Bangladesh Puts to use China-built Crude Oil Offloading Facility
Bangladesh started in recent days a large crude oil receiving and offloading facility built by China that allows the south Asian oil importer to significantly reduce the cost of shipping in crude oil.The single-point mooring facility at Chattogram port last Sunday offloaded 82,000 tons (about 600,000 barrels) of crude oil from a 100,000-ton tanker, said an official with state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corp (BPC).The project is majority-funded by the Chinese government and build by a unit of Chinese state oil major CNPC, said the BPC official who declined to be named as he's not authorized to speak t
When is a Cargo of Oil Certified "Carbon Neutral"? Ask Lundin Energy
Sweden's Lundin Energy has sold to Italian refiner Saras what it said is the world's first oil cargo certified as carbon neutral at the point of production, the two companies said on Monday.Oil companies are increasingly trying to market their products as cleaner in an effort to secure a future for the fossil fuel industry in a world where investors, activists and regulators are demanding action to halt climate change.While Lundin's crude from the Norwegian Edvard Grieg field was certified as carbon neutral from exploration…
Mexico Closes Oil Ports Ahead of Hurricane Delta
Mexico's naval authorities on Tuesday ordered the closure of oil, cargo and passenger ports in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean ahead of Hurricane Delta, expected to sweep the Yucatan peninsula overnight.Ports shuttered to large ships included Dos Bocas in Tabasco and oil installations in Campeche.(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; editing by Drazen Jorgic)
Gazprom Neft Sells Its First Arctic Oil Cargo to China
Russia's Gazprom Neft has sold its first ever Arctic oil cargo to China to ChemChina, two sources familiar with the deal told Reuters on Thursday.This week, Gazprom Neft said it had sent 144,000 tonnes of light Novy Port oil grade to the Chinese port of Yantai on the Bohai Sea from Russia's north-western city of Murmansk, using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) through Russia's Arctic waters.The Delta Hellas vessel used part of the NSR, a route requiring icebreakers and ice-class tankers, Refinitiv Eikon data showed, sailing west from Murmansk to reach Suez and then China.Gazprom Neft said this week the
Gazprom's Arctic Offshore Platform Ships Its 200th Oil Cargo
Gazprom Neft, the oil branch of Russian gas giant Gazprom, has shipped the 200th consignment of ARCO crude from its Prirazlomnaya offshore platform in the Russian arctic.This milestone shipment was carried out by the Mikhail Ulyanov tanker — several return trips to the Prirazlomnaya platform being necessary to despatch a consignment comprising 70,000 tonnes of oil. "The vessel typically approaches one of various direct-loading facilities — or moves away from the platform, at a safe distance — depending on the prevailing wind direction, currents and movements of ice.
Ukraine's Odessa Gets First WTI Oil Cargo from US
Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa is set to receive on Wednesday its first ever West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil cargo from the United States, according to industry sources and shipping data, just a month after the front-month futures for the blend turned negative.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) May crude futures sank to minus $38 per barrel on April 20, just days before their expiration, in a quirky trading pattern never seen before, amid overproduction and lack of storage capacity inflicted by the coronavirus-battling restrictions.On Wednesday…
US Oil Sees Growing Reach
Two cargoes of U.S. crude oil have been booked to sail to Australia, trade sources and data companies said, highlighting the increasing global reach of exports from the United States.Aframax tanker Esther Spirit loaded U.S. oil in early April at Enterprise Houston Terminal and is scheduled to discharge at Kwinana in Western Australia on May 20, ship-tracking data from Refinitiv and Vortexa showed.BP Plc chartered the Silver Sun, an Aframax, to load from the U.S. Gulf Coast this week to Kwinana for $2.35 million, according to a shipbroker and Refinitiv data.
Brazil Calls Oil Auction, Seeks to Export Oil in a Year
Brazil's government will seek to sell 14.4 million barrels of oil cargo this month, while the state company managing the development of the pre-salt oil exploration aims to export its own oil in a year's time, the firm's head said on Thursday.The tender of oil cargo, at an auction set for Aug. 31, follows a failed auction in May, in which the government received no bids.On offer is the government's share of production from companies producing in deepwater pre-salt fields. Brazilian…
Saudi Arabia Halts Red Sea Oil Exports after Tanker Attacks
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was suspending oil shipments through a strategic Red Sea lane after Yemen's Iran-aligned rebels attacked two tankers in the waterway, underscoring the risk of an escalation in tensions in the region.Brent crude futures rose 59 cents to $74.52 a barrel by 1008 GMT, extending their rally into a third day but falling from a 10-day high in earlier trading.Saudi Arabia and arch-foe Iran have been locked in a three-year proxy war in Yemen, which lies on one side of the Bab al-Mandeb strait at the southern mouth of the sea…
China Private Refiner Buys Its first Kuwaiti Crude Oil Cargo
Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group, China's largest private refiner, has bought a 1.9-million barrel cargo of Kuwaiti crude oil for end-July loading, the first of its kind since the plant started importing the commodity in 2015, company officials said on Monday.The cargo was of Kuwait Export Blend, one of Kuwait Petroleum Corp's main export grades, with a sulphur content of 2.5 percent, the officials said.The purchase was partly to compensate for a decline in Venezuelan heavy grade Merey, said one of the officials.
