Large crude tankers are attracting a disproportionate share of secondhand buying activity, while older vessels dominate advertised supply, according to Xclusiv analysis reported by Hellenic Shipping News. The shipbroker described a selective sale-and-purchase market, with differences between the vessels owners are offering and those buyers are acquiring.
Xclusiv recorded 22 VLCC and 28 Suezmax sales, against just 13 and 16 vessels respectively in its for-sale dataset. Together, the two categories represented 34% of transactions but less than 8% of advertised availability. By contrast, MR2 tankers registered 42 sales against 125 listings, while smaller tankers had 167 listings and only 20 transactions. The broker suggested this concentration of purchases in larger ships could reflect greater confidence in crude transport and stronger earnings expectations.
Age also separated supply from completed deals. Over the two-month listing period examined, 175 vessels aged 16–20 years accounted for 47% of availability, while another 100 ships aged at least 21 years represented 27%. Those groups together made up 74% of advertised vessels but 55% of transactions. Ships aged 11–15 years accounted for 23% of sales against 13% of listings; those aged 6–10 years represented 8% of transactions and 3% of supply. Five resale deals matched the number of resales offered.
South Korean-built vessels led both sides of the market, with 146 listings and 68 transactions, or about 39% and 47% respectively, Hellenic Shipping News reported. Of the Korean-built ships offered, 121 were more than 15 years old, compared with 38 of those sold. In the 11–15-year bracket, 23 changed hands against 22 advertised.
Chinese-built supply had a younger component: of 118 vessels listed since 1 September, 42 were resales or no more than 10 years old. That group contributed 24 of the 48 Chinese-built sales. Japanese-built vessels were predominantly older, with 51 of 56 listings and 17 of 21 sales exceeding 15 years. Xclusiv said the overall pattern indicated owners were seeking to realise current asset values on ageing ships, while buyers remained selective about age, specifications and trading potential. It expects the relationship between available supply and buyer preferences to help determine secondhand values in the coming months.