Danish owner Torm is reported to have secured term charters with Brazil’s Petrobras for two LR2 tankers.
Brokers said the 109,700-dwt Torm Maren and Torm Mathilde (both built 2008) were fixed for two years at a firm $43,250 per day.
The company told TradeWinds that it does not comment on market reports.
Clarksons Securities pegged average spot rates for a non-eco LR2 at $38,600 per day on Friday.
French shipbroker BRS Group assessed one-year term deals at $39,000 per day for non-eco carriers and $45,000 for a more modern vessel.
Three-year rates are $39,500 for eco ships.
In September, Torm chief executive Jacob Meldgaard said he expected the trend for more period charters ahead of a strong winter market to ramp up.
He told an earnings call: “I think if we can identify A1 customers — and we’ve got a lot of them who are there — to pay at or above what we think is the fair rate, we will definitely be open to that discussion.
“As we come into this winter season, we will see more clients who will also decide to look in that direction of taking more term commitments on vessels.”
Rates for product carriers were rising as Russia said on Friday that it is lifting a ban on diesel and petrol exports via pipelines to ports, as long as producers supply at least 50% to the domestic market, Reuters reported.
Before the ban, Russia was shipping out 1.1m barrels per day (bpd) of diesel and 100,000 bpd of petrol, with 75% of this moving through pipelines.
Beating spot rates
In the aframax sector, Shell was reported to have secured two Advantage Tankers-operated vessels for two years and 11 months.
It is said to be paying $32,500 per day for the 116,000-dwt Advantage Award and $35,000 per day for the Advantage Atom (both built 2011).
The vessels are owned by Chinese financier SPDB Financial Leasing.
Clarksons Securities assessed average spot rates for non-eco aframaxes at $28,000 per day on Friday.
BRS quotes a three-year fix at $37,000 for eco vessels.
