World shipbuilding forecast shows weak-but-steady growth in oil and gas tanker fleet over next five years

The world fleet of oil, chemical and gas tankers is predicted to continue to grow over the next five years, although at a much more sluggish rate than the previous five years, according to a Shipbuilding Market Report issued this month by Lloyds Register – Fairplay (LR Fairplay). The oil tanker fleet, which currently stands at 7,516 ships, is expected to grow by 1.9 percent per year over the next five years in terms of the number of ships. Deadweight ton (dwt) capacity will rise by 5.7 percent annually over the same period, reflecting a movement toward larger ships. New shipbuilding orders for oil tankers will amount to 76 million dwt through the end of 2013, a 60 percent decrease from the shipbuilding binge of the last five years.