Shipowners are acquiring very large crude carriers in notable numbers as they position for a prolonged upswing in tanker rates driven by instability in the Middle East, a reports item reported on 31 August 2026.
In its latest weekly note, shipbroker Xclusiv said the tanker sale and purchase market between January and July 2026 was markedly more active than the same period in 2025, with 365 vessels changing hands. The broker linked the heightened activity to buyers seeking VLCCs as a hedge against an extended period of elevated freight rates.
Xclusiv’s assessment underlines a clear shift in owner behaviour from shorter-term chartering plays to longer-term asset accumulation. The report indicates that buying physical tonnage has become the favoured route for those anticipating continued rate strength rather than relying solely on the charter market.
Market participants have interpreted the purchases as a vote of confidence in persistent demand for large crude tanker capacity. While the reports summary singled out instability in the Middle East as the principal risk factor prompting the shift, it did not set out precise forecasts for future rate levels.
Surge in sale and purchase activity
The tally of 365 units changing hands in the first seven months of 2026 points to a busier sale and purchase cycle for tankers compared with the prior year, according to Xclusiv. That volume of deals reflects both prompt deliveries and transactions for older tonnage, showing appetite across age ranges.
Deal flow of this scale tends to tighten available tonnage and can feed through into higher timecharter and voyage rates if demand remains robust. Xclusiv’s weekly commentary framed the activity as owners pre-empting what they expect to be a durable market upswing.
Owners’ strategic bets
Owners increasing their VLCC fleets are effectively taking longer-term exposure to crude movements and the freight market, rather than short-term speculative positions. The reports note suggests many buyers view ownership as the preferable mechanism to capture rising earnings should rates stay elevated.
Purchases of VLCCs can be seen as a defensive commercial response; acquiring ships provides physical capacity rather than relying on transient charter opportunities. The source material highlighted this behavioural change as the principal explanation for the spike in sale and purchase transactions.
Industry observers will be watching whether the higher S&P volumes translate into sustained pressure on charter rates or whether fresh supply, from newbuilding deliveries or owners selling for recycling, eases the tightening. The report from Xclusiv establishes the present momentum in transactions but does not attempt to predict timing for any market correction.
The current pattern also raises questions about financing and risk appetite across the ownership base. Buying high-value VLCCs requires capital or credit arrangements, and the report implicitly reflects a willingness among buyers to commit significant resources based on an expectation of continued favourable earnings.
The reports item and Xclusiv’s comment together present a market narrative in which geopolitical uncertainty has prompted concrete repositioning by owners. Whether the strategy of stocking up with VLCCs will deliver the anticipated returns will depend on how the regional situation evolves and how global crude flows respond.
For now, the evidence in the weekly S&P note is of an active marketplace and a cohort of owners prepared to hold physical tonnage to capture a potential long-lasting rise in tanker rates.