Oil Freight Rates News

U.S. penalties on shippers transporting Russian oil in breach of the G7's price cap could push more Russian cargoes onto vessels referred to as the ghost fleet and away from mainstream tankers, shipping sources and analysts told Reuters.The cap bans Western companies from providing maritime services for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel.It was designed to keep oil flowing to markets while reducing Russia's energy earnings that it can use to finance its war on Ukraine…

After a frantic week that sent crude oil freight rates to record highs amid a bookings bonanza to ship Saudi oil to the world, rates are now easing as charterers balk at the nosebleed charges and await Saudi volume plans for April, shipping sources said."Sentiment remained softer today," said one ship broker while pointing to another day of limited chartering activity.At least nine very large crude oil carrier (VLCC) provisional charters failed this week along with another five for Suezmax tankers…

U.S. crude exports to Asia, which have slumped due to record freight costs, stirred on Thursday as rates slid and the premium in Asia for Russia's ESPO Blend oil sent buyers back to U.S. grades, according to market sources.Oil shipping costs for United States Gulf Coast to Asia cooled this week from record highs on the prospect of more vessels becoming available. Nearly 300 oil tankers globally were placed off limits due to U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela.Seventeen supertankers returned to service in October after being sidelined for overhauls, as 11 entered drydocks.

Oil freight rates in the Middle East and Asia have increased by almost 20 percent today following new US sanctions on units of Chinese company COSCO for its alleged involvement in ferrying crude oil out of Iran.In what the U.S. State Department has described as “one of the largest sanctions actions the U.S. has taken” since restrictions were re-imposed on Iran in November 2018, two units of COSCO, as well as other companies, were named in claims of involvement in sanctions-breaking Iranian oil shipments.Asian oil buyers have been rushing to the shipping market to charter vessels…

VLCC spot freight rates between the Arabian Gulf and China rose 101% in the days between June 13, 2019 and June 20, 2019, in the aftermath of attacks on two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Spot freight rates for a VLCC, carrying 2 million barrels of oil, between the Arabian Gulf and China reached USD 25,994 per day on June 20, their highest level since March and significantly above the May average of USD 9,979 per day.Despite this increase, freight rates on this route only narrowly exceeds the daily break-even costs of a VLCC…

According to an August 16 report from Reuters, crude oil freight rates on major routes were mixed on Monday with the Middle East Gulf market hitting its highest in a month due to better cargo activity and tighter vessel availability as owners held back ships. The world's benchmark Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) export route from the Middle East Gulf to Japan DFRT-ME-JAP was at $21,809 a day, up from $6,185 a day last week and at the highest since mid July. (Source: Reuters)

Malaysian shipper MISC Bhd expects freight rates for crude oil to remain soft over the next two years as competitors put more new tankers to sea, Reuters reported. MISC earns 90 percent of its profits from shipping oil and liquefied natural gas. A subsidiary of state oil firm Petronas, it is the world's largest carrier of LNG. LNG is shipped under long-term contracts, but MISC still faces significant exposure to oil freight rates, with crude oil tankers accounting for 40 percent of its profits. The International Maritime Organization requires single hulled tankers to be phased out by 2010 to reduce the risk of oil spills. But the move has yet to make a dent in the world's fleet of oil tankers as more new tankers are launched.

MISC Bhd expects freight rates for crude oil to remain soft over the next two years as competitors put more new tankers to sea. MISC earns 90% of its profits from shipping oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). A subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), the world's largest carrier of LNG. LNG is shipped under long-term contracts, but MISC still faces significant exposure to oil freight rates, with crude oil tankers accounting for 40% of its profits. The IMO requires single hulled tankers to be phased out by 2010 to reduce the risk of oil spills. But the move has yet to make a dent in the world's fleet of oil tankers as more new tankers are launched. The Baltic Exchange's Dirty Tanker Index stands about 60% lower than its historic peak in November 2004.

On Tuesday, Stena Bulk in Gothenburg christened its second C-MAX Class crude oil tanker, the Stena Calypso. The christening took place at the quayside in Gothenburg and the vessel’s godmother was Rosalind Simmons, wife of His Excellency Peter Simmons, High Commissioner for Barbados in London. The tanker will be deployed in the Caribbean. Like her sister ship the Stena Caribbean, the Stena Calypso is a high-safety vessel built for service in environmentally sensitive waters. She is characterised by extremely high manoeuvrability thanks to stern propellers, which can be rotated 360°, and a bow propeller, a double bottom and integrated steering and navigation instrumentation.