Canadian crude is fetching its biggest premium on the US Gulf Coast in more than two years as buyers hunt for barrels that can help offset disruption linked to the Strait of Hormuz. The pricing shift shows how quickly North American grades can gain value when Middle East flows tighten, with refiners willing to pay more for dependable replacement supply even after ceasefire headlines temporarily eased futures markets.
TankerMap data adds logistics context to the premium move. The platform tracks 3,201 crude tankers and 155 energy ports worldwide. On the Canadian side, Burnaby near Vancouver is listed as an active oil export point and showed two vessels in port in the latest TankerMap data. Across the broader tanker market, crude carriers such as APOLLO and AVA 10 were at anchor near Singapore late Wednesday while FOYA was under way off southern China, underlining how global vessel positioning remains highly sensitive to regional supply shocks. For Gulf Coast refiners, Canadian crude now offers a more valuable hedge while Hormuz-related uncertainty continues to distort trade flows.