Vitol's shipping demand in 2016 made a small gain despite what it called "a challenging environment" in energy trading. Its volumes rose across the board with the largest gains in LPG and refined products trading, but coal also saw good demand.

The trading firm made 6,809 ship journeys last year, compared to 6,629 in 2015.

Chief executive Ian Taylor said "performance in 2016 was solid, despite challenging market conditions."