Caspian tanker surplus

摘要

The cost of crude and products transportation from Turkmen Caspian Sea ports to Russian and Azeri terminals could fall slightly this month, because of a surplus of tanker capacity, market participants say. “Tonnage availability clearly exceeds demand, because the freight base is unlikely to grow this winter,” one market participant says. This could put pressure on freight rates for crude and product shipments from Turkmen ports to Azeri terminals and Russia’s Caspian Sea port of Makhachkala. The cost shipping from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan could fall by $3.00-4.80/t, to $7.00-8.00/t in December, market participants say. Freight rates from the Turkmen ports of Okarem and Aladja, to Baku and Sangachal in Azerbaijan were $10.00-12.80/t in November (see table). Rates from the same Turkmen ports to Makhachkala were $16.00-18.90/t