Oil Tanker Owners Drop in Wake of Shock Move By OPEC+

Benchmark trade route has been loss-making for about a month OPEC+ move ‘disappointing’ as demand is strong: Frontline CEO

March 5, 2021 Stu Turley Crude Oil News, Fossil, International News
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The Achilleas is a vessel known as a Very Large Crude Carrier. Photographer: Demosthenes Kyriakoulis/MarineTraffic.com

OPEC+’s surprise move to keep a lid on crude exports is hitting oil tanker owners afresh.

Shares of owners giant supertankers including Frontline Ltd., International Seaways Inc. and DHT Holdings Inc. all fell late Thursday and into Friday. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies wrong-footed oil traders on Thursday by keeping oil production for April almost unchanged when the market had been expecting more barrels.

Earnings for giant crude carriers turned negative this year

For months now, the tanker market has been plagued by an oversupply of ships, a lack of volume sailing at sea as OPEC+ keeps a strict lid on production, and a huge unwinding of vessels that had been storing cargoes. That’s pushed rates on the benchmark Saudi Arabia-to-China route below zero since the start of February, meaning owners are effectively subsidizing cargo deliveries. OPEC+’s latest move will mean fewer cargoes, compounding the tough start to 2021.

“It’s a disappointment, as I’m in the camp of believers in demand being strong,” said Lars Barstad, interim chief executive officer of Frontline Ltd.’s commercial management company. “Non-OPEC will benefit here. The U.S., North Sea, Brazil and others will all thrive,” boosting long-distance cargo trades.

KEY MOVES:
  • Frontline falls as much as 4.1% in Oslo
  • International Seaways Inc. fell 4.9% Thursday
  • DHT Holdings Inc. fell 3% on Thursday

There had been hope that OPEC and its allies would add supplies back to the market at their meeting on Thursday. With seaborne supply now set to be withheld for longer, any recovery has now been pushed back.

“The mood is depressed,” said Halvor Ellefsen, a tanker broker at Fearnleys. “A continuation of the cuts is the last thing we needed.”

Still, while the cuts may be bad news in the short-term, they might also speed a recovery in the tanker market when the time comes, he said.

Global oil stockpiles could end up falling by 4.1 million barrels a day in the first quarter, according to Citigroup Inc. The faster and more severely OPEC+ tightens oil supply, the more urgently oil refineries may need crude as economies ease restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19. And that would ultimately mean more cargoes.

“In the end, both oil and tanker markets will need volume to increase,” Barstad said.

About Stu Turley 3334 Articles
Stuart Turley is President and CEO of Sandstone Group, a top energy data, and finance consultancy working with companies all throughout the energy value chain. Sandstone helps both small and large-cap energy companies to develop customized applications and manage data workflows/integration throughout the entire business. With experience implementing enterprise networks, supercomputers, and cellular tower solutions, Sandstone has become a trusted source and advisor.   He is also the Executive Publisher of www.energynewsbeat.com, the best source for 24/7 energy news coverage, and is the Co-Host of the energy news video and Podcast Energy News Beat. Energy should be used to elevate humanity out of poverty. Let's use all forms of energy with the least impact on the environment while being sustainable without printing money. Stu is also a co-host on the 3 Podcasters Walk into A Bar podcast with David Blackmon, and Rey Trevino. Stuart is guided by over 30 years of business management experience, having successfully built and help sell multiple small and medium businesses while consulting for numerous Fortune 500 companies. He holds a B.A in Business Administration from Oklahoma State and an MBA from Oklahoma City University.

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