- Despite crude oil’s rebound from six-year lows, the tanker market is sending a clear signal that the rally is under threat, according to a Bloomberg analysis.
- A surge in demand for supertankers drove benchmark charter rates 57% higher in the two weeks through May 20; OPEC will have almost 500M barrels of oil in transit to buyers at the start of June, the most this year, while analysts say ~20M barrels is being stored on ships in another indication the supply glut has yet to dissipate.
- Daily rates for supertankers on the industry’s benchmark route reached $83,412 on May 20, from $52,987 on May 6, according to the Baltic Exchange; while rates have since retreated to $65,784, they are still the highest for this time of year since at least 2008.
- "There still seems to be a lot of physical activity, a lot of oil on the water," says the head of research at Hartland Shipping in London; while Q2 is usually quieter as refineries switch to summer fuels for the Northern Hemisphere, “the market is still busy and rates are incredibly high.”
- Relevant tickers: FRO, TK, TNK, TOO, TGP, TNP, GLNG, STNG, NAT, DHT, EURN