Well, That Was Easy: Iran's First VLCC Steaming Toward Asia One Day After Nuclear Deal "Signed" -- July 17, 2015

This is pretty cool; should make Valerie Jarrett happy. Platts is reporting:

The first VLCC to leave Iran's floating storage flotilla since a nuclear deal was reached with world powers earlier this week in Vienna is currently sailing in South Asia, Platts vessel tracking tool cFlow showed Friday.

The National Iranian Tanker Company's Starla, which had been anchored at Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf for 216 days, is the first ship to leave Iran's floating storage fleet since the landmark deal Tuesday.

The Starla, which has a capacity of 2.1 million barrels, is currently voyaging off the coast of Pakistan and destined for Singapore.

Wiki has a very nice graphic showing the various sizes and classes of ocean-going oil tankers. The graphic does not include the New Panamax which will become operational in 2016 or 2017 with the widening of the Panama Canal. New Panamax will include ships up to 120,000 DWT. This would put the New Panamax at the lowest end of the Suezmax and still won't accommodate VLCC (200,000 to 320,000 DWT) or the ULCC (320,000 to 550,000 DWT), at least as described in those two linked articles.

***********************

Not Easy

Looks like Tiger Woods could miss another cut, this time in Scotland, at the British Open. Currently tied at about 131st place, and dropped another stroke in the early going today.

************************

Hold Onto Your Texas Hats

Texas Monthly's cover story this month: "The Secrets Behind Your Favorite Texas Songs."

An amazing, amazing list. The writers chose the "top" 25 Texas songs, and although the introduction does not say they were put in any particular order, they are numbered one to 25, suggesting that there was some sort of ordering going on.

I had not heard of song #1 so I was a bit confused / concerned. But then I knew the list was credible / authentic:

#8: Pretty Paper, Willie Nelson
#11: Wasted Days and Wasted Nights, Freddy Fender
#12: Redneck Mother, Jerry Jeff Walker, recorded; written by Ray Wylie Hubbard
#15: New San Antonio Rose, Bob Wills
#23: L.A. Freeway, Jerry Jeff Walker, recorded; written by Guy Clark
#24: Last Kiss, J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, recorded; written by Wayne Cochran
#25: London Homesick Blues, Garry P Nunn with Jerry Jeff Walker, records; written by Garry P. Nunn

You know the list was legitimate when it includes a song by the Dixie Chicks (Travelin' Soldier) and the pop song by J Frank Wilson (Last Kiss) and only song by Willie Nelson. But the killer song is #1, Tighten Up, Archie Bell and the Drells.

Remember, this is a Texas list, not a Rolling Stones list. After watching #1 on YouTube, I was blown away by the number of songs Jerry Jeff Walker on this list of 25: no less than 3. There will be lot of letters to the editor:

• only one Willie Nelson song? You gotta be kidding
• Willie Nelson had as many songs on the list as the Dixie Chicks? I'm canceling my subscription
• no songs by Waylon Jennings: WTF?

But any list that includes Freddy Fender's Wasted Dasy and Wasted Nights is hard to ignore.