SUBSCRIBER NOTE: Platts to discontinue the Baltic-UK Continent ice premium assessment

Platts confirms that it will discontinue the Baltic to UK Continent ice premium assessment that is published in the Dirty Tankerwire and reflects the extra Worldscale points negotiated for ice-class Aframaxes loading 100,000 mt cargoes in the Baltic region during the ice season. The discontinuation will be in effect from January 1, 2017.

Platts will carry out this discontinuation due to changes in the underlying market. Non ice-class vessels are now rarely used in the Baltic during the ice season, while ice-class vessels are primarily used even for ice-free ports, and no longer command an observable premium in the market.

The assessment will no longer be published in the Dirty Tankerwire or on the PGA MH1960 fixed page. The corresponding symbols for cargo size (TDAENSZ), Worldscale (TDAEN00) and $/mt (TDAEO00) values will also be discontinued.

Platts Baltic to UK Continent assessment reflects standard vessel fixtures on this route, which are now typically ice class. That assessment is published in the Dirty Tankerwire and on the fixed page PGA MH1960 under the codes TDADP00 for Worldscale and TDADK00 for $/mt values. This means that during the ice season, this assessment reflects the freight rate for ice-class Aframax vessels loading in ice-restricted ports.

Please send all further comments or questions to tankers@platts.com and pricegroup@platts.com.

For written comments, please provide a clear indication if comments are not intended for publication by Platts for public viewing. Platts will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available to the public upon request.