Tradewinds: Shell Stays Top

“Shell has hung onto its crown as the largest spot charterer of oil tankers. It fought off competition from Exxon Mobile and BP in the race for the 2008 title, Poten & Partners says. Shell fixed 696 vessels on the spot last year, giving it a 7% share of the market. Exxon finished in second place, narrowly ahead of BP, taking 498 vessels compared to the 444 chartered by its rival. Data from New York-based Poten & Partners shows only one shift among the top five charterers during the past year. Chartering and Shipping SA jumped into fourth spot ahead of Vitol Group. The companies fixed 359 and 344 tankers respectively. Clearlake Shipping, Chevron and ConocoPhillips also made it into the top 10, alongside new entries, Petroleo Brasileiro (266 vessels) and Unipec who took 237. The top 10 charterers accounted for 40% of all oil tankers fixed on the spot market last year.”