VLCC recovery question: will Chinese charterers start to load Russian oil in the west?

The actions of Chinese charterers will now be key to immediate VLCC prospects as western players prove reluctant to touch Russian crude.

TradeWinds has already reported this week on trader Trafigura finding no takers for a discounted cargo of Russian Urals crude loading in the west, as ships depart the Black Sea over sanctions uncertainty.

The number of suezmaxes and aframaxes operating in the region has fallen from 60 to 43.