Fill ‘er Up: Record Armada of Tankers Bound for US Gulf to Load Oil
14th April 2026
An unusually large number of crude oil tankers on the open seas has the American Gulf coast as a destination as the ships are redirected to load cargoes bound for markets around the world already experiencing shortages.
As Alton Wallace writes at The Center Square, second-term Republican President Donald Trump said Saturday on social media that “massive numbers” of “completely empty” oil tankers are en route to the United States to purchase American energy.
Japan was getting 75% of its oil from the Middle East. Guess who gets that business now?
The surging vessel traffic comes as nations throughout Europe and Asia grapple to secure energy supplies and regional prices skyrocket. Germany is providing emergency fuel relief to its citizens while officials in the Philippines recently declared a national energy emergency as the world looks increasingly to the U.S. to replenish war-starved oil and gas markets.
Gee, I don’t see any sudden rush to ‘green’ energy that Krugman says will be taking place.
Trump on Saturday remarked that the U.S. oil output is more than the combined total of Saudi Arabia and Russia, the next two largest producers, and the president promised a “quick turnaround” for the arriving fleet.
We are the nice ones.
ATQUE: The Hormuz Blockade Is as Much About China as Iran (Javier Blas/Bloomberg) Hey, the sleepers are waking up….