Articles written by Vivek Srivastava
Sowing the Seeds of a Food Crisis
Introduction The economic environment for global trade has profoundly shifted in the past year. Recovering demand from the pandemic has collided with supply side constraints in many industries, inflation and interest rates are rising, and the Ukraine war, together with sanctions on Russia have disrupted global commodity flows. Amid the myriad uncertainties, perhaps the most …
Digging in the Wrong Place – Ukraine Crisis Distracts from Bigger Trends in Seaborne LNG Market
The Ukraine crisis has sent global gas prices sky rocketing, but there may be bigger forces at work in the seaborne LNG market. While the world awaits developments on pipeline supplies, ship tracking data on seaborne LNG volumes may assuage the worst fears. The European benchmark TTF gas price has risen 135% so far in …
Diesel Vacuum in Crisis – Struck Europe Sucks In MRs
Demand for Clean Tankers has shifted up another gear, as the Ukraine crisis intensifies. As Russian troops amassed at the border with Eastern Ukraine last month and hostilities commenced on February 24th, the MR Atlantic Basket (an average of freight rates on key routes in the Atlantic Basin) climbed steadily from a January 25th low …
Russian Naval Drills Impact Black Sea Trade Flows
Despite ending a blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, Russian naval manoeuvres in the early part of February have visibly impacted traffic in the region. Ukrainian officials denounced Russian naval drills off its Black Sea coast last week, saying the presence of warships made navigating the busy trade route “impossible”. Traders were more cautious in …