It is absolutely a viable strategy. The logistics of it are a little more involved and hard to pull off on short notice. Also the reason all the tankers are full? Because people already did it last month Answer from Owenleejoeking on reddit.com
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Quora
quora.com › How-much-is-an-oil-tanker-full-of-oil-worth
How much is an oil tanker full of oil worth? - Quora
Sanctions, legal constraints, or ... (use 7.33 barrels/ton × DWT or standard barrel figures above). Multiply barrels by current oil price per barrel....
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VICE
vice.com › home › is it worth it to buy a used tanker and fill it with cheap oil? an investigation
Is It Worth It to Buy a Used Tanker and Fill It With Cheap Oil? An Investigation
August 9, 2024 - For the price and capacity, the best deal available now is a 274 metre-long Suezmax crude oil tanker for $17 million. The Suezmax was built in 2000 by Daewoo Heavy Industries, is currently somewhere in Africa, and has a capacity of 159,057 DWT, ...
Discussions

What's stopping anyone (with a lot of cash) from chartering a tanker and holding oil for a month to lock in a guaranteed profit?
It is absolutely a viable strategy. The logistics of it are a little more involved and hard to pull off on short notice. Also the reason all the tankers are full? Because people already did it last month More on reddit.com
🌐 r/oilandgasworkers
24
38
May 2, 2020
Only $375k for oil tanker who’s in?
Okay I did some quick math. 1 barrel of oil is 0.158987 cubic meters. The tanker hold 8 tanks, each with 730 cubic meters of storage. So in each 730 cubic meter tank, there is 4591.56 barrels of oil. So in the total 8 tanks, there is 36,732.48 barrels of oil. According to the latest check of the price per barrel of about -20. We would be paid $734,649.90. Minus out the cost of the tanker at 375,000.00, and we are looking at a profit of 359,649. Literally can't go tits up. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/wallstreetbets
359
2002
April 20, 2020
Great Trade Opportunity in Oil Tankers?
Unfortunately, WSB posted about this play 2 weeks ago More on reddit.com
🌐 r/options
246
497
April 23, 2020
[Request] Saw this on ig, is this reasonably true or just some clickbait algorithm thing?
General Discussion Thread This is a [Request] post. If you would like to submit a comment that does not either attempt to answer the question, ask for clarification, or explain why it would be infeasible to answer, you must post your comment as a reply to this one. Top level (directly replying to the OP) comments that do not do one of those things will be removed. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/theydidthemath
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January 2, 2025
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S&P Global
spglobal.com › energy › commodity › shipping market prices, data, and analysis › tankers
Tankers Market Prices, Data, and Analysis | S&P Global
Our range of tankers price assessments and benchmarks provides critical insights into the current state of the tankers market.
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ShipSelector
shipselector.com › all ships › ship for sale › tanker for sale
Tanker for sale
April 7, 2026 - close » · Filter · Filter » · All ships · Ship for sale · Tanker for sale · Offer date new-old · Offer date old-new · Name A-Z
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Petronav
petronav.net › tanker-for-sale
Oil Tanker Ships for Sale | Used Tankers | Petronav
Explore oil tanker ships for sale including used crude oil tankers, bunker tankers and chemical tankers. Petronav connects verified owners with serious buyers worldwide.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/oilandgasworkers › what's stopping anyone (with a lot of cash) from chartering a tanker and holding oil for a month to lock in a guaranteed profit?
r/oilandgasworkers on Reddit: What's stopping anyone (with a lot of cash) from chartering a tanker and holding oil for a month to lock in a guaranteed profit?
May 2, 2020 -

If I've got this right (which I probably haven't) but couldn't someone with a few million to spare, just charter a tanker, buy a couple million barrels at current WTI prices,($19.69) sell the July contract (currently $32.80) to lock in a guaranteed profit.

Sit out at sea for a month and deliver as per the July contract when the time comes.

Say, even at 200k /day tanker rates, a tidy profit should possible on 2 million barrels. Tanker rates have been dropping so I'm curious as to why this might be the case, surely anyone with the capital to do this has gone out and grabbed the next available tanker , is this as easy as it seems or am I missing something?

