By Sheela Tobben (Bloomberg) --Soaring oil-tanker costs are drying up activity in the U.S. export market as sellers are slow to lower offers and buyers are skittish, according to market participants. Some sellers have held back from offering cargoes, while others have yet to reduce their offers enough to accommodate the rising cost of shipping oil, according to 10 market … [Read more...]
Dilemma for Oil Refiners as Surging Ship Costs Kill Margins
By Serene Cheong and Sharon Cho (Bloomberg) --Oil refiners hoping for some fourth-quarter gravy are facing disappointment as surging freight rates inflate the cost of buying crude. U.S. sanctions on Chinese shipping companies and Friday’s attack on an Iranian tanker have turbo-charged transport costs, with rates on the Persian Gulf to China route at almost six times this … [Read more...]
Geopolitical Risks Send Supertanker Rates to Record Levels
By Olivia Konotey-Ahulu and Firat Kayakiran (Bloomberg) --Nothing right now is stopping a surge in oil tanker rates that’s given owners of the vessels one of the biggest boosts in years. Rates have rallied so high that a secondhand supertanker could theoretically pay for itself in a couple of voyages, according to estimates from Clarkson Platou Securities AS. A normal … [Read more...]
China Wants More Talks Before Signing Trade Deal With Trump
By Bloomberg News (Bloomberg) -- China wants to hold more talks this month to hammer out the details of the “phase one” trade deal touted by Donald Trump before Xi Jinping agrees to sign it, according to people familiar with the matter. Beijing may send a delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He, China’s top negotiator, to finalize a written deal that could be signed by the … [Read more...]
Oil Tanker Rates Roar to New Records as Geopolitical Risks Swirl
By Olivia Konotey-Ahulu and Firat Kayakiran (Bloomberg) --Nothing right now is stopping a surge in oil tanker rates that’s given owners of the vessels one of the biggest boosts in years. Rates have rallied so high that a secondhand supertanker could theoretically pay for itself in a couple of voyages, according to estimates from Clarkson Platou Securities AS. A normal … [Read more...]