# Tanker Rates Decline but Remain at Elevated Levels **Category:** Industry News | **Source:** Reuters (Baltic Exchange-Daten via MarketScreener; Zweitbericht via AOL) | **Published:** 2026-10-21 | **Updated:** 2026-10-28 **Tags:** Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht > According to Reuters, the tanker rate from the Gulf of Oman to China has declined. A planned USA-Japan route simultaneously demonstrates how expensive oil transportation can remain. --- Freight rates for very large oil tankers have declined somewhat on a major route. Reuters reported on October 16 that the rate for shipments from the Persian Gulf to China decreased from the previous 841 to approximately 776 on a Worldscale basis. According to the report, the data comes from the Baltic Exchange. Worldscale is a pricing scale for tanker freight. A value of 776 therefore does not mean 776 dollars per tonne or per vessel. Very Large Crude Carrier, or VLCC for short, refers to a very large crude oil tanker. ([Source: Reuters via MarketScreener](https://at.marketscreener.com/boerse-nachrichten/supertanker-raten-fallen-von-rekordhochs-ce785cdadd81f524)) How expensive individual shipments remain is illustrated by another Reuters example: For a planned voyage of the Esteem Explorer from the USA to Japan in late November, a figure of 81 million dollars is cited. This value applies to this specific voyage and cannot simply be transferred to other vessels or routes. ([Source: Reuters via AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/analysis-oil-shipping-costs-spike-100606000.html)) For shippers and freight forwarders in the energy sector, the overall rate therefore remains decisive. Base freight, insurance conditions, and potential surcharges must be considered together. Even a declining market indicator does not mean that a specific quote immediately becomes cheaper. Those purchasing oil products should separate price movements in transportation from changes in the actual commodity price. Only this way does it become clear which cost component actually drives up procurement expenses. --- Compare offers with the same route, cargo volume, and basis of terms. Shippers should verify the validity and conditions of the tanker quota. Coordination regarding insurance coverage should be part of the negotiations. In short: Slightly lower rates are not yet a broad all-clear for oil transport costs. --- Reuters rate report from October 16, 2026. Route under review: Gulf of Oman to China. Previous Worldscale value cited: 841. New value: approximately 776. Worldscale is not expressed in dollars. The $81 million voyage concerns USA–Japan. This voyage is scheduled for the end of November. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [United States of America](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/us) - [Japan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/jp) - [China](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/cn) - [Oman](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/om) ### Glossary - [Freight forwarder](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight-forwarder) - [War Risk Insurance](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/war-risk-insurance) - [Tanker](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/tanker) - [VLCC](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/vlcc) - [Worldscale](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/worldscale) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/tanker-raten-geben-nach-bleiben-aber-auf-hohem-niveau-20261019061451](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/tanker-raten-geben-nach-bleiben-aber-auf-hohem-niveau-20261019061451)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/tanker-raten-geben-nach-bleiben-aber-auf-hohem-niveau-20261019061451](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/tanker-raten-geben-nach-bleiben-aber-auf-hohem-niveau-20261019061451)*