Asia demand lifts US VLCC rates to 4-month high

Spanish Market: Crude oil, Freight
21/05/24

Rates for 2mn bl very large crude carriers (VLCCs) on the US Gulf coast reached four-month highs on 17 May amid elevated Asia-Pacific demand for US crude, especially in China.

The rate to ship 270,000t of crude from the US Gulf coast to China, including $250,000 Corpus Christi, Texas, load-port fees, climbed by 11.6pc from 7-17 May to $10.1mn lumpsum, or $4.85/bl for WTI, the highest level since 12 January, according to Argus data. A surge of demand in the first half of May reduced tonnage in the Atlantic basin as Chinese refiners eye the end of a heavy refinery maintenance season.

Over that span, the time-charter equivalent (TCE) rate, which reflects daily earnings for shipowners, for a scrubber-fitted VLCC hauling crude from Corpus Christi to Ningbo, China, increased by about $9,150/d to $50,613/d, according to Argus data.

Similarly, the US Gulf coast-Rotterdam VLCC rate on 17 May matched its highest level since 11 January, reaching $4.95mn lumpsum, or $2.38/bl for WTI, including load-port fees, after Asia-Pacific demand limited the amount of VLCCs available for shipments to Europe.

The rally comes amid rising onshore inventories of crude in China. Stocks increased to 924mn bl in the week ended 19 May, the most in nearly five months, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa.

"An expected increase in refinery utilization during the third quarter justifies inventory building during (the second quarter), while the current import trend and ongoing refinery maintenance may imply less sharp inventory builds during May-June compared to last year," shipbroker BRS said.

Last year, Chinese inventories of crude shot up to 1.02bn bl at the end of July from about 925mn bl at the end of April, Vortexa data show.

A slower pace of inventory builds may create a less volatile environment for VLCCs compared to last year, BRS said.

By Tray Swanson

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16/05/25

US House panel votes down Republican megabill

Washington, 16 May (Argus) — A key committee in the US House of Representatives voted today to reject a massive budget bill backed by President Donald Trump, as far-right conservatives demanded deeper cuts to clean energy tax credits and social spending programs. The House Budget Committee failed to pass the budget reconciliation bill in a 16-21 vote, with four House Freedom Caucus members — Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Josh Brecheen (R-Oklahoma) and Andrew Clyde (R-Georgia) — voting no alongside Democrats. A fifth Republican voted no for procedural reasons. The failed vote will force Republicans to consider major changes to the bill before it comes up for a vote on the House floor as early as next week. Republican holdouts say the bill would fall short of their party's promises to cut the deficit, particularly because it would front-load increased spending and back-load cuts. The bill is set to add $3.3 trillion to the deficit, or $5.2 trillion if temporary provisions were permanent, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Some critics of the bill said the proposed cut of $560bn in clean energy tax credits is not enough, because the bill would retain some tax credits for new wind and solar projects. "A lot of these credits have been in existence for 30 or 40 years, and you talk about giveaways, we want to help those who really need help," Norman said ahead of his no vote. "That's the heart of this. Sadly, I'm a no until we get this ironed out." Negotiations will fall to House speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who can only lose three votes when the bill comes up for a vote by the full House. But stripping away more of the energy tax credits enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act could end up costing Johnson votes among moderates. More than a dozen Republicans on 14 May asked to pare back newly proposed restrictions on the remaining clean energy tax credits. Ahead of the failed vote, Trump had pushed Republicans to support what he calls the "Big Beautiful Bill". In a social media post, he said "Republicans MUST UNITE" in support of the bill and said the party did not need "GRANDSTANDERS". The failed vote has parallels to the struggles that Democrats had in 2021 before the implosion of their push to pass their sprawling "Build Back Better" bill, which was later revived as the Inflation Reduction Act. Republicans say they will work over the weekend on a compromise. The House Budget Committee has scheduled another hearing at 10pm on 18 May to attempt to vote again on the budget package, but any changes to the measure would occur later, through an amendment released before the bill comes up for a vote on the House floor. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trump says US will soon set new tariff rates

16/05/25

Trump says US will soon set new tariff rates

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Kuwait's Kufpec gets OK to develop Indonesian gas field

16/05/25

Kuwait's Kufpec gets OK to develop Indonesian gas field

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Global dry bulk trade to contract in 2025: Star Bulk

15/05/25

Global dry bulk trade to contract in 2025: Star Bulk

New York, 15 May (Argus) — Dry bulk shipowner Star Bulk projects the total volume of global dry bulk volumes to fall by 1.2pc in 2025, largely due to lower global dry bulk exports to China Coal is projected to suffer the largest declines in global export volumes among major bulk commodities as China and India's domestic coal production growth is outpacing its consumption growth, creating downside risks for 2025 imports, according to Star Bulk. The global coal trade is expected to fall by 3.2pc on the year, down to 1.3bn t for 2025. China is also trying to increase its own grain productionand is "engaging in [genetically modified] crops" which will put downward pressure on its seaborne grain imports, according to Star Bulk. The global grain trade is projected to decline by 2.1pc on the year, down to 524mn t in 2025. For global iron ore exports the outlook is less clear. Low Chinese domestic production and stocks may increase demand but rising protectionist measures from steel-importing nations could curb Chinese steel production for the coming quarters, according to Star Bulk. Increases in minor bulk exports, such as bauxite or fertilizers, will rise on the year but not enough to mitigate decreases in major bulk volumes. The volume of minor bulk trade is expected to grow by 0.4pc on the year, driven by higher bauxite exports out of west Africa. Star Bulk's fleet consists of 150 bulk carriers including 17 Newscastlemaxes, 16 Capesizes, 38 Kamsarmaxes and 48 Ultramaxes. Star Bulk reported a first quarter profit of $462,000, down from $74mn in the same quarter the previous year. By Charlotte Bawol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Казахстан перераспределил тариф на транзит нефти в Китай

15/05/25

Казахстан перераспределил тариф на транзит нефти в Китай

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