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Quora
quora.com › What-is-about-the-worth-of-the-payload-of-one-big-oil-tanker
What is about the worth of the payload of one big oil tanker? - Quora
Answer: The largest «normal» class of tankers are the VLCCs, which can carry 2 million barrels (give or take) of crude oil. With today’s oil price hovering around $60/bbl that would amount to $120mill for one full cargo. The typical VLCC ...
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Micyjz
qh-shipping.com › How-much-does-an-oil-tanker-cost-id47961896.html
How much does an oil tanker cost? - Tai Zhou Qin Hai Shipping Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
December 4, 2025 - Conversely, older tankers may be more affordable but could require more maintenance and upgrades to meet current regulations. The global oil market and shipping industry conditions can influence tanker prices. During periods of high demand for oil transportation, prices may rise due to increased competition for available vessels.
Find elsewhere
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Oreate AI
oreateai.com › blog › unpacking-the-price-tag-what-does-an-oil-tanker-really-cost › 0c057d8a42378e562fec94e3601db01c
Unpacking the Price Tag: What Does an Oil Tanker Really Cost? - Oreate AI Blog
January 28, 2026 - The cost of an oil tanker is a complex figure, ranging from tens of millions to over $100 million, influenced by size, manufacturing location, customization, and technological features.
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Horizon Ship Brokers
horizonship.com › tankers for sale – crude oil, product and chemical tankers › crude oil tankers for sale – vlcc, suezmax and aframax tankers
Crude Oil Tankers For Sale | VLCC, Suezmax & Aframax Tankers | Horizon Ship Brokers
February 21, 2014 - Horizon Ship Brokers offers crude oil tankers for sale worldwide including VLCC tankers, Suezmax tankers and Aframax crude oil tankers designed for the transport of crude oil on international tanker trade routes supporting global oil transport, energy logistics and crude oil shipping operations between major oil producing and refining regions.
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Marine Log
marinelog.com › home › latest news › how are tankers valued?
How are tankers valued? - Marine Log
February 4, 2019 - In the case of tankers, there are around 140 scores. One of the most important scores is the shipyard. A vessel built in China is less desirable than one built in Japan. A well-published example is the one shown above. In November 2014, the New Century-built Supramax bulker ACS Diamond was sold for $10 million. The previous week, the slightly older Japanese-built pair of Supramaxes were sold for $15.5 million each. This was an implied discount of around 40% between Japan and China.
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MarineLink
marinelink.com › news › secondhand-crude-tankers-reach-highest-504481
Second-hand Crude Tankers Reach Highest Values in 25 Years, BIMCO Says
April 19, 2023 - Twelve months ago, that valuation had risen to USD 172.0 mill. (+25%). Since then, another USD 59.0 million has been added in value, and the three five-year-old ships are now valued at a combined USD 231.0 mill.
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Investopedia
investopedia.com › articles › investing › 012316 › crude-tankers-business-transporting-oil.asp
Understanding Crude Tankers: Oil Transport Industry and Market Dynamics
September 29, 2025 - Tanker companies often secure long-term contracts, with very large crude carriers (VLCC) and ultra-large crude carriers (ULCC) potentially earning daily profits of $100,000 or more, depending on market conditions and contract terms.
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Lloyd's List
lloydslist.com › LL1154240 › Crude-oil-tanker-values-lifted-by-tonne-mile-demand-boost-as-product-tankers-stabilise
Crude oil tanker values lifted by tonne-mile demand boost as product tankers stabilise :: Lloyd's List
July 17, 2025 - A shift in trading patterns has tightened vessel availability and contributed to strong crude tanker spot and time charter rates, helping to lift vessel price assessments · Source: Xclusiv Shipbrokers Xclusiv Shipbrokers analyst Eirini Diamantara says that a recent rise in VLCC values have been supported by several key factors. CRUDE oil tanker values have been rising in the past month following trade disruptions which have boosted voyage lengths and subsequently spot rates and time charter rates.
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Quora
quora.com › What-price-does-the-producer-get-paid-per-barrel-of-oil-produced
What price does the producer get paid per barrel of oil produced? - Quora
Answer: Roughly speaking, the producer usually makes the spot price (the quote everyone sees) minus the standard shipping cost to the nearest major distribution hub, plus/minus a premium or discount based on the quality of the specific crude oil relative to the benchmark crude. So to make up so...
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Ship Universe
shipuniverse.com › chartering-tankers-costs-risks-and-profits
Chartering Tankers: Costs, Risks, and Profits – Ship Universe
... Carbon math (screening): Fuel mt × emission factor × phase × scope × allowance price. Set scope ~1.00 for mostly intra-EU/at-berth exposure, ~0.50 for EU↔non-EU dominated mix, or whatever matches your itinerary. ... If you’re a charterer analyzing a voyage charter, treat “revenue” ...
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ShipSelector
shipselector.com › all ships › ship for sale › tanker › crude oil tanker for sale
Crude Oil Tanker for sale
April 23, 2026 - close » · Filter · Filter » · All ships · Ship for sale · Tanker · Crude Oil Tanker for sale · Offer date new-old · Offer date old-new
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gCaptain
gcaptain.com › home › news › used product tankers are hot property
Used Product Tankers Are Hot Property
July 28, 2022 - While freight rates have recently eased from their highs, ship owners are still likely to fetch healthy earnings for the rest of the year, according to Anoop Singh, head of tanker research at Braemar ACM Shipbroking. Also Read: Shrinking Oil Tanker Fleet May Deepen The Energy Crisis