Supertankers Turn Away From Persian Gulf as Hormuz Risks Mount

The pullback of empty supertankers matters less as a spot supply signal than as a positioning one: ballast vessels are the flexible capacity that keeps the Gulf loading cycle running, so their hesitation tightens the effective fleet before any cargo is even booked. Fujairah's role as the region's main bunkering and waiting anchor point makes it the first place that stress becomes visible in tracking data. Whether laden tankers continue transiting while ballast tonnage stays away is the open question — that divergence, not the headline count, would tell you how the market is pricing the waterway.