Gibson Shipbrokers sees a two-tier world in terms of Covid-19 infections posing a potential threat to a positive outlook for tanker owners.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that nearly 2m barrels per day (bpd) of additional production could be needed to meet anticipated oil demand growth, even with the recently announced increases in Opec+ output.

Most of these gains are likely to come from Opec+ countries, offering a much needed boost to crude tanker demand, Gibson said.