Optimism continues to prevail among tanker owners.
Despite continued volatility due to seasonality and market changes, tanker rates remain healthy, instilling optimism among shipowners. This positive outlook is bolstered by market fundamentals that suggest an upward trend extending beyond the early months 2024.
Analysts pointed out to Xclusiv Shipbroker that the inflow of Russian diesel into Brazil remains uninterrupted, and forecasts show that volumes will maintain a strong presence in the first months of 2024. This means that Brazilian importers have already secured contracts for barrels of Russian diesel scheduled for delivery in January.
In 2023, Greek orders for tanker construction skyrocketed to 123, corresponding to 34% of the total tanker orders placed throughout the year.
This is almost three times the number of tanker orders they placed in 2022. Their main focus was on the Aframax/LR2 sector, with 51 orders, followed by the Suezmax and Panamax/LR1 sectors, with 36 and 14 orders, respectively.
Greek-owned shipping companies control 30% of the world's tanker fleet. They dominate.
According to Marine Information Services, the Greeks with the largest tanker fleets are:
- Panagiotis and Nikolas Tsakos with Tsakos Group/TEN 71
- George Prokopiou with Dynacom 67
- Andreas Martinos with Minerva Marine 57
- Maria Angelicoussis with Maran Gas 55
- George Economou with TMS/Cardiff 51
- Nikolas Martinos with Thenamaris 51
- Angeliki Frangou with Navios 39
- Anna Angelicoussis with Pantheon Tankers 39
- Vardis Vardinogiannis with AVIN
READ MORE: Why should investors bet on the Greek real estate market in 2024.
