{
  "id": 6574193,
  "title": "Oil trade complexity to persist even if disrupted flows reverse, say panelists",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/oil-trade-complexity-to-persist-even-if-disrupted-flows-reverse-say",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-10T10:00:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hellenic Shipping News",
    "slug": "hellenic-shipping-news",
    "url": "https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/oil-trade-complexity-to-persist-even-if-disrupted-flows-reverse-say-panelists/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Global oil flows may resume established patterns after geopolitical disruptions ease, but shipping, compliance, insurance and financing risks have become structural components of physical trading, executives from Equinor, Mitsui OSK Lines and SocarTrading said at APPEC 2026 in Singapore. Price alone no longer determines trade executability; supply security must also consider vessel availability, safe routes, insurance, financing, and suitable replacement grades. Socar Trading’s Chief Trading Officer, Taghi Taghi-Zada, stated that arbitrage today extends beyond rate assumptions, differentials, and structure build-up; it encompasses safety, insurability, compliance, and financing readiness. These requirements have extended transaction times and created both lost and new trading opportunities, complicating price discovery. Deliverable supply constraints have been most pronounced in sour crude from the Middle East conflict, while quality differences limited refiners' ability to replace disrupted barrels. Changes in Venezuelan exports and increased volumes from Brazil and Argentina have introduced new Latin American arbitrage flows. Shipping risks have also emerged, with longer voyages altering vessel supply-and-demand balances and making seafarer safety a primary condition for returning to disrupted routes. MOL’s Senior Managing Executive Officer, Tomoaki Ichida, characterized the current operating environment as \"likely the new norm.\" Uncertainty over routes and risks has further complicated charter-party negotiations, as vessel availability does not necessarily correlate to tonnage for a specific trade due to geopolitical, regulatory, and operational restrictions. For Asian countries, energy security now requires securing shipping capacity and logistics alongside supply sources. Despite the complexity, Equinor’s Global Head of crude, products, and liquids trading, Alex Grant, believes oil flows could revert quickly if disrupted routes reopen smoothly. Grant noted that commercial pressures to reduce costs might limit companies' willingness to pay for supply diversification and unused security capacity, leaving governments to play a more significant role. Sanctions and repeated disruptions have made global trade flows less efficient, expanding value for traders and shipping companies and tripling trading profits over the past seven or eight years. However, whether these opportunities endure will depend on market adaptation and further disruptions. Grant also forecasted reduced investment in oil storage once costs become clearer, estimating that building 10 days' cover against consumption of around 100 million b/d would involve about 1 billion barrels at a cost of roughly $200 billion. Taghi-Zada urged market participants to retain alternative supplies, routes, and logistics developed during recent crises rather than reverting entirely to the lowest-cost model once disruptions subside.",
  "summary": "Global oil flows may eventually return toward established patterns if geopolitical disruptions ease, but the additional layers of shipping, compliance, insurance and financing risk embedded in physical trading are becoming structural, executives from Equinor, Mitsui OSK Lines and SocarTrading said Sept. 8. Speaking at APPEC 2026 in Singapore, the panelists broadly agreed that price alone ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}