Forget ghosts and monsters; this Halloween, the scariest thing in the energy industry is the tanker market, where a spooky jump in demand and frighteningly tight vessel supply have sent freight rates soaring to scream-inducing heights.
Freight rates are sky-high. Shipping crude oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast to China on a VLCC cost more than $80 million earlier this month, double what it was in September and 5X a year ago. Today, we look at the unique combination of factors that are helping drive freight rates to record highs.
Freight finally took a breather last week, but Gulf Coast exporters remain a long way from relief, facing shipping bills that would have been difficult to imagine before this year.
