Those Dirty Little Ships in the Mist

All our professional lives we were taught that handymax tankers are built and make their profits in clean trading. Only those approaching the end of their useful lives trade dirty with worn out coatings whose replacement cost cannot be justified by the market. It was a sign that the grim breaker was nearing. Today it is quite different. Handymaxes can earn over $70,000 per day carrying dirty cargoes out of the Black Sea whereas handymaxes carrying clean cargoes out of the Caribs earn only half that amount.