Another Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) has been reported fixed to move diesel from the Mideast Gulf (MEG) to Europe, according to tanker broker sources. The Nissos Anafi has reportedly been chartered by an undisclosed charterer to load around 250,000 MT of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) with a load date around September 16. The Nissos Anafi would be the second of these unusually large product shipments in recent tanker activity: VLCC Nissos Keros departed from Jubail in Saudi Arabia on July 25 for Europe also laden with ULSD; the vessel has recently changed its declared destination port from Rotterdam to Gibraltar, having earlier been heading towards the port of Fos in the French Mediterranean. Nissos Keros’ new declared ETA in Gibraltar is August 29 where some of its cargo may be discharged via ship-to-ship. Both of these clean VLCC shipments are being moved via the longer Cape route as laden VLCCs are generally too large to transit East to West via the Suez Canal. Assuming a departure date from the MEG around mid-September, the Nissos Anafi’s diesel cargo would be likely to arrive in NW Europe towards the end of October.
As part of its tracking of global product tanker cargoes, Wood Mackenzie alerts subscribers to its European Waterborne Products Report on a daily basis to any destination changes to petroleum product cargoes on the water.
