Vortexa
London-based energy cargo analytics firm tracking global crude and product flows via AIS and cargo manifests.
Last refreshed: 18 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How did Vortexa's AIS data reveal BP Rotterdam's impact on ARA stocks before the weekly survey?
Timeline for Vortexa
Reported Med middle-distillate imports at dataset-high 1.9mb/d in May 2026
European Oil Markets: BP Rotterdam dark, ARA stocks slide- What does Vortexa track and how does it work?
- Vortexa tracks global crude oil and refined product cargo flows using AIS vessel data, draft readings, port call records, and cargo manifests across approximately 7,000 active tankers. It models vessel-level cargo volumes, routes, floating storage, and freight economics in near real-time.
- How did Vortexa data show the impact of BP Rotterdam shutting down in May 2026?
- Vortexa's AIS-based tracking of crude tanker arrivals and product cargo diversions provided intraweek visibility on ARA stock depletion as BP Rotterdam ran zero crude throughput. Trading desks used the data before the weekly PJK ARA survey to size the product shortage.Source: Vortexa
- How does Vortexa compare to Kpler for European oil cargo tracking?
- Vortexa and Kpler are direct competitors in energy cargo analytics. Vortexa is considered to have particular strength in ARA/North Sea and East-West arbitrage through Suez. Both use AIS-based tracking and cargo manifest intelligence, but their coverage and methodology differ at the cargo-level.
Background
Vortexa is a London-based energy cargo analytics firm founded in 2017 by Fabio Kuhn and Michele Fiorentino. It tracks global crude oil and refined product flows using AIS vessel data, draft readings, port call records, and cargo manifest intelligence across approximately 7,000 active tankers. Its platform is used by trading houses, energy banks, and commodity hedge funds requiring sub-weekly visibility on physical cargo movements.
Vortexa's AIS-based tracking of crude tanker arrival queues and product cargo diversion flows was the real-time complement to Insights Global's weekly PJK survey as BP Rotterdam ran zero crude throughput through May 2026 — giving trading desks intraweek visibility on whether the outage would tighten ARA gasoil inventories faster than the Thursday survey could capture.
For European oil desks, Vortexa's specific edge is in the ARA/North Sea region and East-West arbitrage flows through Suez. It is typically the first public data source to show whether Singapore-origin gasoil is loading towards Europe — the signal that pre-empts tightening in Med barge cracks before it appears in weekly inventory surveys.