Oil destocking, low US and Russian crude exports, and even global warming are expected to pressure aframax tanker earnings this year and next, according to Alphatanker.

Despite a large number of aframaxes being used as floating storage, spot earnings in this segment have been at multi-year lows in the past few weeks.

On the Baltic Exchange, time charter equivalent rates on Northern Europe routes had even dipped into negative territory in mid-June before a minor recovery.