Platts to launch Gulf of Oman dirty, clean tanker freight assessments from Aug. 3, 2026

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, will launch new Very Large Crude Carrier, Suezmax and Aframax dirty tanker freight, as well as Medium Range, Long Range 1 and Long Range 2 clean tanker freight assessments on the Gulf of Oman to North Asia routes, effective Aug. 3, 2026.

The launch of these assessments follows extensive industry consultations, analysis of market data and direct feedback from market participants since the onset of the Middle East war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy shipping chokepoint that, prior to the conflict, facilitated the flow of close to 20 million barrels of oil per day.

According to ship tracking data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea, from March to July to date, more than 352 dirty cargo shipments were transported on VLCCs, Suezmaxes and Aframaxes from the Gulf of Oman to Far East Asia, while about 253 clean product shipments were observed on MRs, LR1s and LR2s on the route.

The increased activity reflects an ongoing structural shift in tanker routing and pricing following the disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz.

The dirty tanker assessments will reflect 270,000-metric ton, 130,000-mt and 80,000-mt cargo loads from the Gulf of Oman, with discharging in North Asia, using modern VLCC, Suezmax and Aframax ships with ages below 15 years.

The clean tanker assessments will reflect 75,000-mt, 55,000-mt and 35,000-mt cargo loads from the Gulf of Oman, with discharge in North Asia, using modern LR2s, LR1s and MRs with ages below 15 years.

The assessments will be published on a Worldscale percentage basis, along with a corresponding price in $/mt, derived from a flat rate based on a basket of key load and discharge ports.

The details of the assessments to be launched and the route baskets are as follows:

The basket flat rate used for calculating the $/mt freight is based on the average of the Worldscale flat rates for the above routes.

The assessments will appear in Dirty Tankerwire, Clean Tankerwire, Monthly Dirty Tankerwire, Monthly Clean Tankerwire, Platts Shipping Alert pages 430, 440, 320 and 330, and on Platts Tanker Alert pages 2970, 2980, 2981, 904, 905, 924, 2920 and 2922.

The assessments will follow a 1630 Singapore timestamp and the Singapore holiday calendar.

Please send any feedback or questions to shipping@spglobal.com and pricegroup@spglobal.com.

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