Since the beginning of 2023 alone, 38 medium-sized tankers have been ordered globally, a record number since at least 2013.

Amid the recovery of Asian markets and the opening of new refineries, the world is witnessing a boom in tanker construction.

Bloomberg news agency on April 1, citing information from brokers, said that since the beginning of 2023, 38 medium oil tankers have been ordered to be built globally, a record number since at least 2013.

This is due to the recovery of Asian markets and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Shipbroker Braemar estimates 38 medium tankers have been ordered since the beginning of 2023.

Simpson Spence & Young said that for the whole of 2022, the international series number – one of the main ordering indicators – was assigned to 31 tankers.

The boom comes amid a market “shift” from Europe to Asia and the Middle East, where demand is recovering rapidly and new refineries are under construction, according to Bloomberg.

“This trend has made maritime shipping more profitable and accelerated the construction of new ships,” the article said.

Currently more than 200 million barrels are transported by sea. compared with 177 million barrels a year ago, according to Kpler Inc.

Buyers on the US East Coast have been buying more fuel from the Middle East and Asia as “exports from Europe dry up.”

[Oil tanker congestion due to Russia’s crude oil price ceiling measure]

According to Bloomberg, this trend has been exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine, so the need to transport fuel by tanker has increased to a record level since 2013.

In addition to oil tankers, the Financial Times (FT) previously reported on record orders to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers.

According to the FT, in 2022, the number of orders to build such ships is 163, a record level and more than double 2021.

Source: Vietnamplus