IMO 2020: Exxon Mobil Projects 25% Decline in High-Sulfur Fuels
Exxon Mobil Corp expects high-sulfur fuel oil demand to fall 25 percent by 2025, as a new set of emission regulations from the International Maritime Organization capping sulfur content in shipping fuel at 0.5% kicks in in 2020, a top-level official at the U.S. oil and gas company said on Monday.The International Energy Agency has forecast high-sulfur fuel oil demand to fall 60 percent next year…
IMO 2020: Shell, HES to Resurrect Refinery
Royal Dutch Shell has struck a deal with Dutch tank terminal firm HES International to partially restart a German oil refinery mothballed since 2011 in response to new restrictions on marine fuels, two trading sources told Reuters.A new cap set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that will cut the sulfur content in shipping fuel to 0.5 percent from 3.5 percent from…
How Refiners Plan to Grapple With Fuel Oil Output After 2020
High-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), essentially the leftovers of an oil refiner's output, will still flow from refineries around the world even after new rules start up in 2020 curtailing its use in the global shipping fleet, a Reuters survey showed.Sixty percent of the 33 refineries contacted by Reuters in a global survey will still produce HSFO in 2020 although the supply will tighten as 70 percent of these refiners plan to reduce their output.Starting that year…
Morgan Stanley Raises Brent Forecast
Morgan Stanley has raised its Brent crude oil price forecasts saying strong demand for middle distillates will drive up oil prices over the next two years. Oil benchmarks on Wednesday remained close to their November 2014 highs hit on Tuesday, as ongoing production cuts by OPEC and the prospect of U.S. sanctions against Iran tightened the market amid strong demand. Morgan Stanley said demand for middle distillates…
S.Korea Fuel Oil Imports Soar
South Korea's move to shut coal-fired generators to control air pollution at the same time as nuclear reactors are going into scheduled maintenance is resulting in surging fuel oil imports, as utilities burn the dirty feedstock to meet power demand. South Korea's trade ministry said in February it would suspend five coal-fired power plants, with a combined capacity of 2.32 gigawatts (GW), from March to June, part of a broad campaign to reduce pollution.
PSO Suspends Fuel Oil imports on LNG Push
2nd LNG terminal inaugurated 2 weeks ago; fuel oil demand unlikely to recover - official. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has suspended imports of fuel oil after an abrupt drop in domestic demand as the country turns to liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel its power sector, two company officials told Reuters on Wednesday. It is not clear how long the suspension will last but the country's state-owned oil importer is expected to drastically cut fuel oil imports…
Colder Winter Could Save Distillate Market: Kemp
The warmest winter for more than 30 years reduced fuel oil demand drastically in the United States in 2015/16 and left the country heavily oversupplied with heating oil. The good news for refiners and heating oil suppliers, however, is that winter 2016/17 will almost certainly be colder, boosting demand in the months ahead. Heating demand across the continental United States was 16 percent below average between December and February…
Asia Fuel Oil-Cracks, Spreads Tight; Bunker Prices Climb
Asia's fuel oil crack for benchmark 180-centistroke rebounded to a discount of $6.79 a barrel on Wednesday, gaining as bunker prices firmed on the possibility of reduced arbitrage volumes from the West next month even as the market remained quiet, traders said. The spread for the benchmark also remained tight, holding around a four-month high, at a discount of $2.75 - a further indication of possible lower arbitrage volumes, traders said.
Chinese Refiners Crude Buy Could Hurt Fuel Oil
China is poised to allow more private companies to directly import oil, a move that will have only a marginal impact on crude markets but may have a disproportionate impact on fuel oil prices. The vast majority of China's crude imports come via the two state giants, PetroChina and Sinopec , which account for about 90 percent of the imports of the world's second-largest oil user.
Asia: Fuel Oil Demand Down; Amidst Crude Gains
Demand for marine fuel in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub, is beginning to take a hit as high flat prices kept buyers on the sidelines, traders said. Reuters data showed. "This week's demand is not as good as previous weeks. Flat price wise, anything below $600 a tonne should be able to attract buyers back," said a Singapore-based trader. Bunker prices have hovered above the $600-a-tonne mark since last Wednesday…
