Oct 14, 2021
Scrubber installations have shaped the employability and demand of VLCC tankers in a globally depressed crude freight market in 2021.
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The Baltic Exchange pricing benchmarks are now accessible in conjunction with Vortexa’s market-leading analytics to provide a powerful combination for charterers, shipowners and freight analysts with the sharpest actionable insights available in the market.
The global middle distillate market looks finely poised for this quarter as we enter a period of seasonally higher diesel consumption in the Atlantic Basin and rising east to west shipments.
We work out the reasons for the price rally, as well as the differences between oil and gas, concluding with perspectives for the next 6-12 months.
In this webinar, Vortexa’s Lead Analyst, Serena Huang, China Market Analyst, Emma Li, and Lead Freight Analyst, Arthur Richier, discussed some new opportunities and trading strategies that have evolved as a result of this new oil regime.
As the world tries to shake off the pandemic, Vortexa looks at top-level tanker demand trends to understand how the Crude and CPP markets have fared compared to the pre-covid period, the previous quarter and what is in store for the future.
Interesting details in dirty markets emerge, with crude floating in the North Sea and fuel oil increasingly targeting power generation markets. Emerging signs of higher supplies in LNG, naphtha, and diesel may dampen the market at the margin.
Puzzling trends are emerging in the North Sea crude market with Forties cargoes increasingly seen offshore UK, yet at the same time Johan Svedrup flows to Asia are poised to rise.
Vortexa is delighted to welcome David Wech as our Chief Economist. David's extensive experience across strategy execution, product development, supply and demand modelling, competitive market positioning, commodity analysis and pricing forecasts will provide immeasurable value as global growth continues to accelerate.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Senior Finance Analyst? We sat down with Michael Omoregbee to discover what qualities are needed to succeed, what day-to-day life looks like and what energises him most about being in his role...
Unprecedented gas price surge in recent months has tilted United Kingdom into crisis mode, but the problem is spreading across Europe and the rest of the world.
In this insight we explore the underlying trends for OPEC crude exports, highlighting the importance of Saudi Arabia and UAE in the producer group, and assess the impact of China's import activity.
In spite of export hikes in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a shortfall of crude and condensate supplies is becoming increasingly visible in various market metrics, including rising VLCC rates and North Atlantic Basin net-imports.
Having one eye set to analytical insights and the other on industry events, Vortexa provides a brief outlook on the shipping industry’s future. It seems that the tanker sector will need to surf high and wild waves, both in the short and the long term.
Vortexa provides an assessment of the impacts of hurricanes Ida and Nicholas on PADD 3 product and crude flows. Crude imports appear to be in for the greatest impacts.
In this webinar, Vortexa’s Senior Freight Analyst Arthur Richier and Freight Analyst Ioannis Papadimitriou deep-dive into whether optimism for recovery is well-placed, or if market fundamentals are likely to falter and the carefully stacked house of cards is likely to topple.
OPEC+ crude exports strongly disappoint with the exception only of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. On products, lofty prices are inciting spikes in flows, but available volumes may not be enough.
Latin America has been a key importer of road transportation fuels in 2021. However fundamentals, seasonality and shipping indicators are signaling that the demand pull may be behind us.
With the US driving season having come to an end, a pillar of support also breaks away for Asian gasoline cracks. But regional fundamentals and strong petchem operations are set to keep gasoline cracks supported.
China’s crude trade flows continue falling trend as crude imports from the Middle East & Africa diverge, while crude imports from Americas & North Sea ease. At the same time, clean product imports and fuel oil imports are falling and trending lower as typhoon disruptions further dampen arrivals. Can China turn things around?
We're excited to welcome Sabrina Gross to Vortexa as Head of Customer Success. Sabrina’s deep understanding of how to nourish customer relationships and transform transactional remote interactions into personalised engagements will significantly contribute to Vortexa’s continued success as global growth rapidly accelerates.
As diesel strengthens against gasoline in the Atlantic Basin, will East of Suez diesel exports dampen the flames or will diesel continue to strengthen in the next six months?
West African crude exports fell to a record low in August, underlying the acceleration of a structural decline that can be traced back to back to early 2020.
Oil & gas prices and diffs remain buoyed across the board. Crude and refined products are kept alive by supply limitations in the form of outages, strategic decisions and structural issues. LNG and LPG meanwhile run from record to record, helped primarily by strong demand for power, petchem and final consumption.
An extensively experienced Marketing, Sales and Operations leader, Sam will unlock immeasurable value for the market participants as Vortexa’s leading AI technology continues to advance and scale at unprecedented speed.
