Man muss leider auch zur Kenntnis nehmen, dass - teilweise auf den guten Markt reagierend - im Jahre 2014 massenhaft Neubauten dazugekommen sind: insgesamt ca. 12 Millionen Deadweight Tons. Abzüglich der Verschrottungen ergibt sich daraus ein Zuwachs der globalen Flotte von ca. 5 Millionen Deadweight Tons (ca. 1,7% der globalen Flotte). Im Jahre 2015 wird damit gerechnet, dass sich die Wachstumsrate ca. 1,6% der globalen Flotte beträgt. Das bedeutet, dass nach Abzug der Verschrottungen weitere ca. 10 Millionen Deadweight Tons dazukommen. Im Jahre 2016 sieht es schlimmer aus, denn eine Flottenwachstumsrate von knapp über 3% wird erwartet. Diese neue Kapazität wird die Charterraten nach unten drücken.

(English: What's new with tankers?

Charter rates for tankers (both clean and dirty) were - on the whole - lower in 2013 and 2014 than in the 2010-2012 period. But it is possible to see that the Baltic Clean and Baltic Dirty Tanker Indices recovered toward the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015.

At the start of 2013, investment bankers were complaining about the difficult situation. "Crude rates remain in the doldrums," declared RS Platou Markets AS from Oslo, Norway. Jens Martin Jensen, CEO of Frontline, Inc., in Bermuda summarized the matter in a more ominous fashion: the market was in a "state of panic". Mr. Jensen added that his VLCCs needed to earn $24,200 per day in order to not make losses. In the meanwhile, Mr. Jensen will be taking a deep sigh of relief, since as the above graph indicates, the 1-year charter rate for a VLCC has in the meantime arrived at $33,000 per day, compared with $23,750 per day exactly one year prior.

It is also necessary to recognize, however, that - in part as a reaction to the good market - in 2014, massive numbers of newbuildings were launched: in total 12 million deadweight tons. After subtracting scrapped vessels, this resulted in global fleet growth os approximately 5 million deadweight tons (ca. 1,7% of the global fleet). In 2015, it is anticipated that the growth rate will equal 1,6% of the global fleet. This means that after subtracting scrapped vessels, an additional 10 million deadweight tons will be put in service. 2016 looks worse. A global fleet growth of just over 3% is forecasted, and this additional capacity will drive down charter rates.)