Lloyd’s List: Baltic Sea Aframax Earnings Rise $11,000 Overnight

“Earnings for aframax crude tankers able to operate in icy Baltic Sea waters rocketed up by more than $11,000 overnight amid a sharp rise in demand for ice-class tonnage. According to shipbroker Poten & Partners, an extension of the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS-2) came online earlier this year, which — in conjunction with a new terminal at an end-point of the system in Ust-Luga — has created additional Baltic Sea export options for crude producers in the Former Soviet Union region. When BPS-2 opened for business, exports decreased out of the Black Sea, directly benefiting Baltic Sea exports via Ust-Luga, Poten said.”