Reuters: US Gulf Tanker Rates Surge on Oil Spill Risks

“The rate to charter oil and product tankers in the Caribbean and US Gulf Coast region has surged by 50 percent or more over the last week as tankers confront the massive oil spill in the region and brave stormy seas, shipbrokers and analysts said on Monday. . . Poten & Partners said Aframax rates in the Caribbean/US Gulf Coast region rose to as much as $17,000 a day on Friday, from $9,300 last Monday. Rates fell back to around $13,500 a day on Monday, Poten said.”