02JUL2019 - NEWS - Tankers Bear the Brunt of Geopolitical Uncertainties

2019 has proven to be just as hard as 2018 for tanker owners, but for a whole new set of reasons. While last year was characterized by shipping’s own shortcomings, as a result of an imbalance between supply and demand, 2019 is proving to be the year of geopolitical uncertainties, which are having a diverse impact in various trades around the world. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Gibson said that “2019 so far has proved to be a year dominated by geopolitical events. The US Administration has placed sanctions on both Iran and Venezuela in a bid to reduce crude exports to zero. Tanker sabotage and disruption in the Middle East Gulf has pushed insurance premiums up and led to some shipowners to avoid the region. Potential disruptions to Libyan supply remain. The US-China trade war has threatened to generate an economic slowdown, adding further market uncertainty. Crude prices have ebbed and flowed, touching highs of $74.57/bbl in April and lows of $54.91/bbl in January as both supply, demand and geopolitical signals vie for supremacy”.