook to fleet ratio has surged from 5.4% in December 2022 to 9.3% in June 2023, driven by a remarkable 337% y/y rise in contracting during the first half of this year. A spike in freight rates and product tanker demand is likely behind the surge in contracting.
From a crude oil market perspective, 2016 can be summed up as “eventful”. In January, the international sanctions on Iran were lifted, resulting in a very swift increase of their oil production capacities and subsequent re-entry into the global oil export market.
The shift in oil demand is causing shorter sailing distances, so in order to maintain the fundamental balance with the present fleet in the tanker markets, the oil demand has to grow twice as much in the East as the oil demand shrinks in the West.
VLCC spot freight rates between the Arabian Gulf and China rose 101% in the days between 13 June 2019 and 20 June 2019, in the aftermath of attacks on two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The positive demand picture that was firming freight rates on benchmark routes in all crude tanker segments towards the end of 2011 and the first two months of 2012 is still hanging around. Almost the same – that is, as Aframax tanker have seen earnings on the benchmark route in the North Sea drop during February to touch the ground before taking rates to currently USD 10,500 per day.
In the first four months of 2021, the amount of oil product tanker capacity that has been sent for demolition has already reached the total amount of demolished capacity in each of 2019 and 2020 due to unfavourable freight rates. If that pace continues for the rest of the year, an 11-year record is set to be broken.
Projected oil demand continues to slide, with growth entirely driven by non-OECD countries. OECD-demand is expected to contract by 0.4 million barrels per day (mb/d) this year and 0.1 mb/d in 2012. The 2012 forecast by IEA leaves little room for optimism, as the current estimate is as low as 1.7% (1.5 mb/d)
VLCC freight rates settled down to around USD 45,000 per day in the second half of May but continue at sustainable levels that have been the norm in that market
In 2023, sanctions on Russian oil exports by the EU caused a major shift in tanker trades and a 10% increase in average sailing distances for EU tanker imports. Now, attacks on ships in the Red Sea area have caused average sailing distances to increase a further 16% and tonne mile demand to increase 12% despite falling volumes.
Between 1996 and 2021, the lowest half-yearly tanker contracting volume was 3.0m DWT, recorded in the first half of 1999. Despite improved freight rates and a more positive market outlook, the first six months of 2022 ended with barely more than half that volume: only 1.6m DWT was contracted. Consequently, the order book to fleet ratio has fallen to 5.1% for both crude and product tankers, a ratio which is also the lowest since 1996.
