This corporate and market structure story shows how unusually strong tanker earnings are translating into profit and asset sales. CMB.Tech reported net profit of 364.4 million dollars for the second quarter of 2026 as crude tanker and dry bulk markets remained firm. The company linked tanker strength partly to disrupted Middle East trade flows.
Average spot time charter equivalent rates for very large crude carriers reached 126,790 dollars a day, nearly three times the 44,981 dollars recorded a year earlier. Suezmax rates averaged 123,405 dollars a day, more than triple the 40,160 dollars from the same quarter of 2025. Both segments also earned more than four times their respective ten year averages.
CMB.Tech continued selling ships into high asset values. Three tanker deliveries in the second quarter produced a gain of 127.4 million dollars, while scheduled sales in the third and fourth quarters are expected to add gains of 100.2 million and 131.2 million dollars.
The company cautioned that current returns may not last. It counted 620 very large crude carriers and suezmax units on order, which it described as the strongest newbuilding investment period in 50 years. A return to normal Middle East trade could first support restocking demand, then pull flows and earnings back toward historical levels.