Oil Supertanker Earnings on Mideast Route Near $510,000 a Day

By Weilun Soon

Aug 18, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Earnings for a supertanker procuring crude oil from within the Persian Gulf to Asia are nearing a two-month high, as exporters hunt for more vessels to deliver the fuel via the Strait of Hormuz even as the security situation remains uncertain.

Assessed earnings for the Middle East-to-China route jumped to nearly $510,000 a day on Monday, the highest since late June, according to data from the Baltic Exchange, when Iran resumed striking several ships transiting the strait. Separately, a very large crude carrier, the Mongolia Prosperity, is set to load crude from an unnamed Persian