A New Headache For OPEC

4 September 2026: The Americas are the growth engine in global oil and shipping. Prior to the shale oil revolution in the United States, which started in the early 2000s with production rapidly accelerating after 2008, the general assumption was that the global oil markets would become more and more reliant on the vast and cheap oil resources from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). This trend seemed to become even more “inevitable” when Russia and nine other producers joined the cartel to form “OPEC+”. However, for a variety of reasons, it has not turned out that way so far. In this Tanker Opinion, we will discuss some key developments in global oil markets, likely future trends and how these will impact the tanker market. Please fill out the form to read the article.