The IMO’s 2020 emissions limits are expected to boost trading ­opportunities for dirty tankers, ­creating a rise in triangulation and floating storage demand.

When the regulations come into force, the price spread between sweet and sour crude oil is expected to widen to reflect the new demand picture in bunker markets, where consumption of low-­sulphur fuels will leapfrog that of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO).