VLCC daily earnings near $470,000 as Strait of Hormuz reopening hopes spark tanker rush

Tanker chartering surged after the U.S. and Iran announced a memorandum of understanding, stoking expectations that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen and prompting importers to rush for ships to lift Persian Gulf cargoes. VLCC day rates jumped from about $106,000 to nearly $470,000, with one Persian Gulf-to-India fixture priced at 897% of the MEGIndia benchmark. Some of the largest state-owned refiners in China and India have struggled to secure supertankers because freight is too expensive and safe-passage assurances through Hormuz are lacking. Higher Middle East Gulf rates are also lifting spot freight elsewhere and adding near-term support to crude prices by raising transport costs and regional spot premiums.