Tanker Firm Frontline Upbeat About Euronav Tie-up
Frontline signaled optimism over its planned merger with rival Euronav on Tuesday, supported by recovering oil tanker markets in the first quarter and expectations of tight vessel supply in the coming years.The crude shipping market has struggled with low earnings since the pandemic first hit oil transport demand two years ago.This year's sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine has disrupted trade flows, however, and both crude and oil products take longer voyages to reach European markets…
Belgium's Euronav Posts 2Q Loss on Low Oil Tanker Demand
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…
London's Baltic, China's Ningbo Exchanges in Container Link
London's Baltic Exchange and Chinese state-owned Ningbo Shipping Exchange said on Friday they would collaborate on container indices, the first foray by the Baltic into this segment of the freight market. Sources told Reuters in early October that the London Metal Exchange, which is owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing , had made an informal approach to the Baltic to acquire it. In a first step, Ningbo's weekly containerised freight index - which tracks rates on various routes - would be published on the Baltic's website, the exchanges said. A Baltic spokesman said it would work with Ningbo to do "more in the container space". Baltic chief executive Jeremy Penn said separately the move underlined its "ever-closer ties with the Chinese market".
Is The Tanker Top Near?
Oil tanker markets are again knocking at price barriers with year-highs expected to tumble as demand exceeds supply of modern ships, brokers were reporting. Shortages of high quality oil company approved vessels were causing rates to peak for Suezmaxes in the Mediterranean and West Africa and for Suezmaxes in the North Sea. July cargo demand for VLCCs in the Middle East was also seen possibly puncturing previous highs for the year. Strong demand from Western loading areas could deplete a potential 68 vessels available in the Middle East, of which just half were modern, broker E.A. Gibson said in a report. "(This) should contribute to a further upturn in rates," the broker said. Westbound VLCC rates have remained stable all week at W87.5-90 ($15.50 per ton) for the U.S. Gulf.
Transatlantic Clean Tanker Rates Skyrocket
Clean oil tanker markets heated up, with transatlantic rates going through the roof and Mediterranean and Mideast rates also strong, brokers said. Price differentials and the U.S. cold snap have slammed gasoline shipping prices into the W200 region, from a previous W150 for 33,000 tons, brokers said. Brokers warned that the high volumes of fixing at sky-rocketing rates would inevitably lead to a number of charters failing to be concluded in all regions.
