Data shows that Russian LNG tankers are avoiding the Arctic as winter approaches.
LSEG data on Thursday showed that ships carrying Russian liquefied gas (LNG), to Asia, are returning to longer routes around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope instead of those along the Arctic coast as the winter season starts. The new Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia also lacks sufficient ice-class tankers to continue the navigation along Northern Sea Route. However, some of these tankers still do so.
Offshore Accounts for 60% of Oil Discoveries
Offshore discoveries accounted for more than 60% of global discoveries in 2019, up significantly on previous years, according to a study by GlobalData.GlobalData report reveals that while Colombia and Norway saw the highest number of discoveries drilled in 2019, Guyana, Mauritania and Russia hosted the most significant finds.In Guyana, ExxonMobil drilled five discoveries in the deepwater Stabroek Block.
Oil And Gas Discoveries Hit 4-Year High
The global oil and gas explorers powered ahead and discovered 12.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in 2019, the highest volume since 2015.According to Rystad Energy, last year recorded 26 discoveries of more than 100 million boe, with offshore regions dominating the list of new oil and gas deposits.Guyana’s success story from 2018 continued in 2019, with ExxonMobil adding four new discoveries within its offshore Stabroek block…
Russia: Arctic Offshore Oil Feasible at $130/bbl
The head of Russia's Rosnedra subsoil agency said on Tuesday that the development of the Pobeda (Victory) offshore Arctic oilfield in the Kara Sea is feasible only at oil prices of $130 to $140 per barrel, Interfax news agency reported.Rosneft, the world's top listed oil firm by output, drilled a first exploration well in 2014 in the Kara Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean, with a rig provided by U.S.
Deepwater Leads in Discovered Oil and Gas
Half of the 6.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) new conventional oil and gas discoveries in the first half of 2019 were deepwater finds, signalling a return for explorers to high-risk frontier deepwater plays, said analyst Rystad Energy.Year-to-date average monthly discovered volumes above 1.1 billion boe reflect an uptick of approximate 35% compared to the 827 million boe seen in 2018, according to Rystad's mid-year review.
Gazprom Finds New Yamal Offshore Fields
Russian state gas producer Gazprom has discovered two new offshore fields in the Yamal region with total reserves of more than 500 billion cubic meters (bcm), the company said on Friday.The fields are located in the Kara Sea and hold 390.7 bcm and 120.8 bcm respectively, Gazprom said.(Reporting by Anastasia Teterevleva and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by David Goodman)
Russia: New Port of Sabetta LNG Terminal
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an allocation of budget funds in 2021-2022 for the construction of the Utrenny liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Russian port of Sabetta on the Northern Sea route, the Kremlin said on its website.The budget money will also be used to reconstruct a navigable channel in the Gulf of Ob in the Kara Sea.The Utrennee gas field is developed by Russian gas giant Novatek and serves as a resource base for the Arctic LNG-2 project.
Plexus Bags Gazprom Contract Via Gusar
Aberdeen-based oil well technology firm Plexus Holdings said its Russian licensee Gusar had clinched its first major contract to supply gas exploration equipment to Gazprom.The contract covered the first year of an up to five-year jack-up gas exploration drilling programme on the Kara Sea Shelf.Under the terms of a 2016 licence agreement with Gusar, Plexus would receive a licence royalty of 20% based on the invoice value of Plexus products rented or sold.In addition…
China Imports First U.S. Crude since November
An oil tanker carrying U.S. crude oil is offloading its cargo at a Chinese port on Friday, marking China's first import from the United States since late November, according to trade sources and Refinitiv data.Trade tensions between the United States and China cut U.S. oil exports to Asia to a trickle in the second half of last year. No U.S. crude volumes were recording going into China October…
Gazprom Neft Expands to Siberia
Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft has secured hydrocarbon exploration, development and production rights to the Leninsky license block in the Gydan Peninsula.The Leninsky license block is located in the Gydan Peninsula in the Taymyrsky district of the Krasnoyarsky Krai, bordered on one side by the Tazovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and on the other by the Kara Sea.The total size of the block is 3,650 square kilometres.
