Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) — The total number of new vessels joining the global fleet this year is expected to be as much as 220, about the same as 2012 deliveries, according to London-based shipbroker E.A. Gibson.
As many as 40 very large crude carriers are expected to join the fleet in 2013, down from 49 deliveries last year, Gibson said in an e-mailed report today. As many as 90 medium-range tankers will be delivered this year, up from 61 in 2012, as orders for new ships increased during the last 18 months, according to Gibson.
The influx of new oil tankers entering the global fleet declined 24 percent last year as 215 new tankers were delivered, down from 282 in 2011, Gibson said. About 60 VLCCs and 90 Medium Range tankers joined the fleet in 2011, the shipbroker said. A VLCC can haul 2 million barrels of crude. A Medium Range tanker is able to ship about 315,000 barrels of refined oil-product, including gasoline and diesel.
– Rob Sheridan, Copyright 2013 Bloomberg.