Hugo De Stoop News

Belgian tanker operator Euronav announced Tuesday that its CEO Hugo De Stoop is stepping down after nearly two decades with the company, including four years as CEO.Euronav said its CFO Lieve Logghe will serve as interim CEO as the company searches for a new CEO. Lieve, who joined the group in 2020, will also continue in her role as CFO.De Stoop will remain available to Euronav as a senior advisor until his permanent successor is appointed, the company said.De Stoop joined Euronav…

Belgian oil tanker and storage operator Euronav reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and core earnings on Thursday, supported by an improvement in freight rates, and proposed raising its dividend. "The counter seasonal strength recorded in Q1 underpins our view that strong and durable drivers are in place to continue a multi-year upcycle in large crude tanker freight markets," CEO Hugo De Stoop said in an earnings statement. Euronav, one of the largest oil tanker companies in the world…

Belgian oil tanker and storage operator Euronav EUAV.BR reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, driven by large crude tanker recovery and seasonal demand for crude oil.The tanker market, which has battled low earnings since the pandemic first hit oil demand, got a boost last year as Russia diverted oil exports from Europe, mainly to Asia, after many Western buyers turned to other suppliers in retaliation for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last February."The EU embargo on Russian oil ...

Euronav's core profit was more than ten times higher in the third quarter than in the same period last year as the recovery in large crude tanker freight rates accelerated, the Belgian oil tanker and storage operator said on Thursday. The crude shipping market, which has battled with low earnings since the pandemic first hit oil demand, is now seeing freight rates recover, while this year's trade flow disruptions due to sanctions on Russia have driven shipping activity. Chief…

Oil tanker firm Euronav has ordered two Suezmax tankers from South Korea's Daehan Shipbuilding for an undisclosed fee.The vessels will be sister ships to Cedar (2022 -157,310 dwt) and Cypress (2022 – 157,310 dwt), built at the same yard. Both vessels are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2024. "The vessels are the latest generation of eco-Suezmax tankers and are fitted with both Exhaust Gas Scrubber technology and Ballast Water Treatment systems. The vessels have the structural notation to be LNG Ready…

Belgian oil tanker and storage operator Euronav on Thursday reported sharply higher quarterly earnings, but despite a freight market recovery, rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) remained low, sending its shares down more than 4%."Management has good reason to be more optimistic on the winter season," ING's analyst Quirijn Mulder said after the group, which provides crude oil shipping and storage services, said freight rates had improved substantially since March.Chief Executive Officer Hugo De Stoop said in a statement that recent trading data…

Belgian oil tanker and storage operator Euronav on Thursday reported a 30% increase in its quarterly core profit, helped by recovering freight rates and a positive impact from the war in Ukraine."The conflict in Ukraine has driven considerable dislocation in tanker market freight patterns as sanctions and so-called self-sanctioning by market participants has driven ton-mile growth," Chief Executive Officer Hugo De Stoop said in a statement.Ton mile is an industry measure incorporating volumes and distance.Euronav…

Belgian oil tanker group Euronav and smaller Oslo-listed rival Frontline plan to merge in an all-stock transaction valued at $4.2 billion that they said would cut costs and help in their low-carbon transition.Euronav shareholders will own 59% of the combined group and will also receive a cash dividend before the deal closes, while Frontline owners will hold the remaining 41%, the companies said in a statement on Thursday.The merged company will use the Frontline name and will…

Euronav deepened its quarterly net loss as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus dragged on the recovery of the crude tanker market, the Belgian shipping group said on Thursday."We believe this is a temporary pause," Chief Executive Hugo De Stoop said in a statement, predicting a rebound in oil supply, restocking requirements of global crude inventory and consumption to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.Output cuts by the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries have constrained global crude oil exports during the pandemic…

Euronav on Thursday pointed to a recovery in freight rates, after the oil shipping and storage operator swung to a loss in a "challenging" third quarter.The tanker industry has been under pressure this year as global crude oil exports have been constrained by OPEC+ output cuts and as COVID-19 outbreaks have continued to depress demand, delaying any recovery in freight rates.But the Antwerp-based group, which provides crude oil shipping and storage services, flagged positive developments contributing to a strong recovery in activity since early September.Euronav's shares pared early losses to s

More than 150 leading companies and organizations including oil majors and port authorities on Wednesday called for the global shipping industry to be fully decarbonized by 2050, urging governments to step up action warning time was limited.With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions and the sector is under growing pressure to get cleaner.UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has said it aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050…

Belgium's Euronav, which provides shipping and storage services for crude oil, swung to a second-quarter loss, it said on Thursday, as recovering demand for oil and easing production cuts had yet to lead to better shipping rates.The Antwerp-based group posted a loss of $89.7 million for the period compared to a $259.6 million profit a year earlier."Improving crude demand and the tapering of OPEC+ production cuts have yet to translate into freight rate recovery," Chief Executive…

