TradeWinds: Aframaxes To See Initial US Export Gain

22 Dec 2015: “The end of the US crude export ban will help aframax tankers at first as a result of limited export infrastructure for larger tankers, Poten & Partners says. The New York shipbroker’s weekly tanker opinion says only US Gulf ports have the ability to load crude on vessels for export, and most only can handle aframaxes. Some will be able to load suezmaxes in the future. “VLCCs may be utilised in the short term if the economics support reverse lightering in the US Gulf,” Poten said. “Aframax exports will likely focus on Europe and Latin America, Poten said. “The shipbrokerage said products tanker impacts will depend on the relative competitiveness of US Gulf refiners. ‘The lifting of the US crude oil export ban will probably be a net negative for the US JonesAct market,’ Poten said.”