The outlook for chemical tankers remains positive, as reduced ship speeds tighten the market, according to Clarksons Securities.

The investment bank said the newbuilding orderbook still represents only 5% of the operational fleet.

Given high MR product tanker earnings, an increasing number of these clean ships are moving their focus from the vegetable oil and easy chemical trades to their staple product business, resulting in reduced competition with pure chemical tankers, analysts Frode Morkedal and Even Kolsgaard said.