Tanker shipping company Euronav on Tuesday announced it has signed onto a joint development program (JDP) to develop dual fuel ammonia (NH3)-fitted tankers.The company said it will work alongside the world's largest shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), and classification societies Lloyd’s Register and DNV in an effort to accelerate the development of NH3-powered very large crude carrier (VLCC) and Suezmax vessels. The initial term of the project will be three years.In addition…

Several shipping industry executives have voiced their support for Maersk Tankers and are demanding government action to debark nearly 30 migrants from one of its tankers stranded off Malta.Maersk Tankers said its operated tanker Maersk Etienne has been stuck at sea since August 4 when its crew rescued 27 migrants from a wooden dinghy that had been adrift for days. Maltese, Tunisian, Italian and Libyan authorities have denied entry, leaving the migrants to sleep on mattresses and blankets on board…

Ship owners are postponing or canceling the installation of “scrubbers” that extract harmful sulphur emissions from their vessels as the coronavirus pandemic tightens finances.Regulations from United Nations agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which took effect in January, were viewed by the oil and shipping industries as one of the first worldwide efforts to enforce environmental change.The rules aimed to make ships use fuel with a sulphur content of 0.5%, compared with 3.5% previously. Operators had the alternative option to install devices - scrubbers - to strip out the pollutant, which causes lung problems among humans and contributes to acidification of oceans and acid rain…

Belgium-based Euronav has ordered two very large crude carriers (VLCC) from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho, with an option for a third.The fuel-efficient newbuilds will be liquefied natural gas (LNG)-ready, and Euronav said it is working in cooperation with the yard and classification society to include an Ammonia-ready notation with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions to zero when technology, logistics and the regulatory framework allows for it.The ships will also be fitted with exhaust gas scrubber technology and ballast water treatment systems.Hugo De Stoop…

Hydrogen is touted as an inevitable green fuel of the future. Tell that to the people who'll have to ship it across the globe at hyper-cold temperatures close to those in outer space.Yet that is exactly what designers are attempting to do.In the biggest technological challenge for merchant shipping in decades, companies are beginning to develop a new generation of vessels that can deliver hydrogen to heavy industry, betting plants worldwide will convert to the fuel and propel the transition to a lower-carbon economy.There are at least three projects developing pilot ships that will be ready to test transporting the fuel in Europe and Asia within the next three years…

Ship assessors are resorting to virtual inspections of oil tankers to keep vessels afloat, as the coronavirus pandemic makes physical visits to check for seaworthiness tougher and a slump in fuel demand increases the need for ships as storage.Oil tankers require rigorous inspections twice a year to reduce the risk of oil spills or mechanical collapse with polluting cargoes onboard.But the global pandemic has disrupted international trade, leaving merchant seafarers stuck on ships…

Belgian tanker operator Euronav reported record-high second-quarter earnings on Thursday but warned that floating storage demand had eased sooner than it expected.The company, which operates shipping and storage of crude oil, benefited from soaring demand for oil storage at sea as buyers struggled to find storage space on land for surplus crude during a global economic slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic.“Tanker markets continued to deliver strong earnings throughout Q2 and into the early part of the third quarter", Chief Executive Hugo De Stoop said in a statement, but noted floating sto

Belgian tanker operator Euronav said Tuesday it had entered into a sale and leaseback agreement for the very large crude carrier Newton with China's Taiping & Sinopec Financial Leasing Ltd Co. The VLCC was sold for $36 million."The transaction produced a capital gain of about $2.4 million. After repayment of the existing debt, the transaction generated $19 million free cash," Euronav said.The company has now leased back the 2009-built, 307,284 DWT VLCC under a 36-month bareboat contract at an average rate of $22,500 per day.

Belgian tanker operator Euronav said it has reached a deal to acquire two Suezmax tankers currently under construction at the Daehan Shipyard in South Korea for a total purchase price of $113 million. Both vessels are due for delivery in January 2022.The vessels are the latest generation of Suezmax Eco-type tankers, fitted with exhaust gas scrubbers and ballast water treatment systems. The vessels have LNG-ready notation, and Euronav said it is working with the shipyard to obtain ammonia-ready notation…

Belgium's Euronav expects pressure on freight rates to continue until late 2021, the tanker operator said as it reported weaker than expected quarterly results on Thursday, citing OPEC+ export cuts because of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on demand for oil.The company, one of the world's largest tanker companies, benefited from soaring demand for oil storage at sea in early 2020 as buyers struggled to find space for surplus crude when demand collapsed during the first wave of the pandemic.However, reduced OPEC+ exports limited oil oversupply in the second half of the year."As a result, the ma

Belgian tanker operator Euronav on Thursday reported higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings, but said the shipping market was pressured by restricted crude supply and a slow recovery in freight rates.The group, one of the largest tanker companies in the world, said COVID-19 restrictions were depressing demand for crude oil and high levels of compliance with OPEC+ output supply cuts have restricted the number of cargoes available for commercial transit, deferring a recovery in freight rates.The Antwerp-based company posted earnings before interest…