Fresh VLCC sanctions threaten to leave up to 12% of global fleet on blacklist, analyst warns

"Nearly 19m dwt-worth of VLCCs are under US sanctions, with more likely on the way. ABG Sundal Collier analyst Petter Haugen said on Thursday that 5% of the global tanker fleet is on the formal US blacklist, with VLCCs leading the way at 7% of a fleet that Clarksons pegs at just over 269m dwt. But he pointed out that the US pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has 12% of the total VLCC fleet on its list of dark fleet ships. If those vessels are sanctioned, it would boost the total by 13.4m dwt to 32.3m dwt. Haugen said sanctions are good for tankers overall. “We reiterate our non-contrarian view that if a meaningful share of the sanctioned fleet is prohibited from transporting crude, it would likely have a highly meaningful positive impact on the crude tanker market,” he said."