Skating on thick ice

摘要

Now we are well into summer in Europe it may seem strange tim- ing to be writing about ice, but with sound, counter cyclical, wisdom, LSE is turning its attention to the increasing numbers of orders being placed for ice class tankers, mainly to serve the expected rise in oil exports from northern ports subject to ice restrictions in winter. This article will review the makeup of the existing ice class tanker fleet, ordering trends, the strategies of those shipowners ordering ice class tonnage and the costs and benefits of doing so. Using unique data from the Lloyd's MIU (Maritime Intelligence Unit) ship movements database it will also look at how the current ice class fleet is deployed.