Poten & Partners

10 July 2026: Tanker Midterms – 2026 Edition Top Reported Dirty Spot Charterers for 1H 2026* The first six months of 2026 are behind us and the conflict in the Middle East has dominated the headlines globally. It has also had a profound impact on the oil and tanker markets, as reflected in this review of the reported spot activity. Effectively removing the Arabian Gulf from the tanker spot market for four months has dented fixture volumes.

June 17, 2026 The Strait of Hormuz could reopen as soon as Friday — but what happens next? Our Asia Pacific LNG & Consulting Manager Will Pulsford joined the BBC to discuss how long LNG exports will take to return to normal and what that means for prices across Asia. Watch the full video below., click here .

15 May 2026: Asia’s oil diversification drive can redraw global tanker routes. For many decades, mapping the oil flows in Asia was simple. The largest consumers in the region, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and later, China and India had limited or no domestic crude oil production. At the same time, the Middle East, which was geographically fairly close, had abundant resources.

LNG contracting activity across Latin America and the Caribbean is strengthening, with new tenders this year and five supply contracts expiring by 2030. Imports are expected to rise on El Niño-driven demand, while the ongoing Iran conflict is tightening the spot market and forcing regional buyers to compete with Europe and Asia. Join Sergio Chapa, our Senior LNG Analyst for the Americas, on Wednesday, May 20 for a webinar on LNG contracting opportunities in Latin America & the Caribbean.

8 May 2026: What happens after the Strait of Hormuz reopens? It has been 69 days since the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran started. This led immediately to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, blocking some 20 million barrels per day (Mb/d) of crude, condensate, and petroleum products from reaching world markets. This is equal to roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption and more than one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade.

May 5, 2026 Analysts at Poten & Partners stated that due to uncertainties caused by the war, some companies may delay placing orders for large LNG carriers. “Market uncertainty and rising shipbuilding costs—including labor and raw material costs—amid the current Middle East crisis may deter some companies from placing orders.” To read the full article, click here .

May 8, 2026 US broker Poten & Partners said that the initial results of the new deal are promising. The New York shop calculated that shipments rose from about 800,000 bpd in December 2025 to 1m bpd in March. China has gone from being the biggest customer to receiving nothing at all this year. Spain and Italy are the main customers in Europe. Foreign companies can now operate, export and commercialise oil independently, even if they are just minority partners with PDVSA, Poten noted.

1 May 2026: Venezuela’s turnaround has started. Since the end of March, the focus of the oil and tanker markets has been on the Middle East in general and Iran and the Strait of Hormuz in particular. There is no doubt that the developments in this region will have profound and long-term implications for the markets.

24 Apr 2026: Will OPEC’s influence fade or will the cartel adapt again? The crisis in the Middle East and, in particular, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, has reminded oil markets of the importance of Middle East OPEC.

April 24, 2026 Graham Hoar, Global Head of Clean Fuels and Chemicals Advisory at Poten and Partners, also cited increased interest in low carbon ammonia due to the Hormuz crisis, noting that in addition to the security of supply consideration, the cost differential to conventional, grey ammonia has also narrowed.