SUPERTANKER LEASES HAVE INCREASED 576% SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2025.

The increase in demand for transportation occurred against the backdrop of US sanctions against Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil.

The cost of leasing a supertanker (VLCC) to transport oil from the Middle East to China increased by 576% in 2025 due to anti-Russian sanctions, reaching nearly $137,000 per day, Bloomberg reported.

According to him, this is the highest figure since 2020. The publication states that the increase in transportation demand coincided with the imposition of US sanctions against Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil. The restrictions are forcing importers to purchase energy from Middle Eastern producers. Omar Nokta, an analyst at the American investment firm Jefferies LLC, noted that the increase in transportation demand also coincided with increased oil production in the United States and OPEC+ countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Oman, and Kuwait.

Last week, approximately 10 vessels were chartered to transport oil from the Middle East between late November and December. Ioannis Papadimitriou, chief freight analyst at Vortexa, noted that smaller vessels, particularly Suezmax-class vessels, have begun using supertanker routes. Suezmax vessels can pass through the Suez Canal fully loaded, with a cargo capacity about half that of a supertanker, which can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil.

On October 22, the U.S. Treasury Department announced restrictions on Rosneft and Lukoil. At the same time, it issued a series of general licenses. According to these documents, certain transactions with the companies and their subsidiaries, aimed at terminating ties with them, were permitted until November 21. The Treasury Department subsequently extended the licenses from November 21 to December 13, permitting certain transactions with Lukoil related to the company's foreign operations.