Although global middle distillates have led refined product cracks for the last 2.5 months, increased supplies have prompted a downturn in diesel and jet cracks while gasoline cracks take the lead in the refinery margin complex on a global level. Refineries appear now to be shifting towards gasoline production and away from middle distillates. Given the healthy economics, global gasoline supplies are on the rise as seen in the Vortexa export data.
In this insight, Vortexa examines the current status-quo for VLCC rates, and provides an outlook of whether the repositioning to the Western hemisphere can prove to be supportive in the months to come.
Clean tanker rates in the East of Suez have remained at a high level despite erratic demand in the region. The main driver of this situation lies on the supply side. In this insight we dive into the dynamics behind rates in the East, and link the chain of events to trace the freight rate trajectory.