Petrobras rises as Unipec’s tanker dominance weakens

July 13 (splash247) The Brazilian state-controlled oil company Petrobras has emerged as one of the biggest gainers in the crude tanker market during the first half of 2026, as disruption in the Middle East shifted tanker demand towards Atlantic Basin crude flows. According to Poten & Partners’ Tanker Midterms report, Unipec retained its position as the largest reported dirty spot charterer, booking 244 fixtures however, its dominance in the VLCC segment eased, its fixture count falling from 317 in the first half of 2025 to 217 this year.

Petrobras, meanwhile, moved in the opposite direction. increased its VLCC fixture count from 52 to 73, a 40% rise, climbing from sixth to second place in Poten’s overall dirty tanker charterer ranking. The company’s total fixture count placed it ahead of TotalEnergies, Chevron and ExxonMobil by cargo volume only beaten by Unipec.

Poten attributed the broader slowdown in tanker activity to the Middle East conflict, which effectively removed the Arabian Gulf from the spot market for around four months. The consultancy also pointed to lower Chinese crude imports following the disruption, weighing on demand for Middle East cargoes.