Tanker owners are looking to the future with mixed views as spot earnings for VLCCs are lodged in a trough not seen since before the market spike that fired up the sector in March.

Striking an optimistic tone is Navios Maritime Acquisition, the main tanker-owning vehicle of the Navios group of companies, where chief executive Angeliki Frangou sees robust market factors driving a surge once the traditional summer doldrums stop weighing down VLCCs.