Fairplay: Senate Weighs US Crude Export Ban

“Tanker market consultancy Poten & Partners noted in a 24 January report that while the Aframax sector has been “overshadowed by its bigger sisters in recent years,” it remains a significant percentage of the fleets of the largest oil companies, including BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil, and those vessels stand to gain from lifting the ban. “Looking forward, the discussion for new crude oil exports hinges largely on new projects in Canada and the uncertainty of exports from the United States,” Poten said. “If and when infrastructure and political whims enable crude oil movements from these major producers, the vessel of choice could likely be Aframaxes.”