As CPP volumes on crude supertankers decline, Vortexa analyses the main factors of this occurrence and provides a view on the future of VLCC and Suezmax clean maiden voyages.
We're seeing clear and strong indications that the demand repercussions have been substantial over recent months, but also some signs of hope with improved activity in India and Japan in August.
We sat down with Atin Kapur, Managing Director, APAC to find out what day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones he has had at Vortexa, and what he really thinks of our company culture...
After dramatic start to 2021, one might have expected a more settled summer LNG market. However, several key factors have generated some of the most interesting few months in the market. Vortexa reviews these developments to distil key drivers and emerging trends across the global LNG markets.
On the 24th August, Vortexa's US Team discussed Vortexa’s proprietary data and utilising it to anticipate what’s next for time spreads, locational arbs and product differentials.
Firm naphtha demand and discount to LPG prices has boosted naphtha volumes. At the same time LR2 tankers are involved in trades of other products, letting LR1 to gobble up market share out of the Middle East.
Our cross-barrel flow review reveals some shortcomings on the supply side that underpin markets, especially for crude, LNG and LPG. As for transportation fuels, a growing amount of indicators points at renewed bouts of oversupply, with the Delta variant weighing on demand, leading to higher seaborne supplies.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Lead Engineer? We sat down with Andrea Gerino to discover whom he collaborates with most in the company, what he likes best about the company culture and what his path was to joining Vortexa...
The WTI market is set for structural weakness as rising West of Suez demand is more than offset by drastic policy changes in China and rising Middle Eastern supplies.
China issued a third batch of crude import quotas last week, but limited quotas will keep crude imports subdued for the rest of the year, which is further reinforced by a soft domestic demand outlook and limited product export quotas.
Gasoline was the leading contributor to refining margins ever since mid to late Q1 2021. In this report we will look at the chances of whether and how long gasoline can continue to outperform, specifically as opposed to the other main motor fuel, diesel.
Hurdles increase for LPG exports from the US while supplies from the Middle East have yet to reach fruition.
We sat down with Christos Hadjinikolis, a Senior Software Engineer to find out what day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones he has had at Vortexa, and what he really thinks of our company culture...
China’s contribution to crude tonne-miles has dwindled year-to-date according to Vortexa freight data as the country continues to decrease crude imports. Other nations have stepped in to fill the void as our data shows.
Read our latest briefing to gain insights into the key issues currently driving global oil and gas markets. Hot topics include: weakness emerging in China's crude oil imports, the impact of OPEC+ on freight markets and the mixed fortunes for clean petroleum product markets in the Atlantic Basin.
As we witness global naphtha cracks continuing strength since the spring, we can see that seaborne naphtha imports carry on their impressive recovery. Strong flows are expected to continue on the back of firm petrochemical demand East of Suez and European gasoline blending.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Senior Marketing Manager? We sat down with Theresa Leong, who heads up the marketing in APAC, to dig deeper into what energises her most about working at Vortexa, what she really thinks of the company culture and what qualities are needed to succeed...
As we witness global naphtha cracks continuing strength since the spring, we can see that seaborne naphtha imports carry on their impressive recovery. Strong flows are expected to continue on the back of firm petrochemical demand East of Suez and European gasoline blending.
Global imports of oil & gas have hit a 2021 low in July, but surging exports imply hopes for a much better future. We review July flows on a product and region basis and conclude that solid signs are in place for a more pronounced recovery.
Russian seaborne crude and clean products have undergone a significant decline in July. We examine the key factors driving this shift, including rising pipeline flows and a tightening domestic gasoline market.
Ever wondered what life looks like at Vortexa for the Head of Application Development? We sat down with John-Robert Granell to dig deeper into what qualities make a department head successful, what inspired him to join the team and what advice he has for people hoping to come onboard...
Asia’s diesel/gasoil exporters are facing growing headwinds in moving barrels to the West. Despite the challenges, Asia's diesel/gasoil balances have been moderated by three key drivers – China’s slowing exports, robust regional demand and newbuild VLCC arbitrage – maintaining regional cracks stable.
Latam imports of gasoline & diesel are enjoying a demand surge with volumes arriving from as far away as the East of Suez to fulfill hefty import requirements. However, despite higher volumes of clean products headed towards Latam over July, MR tanker US Gulf - Latam remained relatively unchanged, as a fair chunk of the inflow was supplied from West Africa.
Making a journey across all segments of the barrel, we discover quite some bullish elements in recent seaborne trade flows. Especially, the very light end of the barrel - from LNG over LPG and naphtha to gasoline - is seeing various spots of strength, that do mutually reinforce each other, frequently in West vs East of Suez plays.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Full Stack Engineer? We sat down with Valeriia Shmyhlo to dig deeper into what energises her most about working at Vortexa, what she really thinks of the company culture and what qualities are needed to succeed...
