Japanese Operators Redirect VLCCs to US Gulf Loadings　日本勢、VLCCを米ガルフ積みへ転配指示　

Hormuz closure prompts rerouting orders for waiting tankers to LOOP

ホルムズ封鎖、待機船にＬＯＯＰへの配船変更も     

As the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags on, some very large crude carriers (VLCCs) that had originally been scheduled to load crude in Persian Gulf oil-producing states such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are beginning to be reassigned to the US Gulf Coast.

According to Maritime Bridge Japan’s reporting, Japanese shipping companies have issued instructions to VLCCs under their operation or commercial involvement to switch from waiting positions in the Gulf of Oman and the north-western Indian Ocean to US Gulf loadings, including at the deepwater crude oil terminal LOOP (Louisiana Offshore Oil Port) off Louisiana.

■In the full article, readers can explore the following points (approx. 3,000 characters):

→Why the Hormuz closure is beginning to redirect Japanese VLCCs towards US Gulf loadings

→How “tonnage that has lost its loading area” could reshape overall tanker supply-demand balance

→The practical infrastructure reasons why LOOP is emerging as a realistic alternative loading point

→How rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope affects voyage duration, costs and market conditions

→Why US loadings are once again raising legal and environmental concerns in the event of an oil spill

(Continue reading in the full article, available in both English and Japanese. The Japanese version follows the English article.)

日本勢、VLCCを米ガルフ積みへ転配指示　

ホルムズ封鎖、待機船にＬＯＯＰへの配船変更も

ホルムズ海峡の封鎖が長期化する中、本来はサウジアラビアやクウェート、アラブ首長国連邦（ＵＡＥ）などペルシャ湾産油国で原油を積み込む予定だった超大型原油タンカー（ＶＬＣＣ）の一部に、米国メキシコ湾岸向けへの配船変更が出始めた。

■記事本文では以下の内容を読むことができます（記事全文約3000文字）

→ホルムズ封鎖で、なぜ日本勢のVLCCが米ガルフ積みに振り替わり始めたのか

→「積み地を失った船腹」が市場全体の船腹需給をどう変えるのか

→LOOPが代替積み地として浮上する、インフラ面での現実的な理由

→喜望峰回りへの転配が、航海日数・コスト・市況に与える影響

→米国配船で改めて問われる、原油流出事故時の法的・環境リスク

（続きは英語と日本語で書かれた本文でお読みください。日本語の記事は英文記事に続いて掲載されています）