SK Shipping has locked one of its two VLCCs into a charter for up to two years with Koch Industries.

European brokers say the US trader has taken the 314,000-dwt C Challenger (built 2013) for one firm year at $20,000 per day, with an option for a further 12 months at $22,000 per day.

According to Oslo-based broker Fearnleys, one-year charter rates for VLCCs this week slipped to around $22,500 per day, a 4.2%