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Bullish As of Apr 30, 2026 17:00 ET Download PDF

Daily Energy & Shipping Briefing — Apr 30, 2026

Global energy markets on April 30, 2026, were dominated by elevated crude oil prices, driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Tanker freight rates remained exceptionally high, while natural gas prices in the US showed some weakness. OPEC+ announced a modest production adjustment, and EU carbon prices saw revised forecasts.

Energy Prices

Crude

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
Brent ICE $/bbl 110.39 +0.50
WTI NYMEX $/bbl 105.50 +0.45

Products

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline NYMEX c/gal 305.00 +2.50
Heating Oil NYMEX c/gal 310.00 +1.80

Natural Gas

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Henry Hub NYMEX $/MMBtu 2.65 +0.02
Dutch TTF ICE EUR/MWh 28.50 +0.15

Natural Gas Liquids

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Mont Belvieu Propane NYMEX $/mt 436.67 -7.35
US Mont Belvieu Ethane NYMEX $/gal 0.30 +0.01

Price Spreads

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline/Brent Crack Spread $/bbl 17.71 +0.10
WTI/Brent Spread $/bbl -4.89 -0.05

Shipping Rates & Bunkers

Dirty Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
VLCC, 270 AG-FE 150,000 80,000
Suezmax, 130 WAF-UKC 85,000 65,000
Aframax, 70 Caribs-USGC 60,000 50,000

Clean Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
LR2, 75 AG-FE 45,000 35,000
MR, 37 TC2 (UKC-USAC) 32,000 28,000

Time Charter & Asset Values

Vessel 1yr ($/day) Newbuild ($M) 5yr ($M)
VLCC, 200+ 105,000 124.8 80.8
Suezmax, 130 65,000 85.0 60.0

LNG Vessels ($/day)

Type Spot Sentiment 52wk Avg
160M3 Tri-fuel diesel electric (East) 100,000 Firm 80,000
174M3 MEGI (Atlantic) 90,000 Firm 75,000

Bunkers ($/mt)

Port VLSFO HSFO MGO
Singapore 550.0 450.0 750.0
Rotterdam 500.0 410.0 670.0

LPG (Spot TCE, $/day)

VLGC, 44 (AG-Japan) 60,000
MGC, 22 (Houston-Europe) 35,000

Carbon Markets

Instrument Unit Bid Offer
European Union Allowances (Spot) EUR/ton 73.90 74.10
California Carbon Allowances (Spot) USD/ton 38.50 38.70

Equities & Currencies

Index Region Last Δ Day
S&P 500 United States 4,000.00 -5.00
FTSE 100 United Kingdom 7,900.00 +15.00
Pair Region Last Δ Day
EUR/$ European Union 1.17 +0.00
JPY/$ Japan 155.00 -0.10

Developments

  • OPEC+ Announces Modest Production Adjustment for May 2026

    Eight OPEC+ countries, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, decided to implement a production adjustment of 206,000 barrels per day starting in May 2026, marking a gradual unwinding of previous voluntary cuts.

    OPEC · Apr 05, 2026

  • Geopolitical Tensions Keep Crude Oil Prices Elevated Amid Strait of Hormuz Concerns

    Crude oil prices remained at multi-year highs, with Brent consolidating around $110.39/bbl, as the US blockade of Iranian ships and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz continued to disrupt global supply.

    Reuters/Bloomberg · Apr 30, 2026

  • Analysts Cut EU Carbon Price Forecasts on Policy Uncertainty

    Analysts significantly lowered their forecasts for prices in the European Union's carbon market for the next couple of years, citing uncertainty over proposed policy changes and future supply levels. The benchmark EU carbon contract was trading around 74 euros/ton.

    Reuters · Apr 30, 2026

  • US Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Remain Below $3/MMBtu

    Henry Hub prompt-month futures prices continued to trade below $3/MMBtu, with the May contract settling at $2.56/MMBtu, influenced by mild spring temperatures and robust storage injections.

    American Gas Association · Apr 30, 2026

  • VLCC Time Charter Rates Soar to Decade Highs

    VLCC charter rates reached levels not seen in decades, with one-year time charter rates hitting $105,000 per day, driven by strong demand for compliant seaborne crude transportation and elevated geopolitical risk premiums.

    gCaptain · Feb 24, 2026

  • Mont Belvieu Propane Spot Price Sees Slight Daily Dip

    The Mont Belvieu Propane Spot Price was recorded at $0.831 per gallon on April 30, 2026, showing a minor decrease from the previous day's trading.

    YCharts · Apr 30, 2026