The all-time high U.S. crude oil exports have been pushing demand and rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) higher since the middle of February as American exports are attractive thanks to the wide Brent-WTI spread in recent weeks. Rates for the supertankers, VLCCs, capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels of crude oil, have been rising since February 12 and the trend is set to continue at least this month and next, shipping sources tell S&P Global Platts . The supertanker rates had reached on February 12 their lowest level since September 2018, but the high U.S. exports and the busy loading schedule at the U.S. Gulf Coast had already boosted VLCC freight rates on the USGC-China route by nearly 30 percent in early March, according to Platts data and shipping sources. U.S. crude oil exports hit an all-time high of 3.607 million bpd in the week […]