Fairplay: Suezmax Fixture Rose in 2011

“Then number of VLCC and Suezmax fixtures increased last year from 2010 totals, but the reverse was the case in smaller ship sizes, a tanker broker reported. VLCC fixtures increased from 1,738 in 2010 to 1,922 in 2011, while Suezmax fixtures increased from 1,847 to 1,876, said the report from Poten & Partners of New York. However, Aframax fixtures declined from 4,314 to 4,186 and Panamax from 796 to 686 in the same period, the broker said in a newsletter. These figures reflect the rising importance of China. Of the 586 contracts Unipec fixed for all vessel types in 2011, 449 (or 77%) were for VLCCs. This made it the second-largest charterer after Shell, which fixed 661 vessels in 2011, and ahead of BP, which fixed 422 tankers of all types.”