Greek tanker owners Minerva Marine and Maran Tankers are among the biggest beneficiaries of an unusually strong VLCC market, as geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East has upended the balance between supply and demand for the giant crude carriers and pushed daily returns into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Minerva Marine, part of the Andreas Martinos Jr group, reportedly secured a new voyage for its VLCC Pantanassa with an estimated daily return of $304,374, one of the highest returns recorded in the market.
Maran Tankers also active
Maran Tankers, controlled by Maria Angelicoussis, also featured prominently in the market activity. The company operates one of the largest fleets of big tankers in the world.
A separate vessel belonging to Maran Tankers, the Maran Aphrodite, had been linked to an even higher estimated daily return of about $456,646. That deal appears not to have been finalized, however, and so cannot currently be recorded as a completed fixture.
Owners in a stronger position
The two cases point to a broader picture: Greek VLCC owners are in an unusually strong negotiating position in a market where available tonnage for specific voyages has gained significantly more value.
