OREANDA-NEWS. Freight rates for supertankers for oil companies rose to "exorbitantly high" and "astronomical amounts" amid demand for ships and the actions of Saudi Arabia, writes the American media. Riyadh previously announced that Saudi Aramco will provide buyers with discounts of $ 6-8 per barrel of oil.

So, according to Tankers International, the pricing rate for the super tanker Princess Mary exceeded $ 400 thousand per day. Indian Reliance Industries Ltd reserved a ship for transporting oil from the Middle East to the west coast of India in early April. According to the agency, the distance to Jamnagar, the key oil refining center on this coast, is about 1.3 thousand miles (more than 2 thousand km), or 4-5 days of travel.

Prices have risen for long haul routes. According to the Baltic Exchange (commodity and freight exchange), in the second week of March, the tanker charter rate from the Middle East to China jumped 700% to $ 243 thousand per day.

Demand for tankers grew amid increasing oil production by Russia and Saudi Arabia in an effort to win the price war, media reported. The agency, citing ship brokers and market participants, also reports that the Saudi National Shipping Co., which owns about 40 tankers, has booked an additional 30 vessels for loading in late March or early April.