After Greek operator Aegean Shipping Enterprises’ 26,000-dwt tanker Araevo (built 1991) was bombed near the port of Derna in early January, shipowners were reluctant to lift cargoes from Libyan ports.
As a result of this Platts says that only three major shipowners have been prepared to load crude at Libya in the past three months.
Due to the extremely restricted supply of ships available for Libya loadings, and the inherent risks presented to the shipowners that took on this business, a substantial freight rate premium was demanded versus other Mediterranean voyages.
However,
