Reported spot market activity from the Arabian Gulf remains on an upward trend since 2010 in spite of rising US crude production, reports Poten & Partners’ in their latest ‘Tanker Opinions’. Over the past few years US domestic crude oil production has supplanted foreign crude oil imports. To the extent that they possibly can, domestic refiners have shifted to local grades that have trended at an often significant price discount. Interestingly, however, fixture activity on the Arabian Gulf to US Gulf trade route remains robust.