Korea now the largest transporter of single-hull tankers

South Korea is now the worlds largest transporter of single hull tankers, despite the Hebei Spirit oil spill last December, according to reports. Refiners in the country claimed the largest share of single-hull spot fixtures in the first half of 2008, according to data from Simpson, Spence and Young Research and Consultancy. In the first six months, South Korea concluded 68 single-hull spot fixtures, or 25.39%. Chinas share for the same period was 25.26%. The information suggests that South Koreas use of single-hull tankers could surpass China, which hired the largest number of single hulls on the spot market in 2007. Last year, Chinas share of single-hull fixtures was 24.93% compared to South Koreas 21.61%. (July 10, 2008)