NEW YORK, Jan 13, 2026, 13:33 EST — Regular session
- Hafnia’s shares climbed roughly 6% on the NYSE, while other tanker stocks also gained ground
- War-risk insurance for Black Sea port visits has surged to about 1% of a ship’s value following recent drone attacks, sources report
- Oil prices climb further amid concerns over Iran’s supply; investors eye Hafnia’s February 26 earnings release
Shares of Hafnia Limited climbed roughly 5.6% to $5.96 Tuesday, boosting the NYSE-listed tanker operator amid renewed risk concerns emerging from the Black Sea that sparked buying in shipping stocks.
Moves like this still matter since tanker stocks usually track freight rates — the daily fees refiners and traders pay to charter ships. Those rates can spike if routes become riskier or if vessels are withdrawn from an area.
War-risk costs factor heavily into the equation. They can slam voyage economics fast and push owners to pick and choose more carefully. Charterers end up paying higher rates, and shipping routes can reroute almost overnight.
Other tanker stocks also climbed. Scorpio Tankers jumped about 8.6%, Torm rose roughly 4.3%, and Frontline edged up around 3.5% in New York trading.
War insurance premiums for ships docking at Black Sea terminals have jumped to about 1% of a vessel’s value, up from roughly 0.6%–0.8% in late December. This follows drone attacks on two Greek-managed oil tankers en route to a Russian crude terminal, according to five industry sources speaking to Reuters. Munro Anderson, from marine war insurance firm Vessel Protect, described the shift as a “rapid risk escalation.” David Smith of McGill and Partners added that premiums exceeding 1% wouldn’t surprise him, depending on the vessel and port involved. 1
Oil prices edged up, with Brent crude climbing 22 cents to hit $64.09 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 23 cents, settling at $59.73. Traders remain cautious over potential supply disruptions linked to unrest in Iran, Reuters reported. 2
For tanker operators, the connection isn’t usually straightforward. Increased risk often drives up costs — yet it can also reduce available tonnage if vessels steer clear of some ports, which then tends to push freight rates higher.
Hafnia calls itself one of the globe’s biggest operators of product and chemical tankers. 3
Hafnia’s next major event is its quarterly update, with the Q4 2025 results set to drop on Feb. 26, according to the company’s financial calendar.
Yet the downside risk lurks in those very headlines: rising war-risk premiums could push costs higher, while any drop in geopolitical tension might swiftly erase the freight risk premium. A sharp fall in oil prices would add to the negative sentiment.
