Tanker freight rates expected to rise from 4Q: Appec

Tanker freight rates are expected to pick up in October-December and into next year's first quarter on recovering demand for dirty tankers, delegates said at the S&P Global Commodity Insights Appec conference in Singapore.

Clean tanker freight rates for Long Range (LR) 2 and LR1 vessels fell in the third quarter because of competition from dirty tankers, Rohit Radhakrishnan, general manager, tanker and gas, Pacific Carriers, said at the conference on 11 September.

Rates were dampened on higher competition from increased vessel supply, largely because several dirty tankers such as very large crude carriers (VLCCs) switched to ship clean products. A fully laden VLCC equates to slightly more than three LR2 cargoes, which are the vessels normally used to ship diesel and gasoil from the Middle East to Europe.

This was in line with a trend since July when several dirty tankers such as VLCCs were booked to carry clean petroleum products from the Mideast Gulf and Asia to Europe, given weak seasonal demand for VLCCs in the northern hemisphere and higher time-charter equivalent (TCE) rates for clean LR vessels.

But the dirty tanker freight market has risen since late last week. With the recent increase in demand for dirty tankers, its $/t discount with clean tankers has decreased, said Peter Kolding, vice president of commercial and pool management at Hafnia, a tanker company. As the winter season is also coming up, demand should increase, lending a general recovery in the fourth-quarter rates, Kolding added.

VLCC freight rates have steadily moved higher from about 11 months-low because of active chartering activity late last week, with several freight participants also noting that they have already touched a bottom and should continue rebounding. The Argus-assessed rate for a VLCC carrying a dirty cargo from the Mideast Gulf to southeast Asia rose to $7.52/t on 11 September, from the 11 months-low of $6.49/t on 4 September.

Tanker freight rates in 2025 will still be strong compared with past years, Radhakrishnan said, but might be slightly weaker than in 2024. With freight rates in the first quarter being seasonally strong, the market should be off to a good start, Kolding added, but noted that "we still got to keep an eye on geopolitical effects."

The Red Sea conflict has played a huge part in freight rates this year because of increased tonne-mile demand and costs as vessels reroute through the Cape of Good Hope, said Kolding, adding that it would take a while for the conflict to be resolved.

Rates could also find further support if crude prices continue to fall, attracting charterers to book tankers such as VLCCs as offshore storage for oil, the conference moderator said.

By Sean Zhuang