Trafigura chartered the supertanker Alexandros to sail from the US Gulf Coast to China, expected to load around November 19, paying $76 million for the single voyage against a normal pre-war rate of $7 million to $10 million, according to CNBC’s source. At 2 million barrels of capacity, the freight works out to $38 per barrel. The spike reflects a tanker shortage created by the Gulf war: Middle East producers now run a shuttle system through the Strait of Hormuz, loading tankers that cross the strait and transfer cargo in the Gulf of Oman to ships bound for Asia, which limits exposure to attack but requires far more vessels, squeezing the global market.
Trafigura pays $76 million to ship crude from US Gulf to China
Trading firm Trafigura chartered the supertanker Alexandros to carry crude from the US Gulf Coast to China for $76 million, roughly ten times the pre-war rate, CNBC reported Wednesday.
Why it matters: The record freight bill puts a hard number on how the Gulf war has tightened the global tanker market, adding $38 a barrel to move oil from Texas to Asia.
Data as of Reporting October 7, 2026. Single-sourced to CNBC, which cites an unnamed person familiar with the charter; figure unverified.