Alaska oil exports seen filling U.S. tankers as routes extended

OSLO, Norway (Bloomberg) -- The first Alaskan crude export in a decade may herald increased demand for U.S.-built oil tankers because they’re the only kind permitted to handle the cargoes, said Arctic Securities ASA, an Oslo-based investment bank. The Polar Discovery, a crude tanker owned by ConocoPhillips and flying the U.S. flag, is sailing to Yeosu in South Korea, having previously been to Valdez, according to signals from the vessel compiled by Bloomberg. It’s the first to export Alaskan crude in a decade, according to Erik Nikolai Stavseth, an analyst specialized in trade and shipping at Arctic.

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