Is the OPEC+ output increase considered glad tidings or a false hope for the VLCC market?
As global diesel loadings rise amid lagging demand, we explore how the supportive factors in the physical diesel market are not enough to withstand the pressure of a product in oversupply.
Only as of July and against the backdrop of the OPEC impasse have exports out of the Middle East increased. Additional volumes are desperately needed as seaborne crude exports have barely picked up so far The US is leading the global demand recovery but even there the picture is blurred. Chinese oil industry dynamics have slowed downed substantially so far this year and with latest regulatory changes this is set to persist. Other main markets only 40% of the about 8mn b/d loss in seaborne liquid oil trade have been recovered so far. Fresh demand hopes and some actual recovery are set to emerge in the coming months, but they also face now supply-side additions after OPEC+ has come to an agreement.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Senior Marketing Manager? We sat down with Erin Rosenstein to discover whom she collaborates with most in the company, what her path was to joining Vortexa and how she would describe our company culture...
High sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) cracks this month are likely to skip its seasonal Q3 rise for the second consecutive year, weighed down by ample supplies and high crude prices. Amid the current weakness in bunker demand, HSFO has found growing demand in two other markets in recent weeks – as secondary feedstocks for refining and in power generation.
With OPEC+ going through a standoff concerning the future production policy, a spike in crude exports in early July raises eyebrows. We investigate how sustainable this development is likely to be.
What are the dynamics behind this dirty-to-clean shift and what is the impact on the product and crude tanker markets?
A series of domestic policy changes and market headwinds in recent months has upended China’s refining industry, putting a tight lid on the country’s crude imports and product exports. Vortexa sheds light on evolving trends in the country's crude imports and product exports.
Energy traders and analysts can now easily access Vortexa’s real-time global energy analytics app on The Bloomberg Terminal via the Bloomberg App Portal. Bloomberg Terminal users will be able to access past, present and future global energy flows of Crude, LNG, Biofuels, Gasoline, Diesel, Fuel Oil, Jet, Naphtha and many others - powerful leading indicators of price movements and key for identifying trading opportunities.
On the 8th July, Shipping Professional Network of London (SPNL) hosted an industry leading panel with Freight Analytics Partner, Vortexa, to areas of the maritime industry that have been impacted by growing analytics and what further changes we can see coming.
We sat down with Julia Langerak, a Product Marketing Lead, to find out what day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones she has had at Vortexa, and what she really thinks of our company culture...
Despite a really strong, unseasonal LPG price hike, VLGC rates are following a different path. Vortexa attempts to shed a light on this divergent pattern.
Former ExxonMobil Global LNG Analytics Lead, Felix Booth joins Vortexa as its new Head of LNG to build the next generation of LNG analytics.
Vortexa uses flows data to illustrates how strong gasoline demand combined with steep petrochemical demand feedstock is driving up the demand for naphtha, making refiners max light end yields at the expense of middle distillate.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Talent Acquisition Manager? We sat down with Andrew to discover what he looks out for when speaking to potential candidates, what qualities are needed to shine at Vortexa and what type of person is best suited to our company culture...
Vortexa summarises the trends and dynamics that prevailed in the crude and product tanker market throughout Q2 2021
Vortexa looks deeply into oil shipments with strong visibility especially into the more opaque corners of the market to evaluate at the status quo of the oil demand recovery and evaluate if there is good reason for OPEC+ to be hesitant in unleashing oil supply onto the market.
We sat down with People Change & Operations Manager, Jess Dealey, to find out what inspired her to join Vortexa, what advice she has for people hoping to join and what she really thinks of our company culture...
Vortexa evaluates if the current large volumes of seaborne diesel on the water are a demand pull or a supply push from refineries as they max out gasoline production.
Internationally experienced technology commercial executive Christopher Nathan joins as Vortexa’s new Chief Revenue Officer as global growth continues to accelerate.
Oil prices are on the rise and a $100 barrel of crude doesn’t seem as far fetched as it did a few months ago. The implications of crude reaching this strong, symbolic price are wide-ranging, especially when it comes to freight markets. Will OPEC+ step in and will this fuel a tanker market rally?
Vortexa data shows global jet fuel flows still remain well below pre-Covid norms, with little sign of a meaningful demand recovery so far this summer. Flows heading to key demand centres in Europe and Asia remain flat, but the US is proving to be a rare bright spot for import activity.
