Platts publishes 2026 yearly Base Rates for tanker freight assessments

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, has launched the 2026 yearly Base Rates, effective from Dec. 8, for 1,271 assessed routes basis conventional bunker fuel and LNG bunker fuel.

These Base Rates are a standardized estimate of the total cost for a round voyage across all assessed freight routes, which include one or more loading and discharge ports. This excludes lump sum routes.

The calculation of the Base Rates involves listing all the voyage costs and dividing them by the cargo of the standard vessel to arrive at the $/metric ton base rate, which equates to 100 points on the scale.

Platts Base Rates can be applied to calculate tanker freight rates basis points and dollars per mt, as well as various product netback and net forward assessments, along with crude yield end netback prices.

The 2026 yearly Base Rates are calculated using the average bunker price from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025:

• Singapore 0.5% sulfur marine bunker fuel, for rates basis loading originating in the East of Suez: $531.04/mt
• Rotterdam 0.5% sulfur marine bunker fuel, for rates basis loading originating in the West of Suez (for non-Emission Control Area regions): $499.32/mt
• Rotterdam 0.1% low sulfur bunker fuel, for rates basis loading originating in the West of Suez (for ECA regions): $617.5/mt
• LNG bunker fuel Singapore, for rates basis loading originating in the East of Suez: $783.42/mt
• LNG bunker fuel Rotterdam, for rates basis loading originating in the West of Suez: $772.15/mt

Platts has also updated the port disbursement account or charges basis Aframax class tankers for ports that are used in the calculation of yearly and dynamic base rates, available here.

The Yearly Base Rates, published annually, will change in the event of a concerned port changing its port disbursement account or charges.

Any proposal to change base rates will be communicated to the market through subscriber notes in advance.

Platts Dynamic Base Rates, calculated daily based on the daily bunker price, follow the London holiday calendar for routes originating in the West of Suez region, while routes originating in the East of Suez follow the Singapore holiday calendar, available here.

Platts Base Rates are available on Platts Connect and can be accessed here.

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