Supertanker shortage drives up oil prices in Europe

There are hardly any vessels left available for charter - a shortage the market has never seen before, reports Bloomberg.

Even Asian refineries are switching to smaller tankers, and Europe - with its less flexible supply chains - is finding it even harder to adapt.

Against this backdrop, the price of European Dated Brent has surged past $131, while the cost of the oil itself (excluding shipping) is around $110.

Meanwhile, competitors are snapping up vessels: ADNOC purchased six supertankers for $1.3 billion, and Saudi Arabia’s Bahri has expanded its fleet to 107 ships.

Europe has been hit the hardest: it relies on imports, and the spike in freight rates and physical oil prices is taking a toll on its economy.

This is despite the fact that, previously, it could source Russian oil via pipelines with minimal shipping costs.

@Slavyangrad