Ever wondered what a day in the life looks like at Vortexa for a Senior Communications Executive? We sat down with Emma Boyle to dig deeper into what energises her most about working at Vortexa, what she really thinks of the company culture and what qualities are needed to succeed...
Vortexa shows diverging trends for crude arrivals heading to key Atlantic Basin buyers.
In celebration of Pride month, Vortexa invited special guest Tony McCaffery, Founder and Managing Director of Diversity Co; the home of equity, diversity and inclusion consultancies to share his own experiences as a queer and mixed-race person of colour living with disabilities. We asked Tony to further educate us on the subject of intersectionality and most importantly, to articulate how best we can actively support LGBTQIA+ communities.
Vortexa Freight Analytics is set to become the critical decision tool for shipping market players to identify, capture and optimise trading opportunities at unheard levels of speed, accuracy and foresight.
Vortexa has launched a suite of brand new Freight Analytics features so charterers, ship owners, analysts and traders can make high-stakes strategic freight decisions with confidence and seize lucrative opportunities before others.
Despite encouraging LNG pricing fundamentals, freight rates could plateau on the back of thinning US exports, reduction in tonne-miles and an influx of LNG carrier tonnage.
A flood of diluted bitumen cargoes has rapidly filled up storage tanks in Shandong, as traders and refiners scrambled to offload the cargoes before the consumption tax on diluted bitumen imports kicked in on 12 June. With this new tax in place, independent refiners are expected to cut back on diluted bitumen and raise Malaysian crude blends and fuel oil imports to meet their feedstocks requirements.
We sat down with Arthur Richier, a Senior Freight Analyst to find out what day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones he has had at Vortexa, and what he really thinks of our company culture...
The OPEC+ announcement to stick to an increase in supply of crude has to date failed to kickstart a morose market. Using Argus Media pricing and Vortexa flows and freight data, we explore whether the expected second half of the year rally is due to materialise.
This article is for engineers who use Apache Parquet for data exchange and don’t want nasty surprises.
As European gasoline and blending component imports dominate seaborne flows into PADD 1, we take a look at if this could be the beginning of a long term structural change. We also explore other points of gasoline resupply into PADD 1.
On the 27th May, Product Specialist Amy Lees and Machine Learning Engineer Christos Hadjinikolis analysed the quality of crude imported into the ARA region, a key refining hub in Northwest Europe, using Vortexa’s Software Development Kit (SDK). This blog investigates further into their methodology.
May saw arrivals of crude and products in West of Suez surging, while East of Suez markets disappointed across the barrel. There is room for improvement, but low crude activity merits caution.
North American LPG shipments to Asia may come at a higher price this summer due to multiple forces pressuring the economics of the trade.
We sat down with Sebastian Prowse, a Senior Shipping Specialist to find out what day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones he has had at Vortexa, and what he really thinks of our company culture...
Cheaper Suezmax freight rates led to increased employment for US - Europe flows. Will this trend continue amidst a positive environment for European crude imports?
China’s new consumption tax on imports of mixed aromatics and light cycle oil (LCO) is about to turn the tides of its domestic supply and exports of gasoline and diesel/gasoil. Downside risks on MR tanker demand looms ahead.
We sat down with Conor Stone, a Product Specialist based in the Americas, to find out what day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones he has had at Vortexa, and what he really thinks of our company culture...
In this webinar, Vortexa’s industry experts Amy Lees, Product Specialist and Christos Hadjinikolis, Senior Software Engineer, explored how to effectively use the SDK to interrogate extensive cargo movements data and analysed clear trends in the quality of the crude slate going into ARA.
Elevated naphtha exports from Europe supported long-haul voyages in favour of LR2 tankers. Yet, will this trend contribute to uplift LR2 freight rates?
Declining volumes towards the Far East limits tanker demand, but long-haul voyages to India keep VLCC and Suezmax tanker utilisation in balance.
US Gulf Coast imports of fuel oil and VGO are climbing as the region’s refiners respond to rising US gasoline demand.
Ever wondered what a day in the life of a DevOps Engineer looks like at Vortexa? We sat down with Gabriel Uliano to discover what energises him most about his role, whom he collaborates with, and what day-to-day duties really involve...
Atlantic Basin crude/condensate departures (including intra-country movements) totaled 21.2 mn b/d in April, the highest, albeit marginally, since May 2020.
As the US Colonial pipeline system restarts after its historic outage and panic buying subsides in the East Coast and Southeastern markets, we look towards waterbourne gasoline cargos to solve the regional stock imbalances.
Vortexa data shows at least 12mn bbl of crude has been delayed in discharging into key ports along India’s west coast, following the arrival of Cyclone Tauktae.