SUBSCRIBER NOTE: Platts launches USGC Aframax lightering assessment

S&P Global Platts has launched a US Gulf Coast Aframax full-service daily lightering assessment, effective June 3, 2019, amid an increasing volume of US crude exports since the lifting of the US crude export ban in December 2015.

Platts first proposed this new assessment in a subscriber note published April 8, 2019: www.spglobal.com/platts/en/our-methodology/subscriber-notes/040819-platts-pro poses-to-launch-usgc-aframax-lightering-assessment

The new assessment reflects reverse lightering activity offshore US Gulf Coast ports such as Corpus Christi, Houston and Texas City, for loading seven to 10 days forward, onto larger-than-Aframax size tankers, with a three-day turnaround on the lightering vessel. In the absence of spot market information, Platts assesses the rate based on related factors such as intra-regional freight rates, in-chartering values, port and terminal fees and bunker cost. The assessment is published daily on a lump-sum basis in US dollars.

Symbols are as follows: Dirty USGC Aframax Lightering 500kb Lumpsum: TDUAL00 Dirty USGC Aframax Lightering 500kb MAvg: TDUAL03 Dirty USGC Aframax Lightering 500kb cargo size: TDUALSZ

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