Often sensitive to geopolitical events, the VLCC segment has drawn the most attention from investors in the tanker spectrum.

In large part, this is because earnings of those supertankers can be highly volatile —shipowners can achieve much of their targeted investment returns within a few weeks when freight rates skyrocket.

Digging into the archive after VLCC rates briefly topped $300,000 per day, TradeWinds has found that while geopolitical tension can turbocharge tanker bullrun, fundamental factors such as fleet growth and oil demand can often determine the timings of upcycles.