VLCCs Are Booming Again

Sep 19th, 2025:VLCC rates are surging, but will it last? The tanker market does not usually make it into the mainstream press. That is, unless there are oil spills or major geopolitical events in oil producing regions. However, another time when tankers get noticed by the general public is when VLCC rates cross the magical $100,000/day level. That happened this week. VLCC rates on the benchmark AG-China (TD3C) route touched $100,000/day, well above the previous peak reached during the brief Israel-Iran conflict in June. The last time VLCC rates were at these levels was in 2022, on the back of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the massive crude oil releases from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves. In this Tanker Opinion, we’ll discuss what triggered the current rate spike and whether it can last into the fourth quarter of this year and into 2026. Please fill in below form to continue read.