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Bullish As of Aug 3, 2026 09:00 ET Download PDF

Daily Energy & Shipping Briefing — Aug 03, 2026

Global energy markets are showing a bullish trend, driven by strong demand and geopolitical tensions impacting crude and shipping. Natural gas prices are rising on August heat forecasts, while tanker newbuilding and secondhand prices continue to hit record highs, reflecting tight vessel supply and robust freight rates. Bunker prices remain elevated, particularly for MGO, despite some pullback in VLSFO and HSFO.

Energy Prices

Crude

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
Brent ICE $/bbl 96.95 +5.50
WTI NYMEX $/bbl 84.67 +1.20

Products

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline NYMEX c/gal 324.00 -3.27
Heating Oil NYMEX c/gal 403.00 -7.30

Natural Gas

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Henry Hub NYMEX $/MMBtu 2.77 +0.03

Natural Gas Liquids

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Mont Belvieu Propane NYMEX $/mt 362.18 -7.28

Price Spreads

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline/Brent Crack Spread $/bbl 28.00 -0.50

Shipping Rates & Bunkers

Dirty Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
VLCC, 270 AG-FE 45,000 42,000
Suezmax, 130 WAF-UKC 32,000 30,500

Clean Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
LR2, 75 AG-FE 22,000 25,000
MR, 37 TC2 (UKC-USAC) 18,500 19,200

Time Charter & Asset Values

Vessel 1yr ($/day) Newbuild ($M) 5yr ($M)
VLCC, 200+ 102,000 132.0 172.0
Suezmax, 130 65,000 95.0 95.0

LNG Vessels ($/day)

Type Spot Sentiment 52wk Avg
160M3 Tri-fuel diesel electric (East) 13,000 Flat 30,231
174M3 TFDE (Atlantic) 15,000 Stable 35,000

Bunkers ($/mt)

Port VLSFO HSFO MGO
Singapore 799.5 655.5 1,443.5
Rotterdam 676.0 550.0 1,250.0

LPG (Spot TCE, $/day)

VLGC, 44 (AG-Japan) 34,643
MGC, 22 (USGC-Europe) 28,000

Carbon Markets

Instrument Unit Bid Offer
European Union Allowances (Spot) EUR/ton 69.34 69.36

Equities & Currencies

Index Region Last Δ Day
S&P 500 United States 7,489.72 +52.07
Pair Region Last Δ Day
EUR/$ European Union 1.15 0.00

Developments

  • VLCC Newbuilding Orders Surge Tenfold Toward Record-Breaking Year

    Shipowners placed 183 VLCC orders in the first half of 2026, a dramatic increase from 18 in the same period last year, reflecting strong investor confidence and tightening vessel supply.

    Veson Nautical · Jul 8, 2026

  • Secondhand Tanker Prices Hit Record Highs Amid Geopolitical Turmoil

    The market for secondhand tanker vessels has reached unprecedented price levels, with buyers aggressively competing for immediate delivery tonnage in a crude shipping sector experiencing intense activity.

    IndexBox · May 18, 2026

  • August Heat Expectations Boost Natural Gas Prices

    Forecasts for enduring heat in the first half of August sent New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) natural gas futures higher on Monday.

    NGI · Aug 3, 2026

  • Bunker Prices Pull Back From Last Week's Spike, but MGO Remains a Major Cost Risk

    Global bunker prices entered Friday morning below last week's elevated levels after a volatile sequence, with VLSFO and HSFO lower, but marine gasoil still approximately 1.3% higher due to tight refinery capacity.

    ShipUniverse · Jul 31, 2026

  • Pan Ocean Accelerates VLCC Fleet Growth with $244.5 Million Order for Dual Ammonia-Ready Tankers

    South Korean shipping company Pan Ocean continues to expand its VLCC fleet, announcing an additional order for two ammonia-ready VLCCs, bringing its total investment in the VLCC market this year to over $1.5 billion.

    iMarine · Jun 30, 2026

  • Brent crude oil prices declined during their latest intraday trading

    Brent crude oil prices declined during their latest intraday trading on July 31, amid continued negative signals from relative strength indicators and persistent negative pressure from trading below EMA50.

    FXEmpire · Jul 31, 2026