Christophe de Margerie Loads First Cargo from Third Train Yamal LNG
The Arctic LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie, owned and operated by Sovcomflot, loaded the first batch of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced at the third train of Yamal LNG plant, at the Port of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula.Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian Prime Minister, initiated the start of cargo operations via a video conference with the vessel’s Master Sergey Zybko.Dmitry Medvedev…
Arctic: ExxonMobil Exits, Rosneft Goes Ahead
Russian state oil company Rosneft will continue geological explorations in the Arctic offshore zone after ExxonMobil quits the joint projects, reports TASS. The report qouted Natural Resources Minister Sergey Donskoy saying that the Arctic licenses will remain with Rosneft and the company "plans to continue to operate there". Exxon Mobil decided to withdraw from the joint projects with Rosneft in late 2017 after Washington issued a legal act expanding against Russia.
Rosneft, Eni Fail to Discover Oil at Black Sea Well
Russia's state oil company Rosneft and Italy's Eni did not make a commercial oil discovery in the Black Sea as the well they were drilling proved to be dry, a source close to the operations told Reuters on Wednesday. Rosneft chief executive, Igor Sechin, has partnered with a number of foreign companies to develop Russia's offshore regions, though western sanctions have forced some of its partners such as ExxonMobil to suspend projects.
Exxon Quits Some Rosneft Joint Ventures Citing Sanctions
Exxon Mobil Corp will exit some joint ventures with Russia's Rosneft, citing Western sanctions first imposed in 2014, while the Russian company said the pullout will result in serious losses for its U.S. partner. The move is an about-face for Exxon, which had opposed the sanctions over Russia's invasion of Crimea and argued they unfairly penalized U.S. companies while allowing foreign energy rivals to operate in the country, the world's largest oil producer.
Novatek Expects 50 pct Capex Growth in 2018, 2019
Russia's largest non-state gas producer Novatek expects capital expenditure to rise by around 50 percent in 2018 and 2019, as it pushes ahead with plans to increase liquefied natural gas production, a company official said on Thursday. Novatek Chief Financial Officer Mark Gyetvay said on a conference call that capital expenditure is seen rising to 60 billion roubles ($1 billion) per year in 2018 and 2019 from 40 billion roubles this year.
Saipem Looks to Novatek Arctic LNG 2 Participation
Italy's Saipem is likely to get a sub-contractor role in a new project to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic by Russia's Novatek, one of Novatek's partners said. Novatek, Russia's largest non-state LNG producer, is aiming to produce as much LNG as the world's biggest exporter Qatar and is drawing up plans to build a second plant, known as Arctic LNG 2, on the Gydan Peninsula that juts into the Kara Sea. Production is due to start in 2022-2023.
Saipem Looks to Novatek's Arctic LNG 2 Project Role
Italian energy contractor Saipem is expected to get a contract to build gravity-based platforms to liquefy natural gas at the Arctic LNG 2 facility, the second project of its kind by Russian gas producer Novatek , four sources said. Aiming to become as big as Qatar by LNG volumes produced, Novatek is drawing up plans to build its second LNG plant which it intends to locate on the Gydan Peninsula that juts into the Kara Sea. Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Denis Pinchuk
Exxon CEO back in Russia after Two-year Hiatus
Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson is to attend a major investment forum in Russia this week, two industry sources said, ending a two year absence from the event that began when sanctions were imposed on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. Tillerson is due to attend a session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum where Igor Sechin, head of Russian state oil firm Rosneft, is listed as keynote speaker. Both Rosneft and Sechin are subject to Western sanctions.
Russia: Rosneft, Exxon Have Long-Term Pact
Russian First Deputy Natural Resources Minister Denis Khramov said on Monday that partnership between Russia's Rosneft and U.S. firm ExxonMobil was "long-term". "I don't think that currently... there is a search to replace Exxon," he told reporters when asked about the talks between Rosneft and Chinese firms on their possible participation in Rosneft's offshore Arctic projects. Rosneft…
Rosneft, Exxon Jointly Bid for Mozambique Tender
Russia's Rosneft and U.S. ExxonMobil have jointly applied for taking part in a tender for hydrocarbon fields in Mozambique, Rosneft said in a statement on Thursday. Exxon will be the operator if the two companies win the tender, Rosneft said. Exxon has suspended cooperation with Rosneft itself in the Kara Sea and in shale oil in Russia because of Western sanctions against Rosneft linked to the Ukraine crisis.
