Trader and shipowner Trafigura Group has been finding it harder to take tankers on time charter in what shipping companies see as a tighter market due to the IMO 2020 low-sulphur fuel rules.

In its 2018 annual report, it revealed its on-the-water exposure to the sector had decreased to 45 ships on charter for three months or more, down from 60 the year before, in "challenging" markets.