A file image from March 2, 2024, shows the Chinese-flagged VLCC supertanker Cosnew Lake, which exited the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on July 23, 2026. VLADIMIR TONIC/Handout via REUTERS
By Weilun Soon
Sep 24, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A supercharged rally in tanker earnings is attracting new investors to the global shipping industry, as the war in Iran points to how geopolitical crises can drastically curtail the supply of vessels.
Very large crude carriers, the workhorses of the tanker fleet, have seen average daily earnings spike nearly twenty-fold this year. The upheaval caused by the Middle East has spread to smaller tankers and other vessel types, offering owners the chance to command higher freight rates and values for their ships.
Financial investors are piling into the sector. An exchange-traded fund tracking freight futures, the Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF, has climbed an eye-popping 3,700% this year.
At a shipping finance forum in Singapore this week, the consensus among owners, brokers, bankers and lawyers was the market still hasn’t reached its peak. Global economic and political conditions haven’t been this volatile in decades. Moreover, shipping companies now sit on ample cash they can use to strengthen their balance sheets, which in turn is making them more attractive to investors.
“I think friction is there to stay. It will be sometimes more intense than at other times, but the genie is out of the bottle now,” said Philip Clausius, managing partner at Transport Capital, a maritime financial advisory firm. “That’s obviously net positive for shipping.”
The world’s shipping fleet is expected to generate more than $300 billion in profit this year, compared to around $200 billion in 2025, said Abhishek Pandey, Standard Chartered Plc’s global head of transportation finance, citing industry data. The bank has seen growing interest from family offices, private credit and equity investors wanting to tap into the sector, he said.
Read more: Giant Oil Supertanker Orders Eclipse Record Set in 2008
Oil carriers have drawn much of the limelight given the Middle East’s outsized role in supply. One-year charter rates for VLCCs have almost tripled from a year ago to nearly $150,000 a day, according to Veson Nautical, a data and analytics firm. Ship prices have spiked as a result, with some older VLCCs now commanding a premium over new vessels as shipowners prioritize immediate availability.
A nearly-new supertanker was recently resold to a buyer for a record $200 million, said Matthew Freeman, vice president of valuation and analytics at Veson. Some participants at the Singapore conference said resale prices could potentially rise further in coming weeks.
One concern is the rush to build new ships could crater freights rates in years to come. Shipyards were busy even before the war, and the rally has only prompted more orders. The percentage of VLCCs under construction compared to the current fleet is 38%, compared to 14% a year ago, said Freeman.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
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At least two liquefied natural gas shipments transited the Strait of Hormuz this week as producers look for ways to increase flows to a market struggling with a lack of supply and surging prices.
Oil extended a decline on signs that supply disruptions in the Middle East are set to ease, with Saudi Arabia seeking to partially restore flows along a vital pipeline.
Three liquefied natural gas cargoes loaded in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been transferred between ships outside the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks for delivery to India and Japan, according to ship-tracking firms.
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