Trafigura lanzará su primera OPV con la salida a Bolsa de su división de superpetroleros

Trafigura is set to launch its first offshore supertanker (OPV) through a stock market listing of its Volare Shipping division, aiming to capitalize on the record-breaking prices triggered by the crisis in the Persian Gulf. The company announced plans to raise approximately $500 million through a private placement of Volare Shipping, ahead of its debut on the Oslo Stock Exchange in early October.

Funds will be used to expand Volare's supertanker fleet, which will be chartered on a spot basis. Andrea Olivi, Trafigura's head of maritime transport, notes that while the stock market entry was planned for some time, recent changes in the supertanker market have accelerated the process. These changes have been driven by Persian Gulf oil companies acquiring tankers to better control their exports.

Trafigura believes this trend will continue in the coming months and years, leading to higher benefits and asset prices. Volare will enter the stock market with a fleet of six operational supertankers and eight others on order, managed by Trafigura, the world's second-largest oil operator. The company already operates nearly 500 vessels, including 250 oil tankers.

Oil tanker owners have enjoyed an exceptional year following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which disrupted energy supply chains, forcing tankers to travel longer distances and limiting the number of available vessels for charter. Oil tanker prices reached a historic peak of $1 million daily for trips originating and destined in the Persian Gulf, while second-hand and newly built tanker prices also hit new highs, partly due to fast revenue generation from vessels.

Clarksons, a maritime broker, reported on Friday that while profits for strait-operating tankers remain in a league of their own, numerous tankers are being reserved at $800,000 daily rates in other locations. Olivi emphasizes that fundamental market conditions for new supertankers will remain robust for several years as the current fleet ages, with many being sold to the so-called "shadow fleet" transporting Iranian and Iranian-sanctioned crude oil.

Another favorable factor is the anticipated increase in crude exports from countries far from Asian refineries, such as Venezuela, Argentina, and Guyana, according to Olivi. Despite high rates, some executives express concern over the large number of new tankers currently on order, raising fears of oversupply and a potential drop in rates.

The company's current order book represents about one-third of its operational fleet size. Olivi states that the only concern for Trafigura lies in the early 2030s, when many of the ordered tankers will be due for retirement.