Tanker

摘要

The tanker market has started feeling the heat of oversupply,rnwith rates for VLCCs and Suezmaxes softening. However, ratesrnfor Aframaxes strengthened somewhat with the rise in winterrndemand and delays in the Mediterranean and Turkish straits. Thernincrease in winter demand also strengthened freight rates for cleanrntankers, as the demand for various products rose in different partsrnof the world. Still, the increase in chartering activity in the cleanrntankers was mainly on account of arbitrage trade, as high productrninventories led to a fall in product prices.rnAs the oil trade growth is expected to decline on high inventories,rnthe seasonal boost received by Aframaxes and clean tankers isrnlikely to wane, leading to weakening freight rates even for thesernvessel segments. Any major fallout of the Iranian missile launch onrnthe oil market is less likely, as the US is not expected to imposernmajor sanctions except on some firms and individuals. In the assetrnmarket, newbuilding activity is expected to remain weak becausernof the bearish freight market outlook.