Oil Gains After Larger than Expected U.S. Stock Draws
U.S. crude stocks fall by 1.4 million barrels. Global oil demand likely to moderate this year. Oil prices gained on Wednesday, shaking off the effects of a strengthening dollar, after an inventory report showed U.S. crude and gasoline stocks fell more than expected. Brent crude futures gained 85 cents to settle at $79.28 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures gained 18 cents to settle at $71.49 a barrel. "We rallied as the day went on," said Gene McGillian, manager of market research at Tradition in Stamford.
Oil Drops as Demand Shows Signs of Slowing
U.S. crude stocks rise by 4.9 mln bbl to 435.6 mln bbl even as production by oil majors is rising. Oil eased on Wednesday after a rise in U.S. crude inventory added to signs demand may be slowing in spite of ongoing output cuts by producer group OPEC and imminent U.S. sanctions against Iran. Brent crude futures were last down 65 cents at $77.78 a barrel by 1147 GMT, while U.S. crude futures fell 32 cents to $70.99 a barrel, leaving the spread between the two just shy of a 2015 high of $7 a barrel.
ADNOC to Supply First Oil Cargo for Indian Emergency Reserve
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) will supply the first oil cargo for India's strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) over the weekend, an Indian government statement said, becoming the first foreign company to lease storage in the country.India, hedging against energy security risks as it imports most of its oil needs, is building emergency storage in underground caverns to hold 36.87 million barrels of crude.ADNOC chief executive Sultan Al-Jaber and Indian oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan…
PDVSA Halts Caribbean Storage, Shipping; Diverts Oil Cargo
Venezuela's state-run PDVSA suspended oil storage and shipping from its Caribbean facilities following a move by ConocoPhillips to temporarily seize the firm's assets on four islands, according to a PDVSA source and Reuters data.PDVSA has begun concentrating most shipping in its main crude terminal of Jose on Venezuela's eastern coast and recalling tankers to Venezuelan waters to avoid seizures that would further cut its exports and worsen an economy on the verge of collapse.U.S.…
Petroperu Offers Fuel Oil Cargo for April
Peruvian state-run oil company Petroperu has launched a tender to sell a 220,000-barrel cargo of fuel oil for delivery April 19-23 at its Talara refinery, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday. Bids must refer to high-sulfur-fuel oil (HSFO) prices from the U.S. Gulf Coast. They will be received through March 21 Petroperu last month offered to buy two cargoes of a Latin American or West African crude, while selling a cargo of Peru's Loreto crude for April delivery Reporting by Marianna Parraga
Chevron sells May-loading Cossack Cargo
Chevron sold its May 4-8 loading Cossack crude oil cargo to oil trader Trafigura at a premium of $1.70 to $1.95 a barrel above dated Brent, trade sources said on Monday. Woodside Petroleum last sold a March-loading Cossack cargo at below $1 a barrel premium to dated Brent, traders have said. There were no spot Cossack cargoes available for export in April. The premium for May-loading cargo is up likely due to non- availability of Kutubu Light cargoes, traders said. Oil Search is yet…
Brazil Delays Estimate for First Oil Cargo from Libra
Brazil on Wednesday pushed back its forecast for a first oil shipment from its promising offshore Libra prospect to the first quarter of next year, months after its previously projected October 2017 estimate made in May. Hercules Tadeu F. da Silva, contract management director at Brazil's state-run Pre-Sal Petroleo SA, a company created to help guide development of Libra, declined to explain the cause of the delay. (Reporting by Simon Webb)
Sovcomflot Holds PDVSA Oil Hostage over Debts
Venezuela's state-run oil company, PDVSA, sent a tanker in October to the Caribbean with the expectation that its cargo of crude would fetch about $20 million - money the crisis-stricken nation desperately needs. Instead, the owner of the tanker, the Russian state-owned shipping conglomerate Sovcomflot, held the oil in hopes of collecting partial payment on $30 million that it says PDVSA owes for unpaid shipping fees. Despite a longstanding alliance between Venezuela and Russia, Sovcomflot sued PDVSA in St. Maarten, a Dutch island on the northeast end of the Caribbean. "The ship owners ...
Lawsuit Drags BP's Oil Trading Division into the Red
BP's oil trading business, one of the biggest in the sector, reported a rare loss in the fourth quarter after it lost a $70 million lawsuit over an oil cargo delivered to a Moroccan refinery. BP's Chief Financial Officer Brian Gilvary said due to flat trading positions ahead of a crucial OPEC meeting at the end of November, and the lawsuit, the company's oil trading division made a "small loss" in the fourth quarter. "There was a natural inclination to flatten up all of the books and there was also an adverse court ruling against us which is a $70 million hit," he told analysts on Tuesday.
Glencore Raises Money for Kurdish Oil Deal, Likely Short of Target
Glencore will likely fall short of its target of raising $550 million to pre-finance the purchase of Kurdish oil, with investors exercising caution despite the offer of a 12 percent bond yield, industry sources told Reuters. Two sources familiar with the plans said that commodities giant Glencore will price the bond at 12 percent on Tuesday, having received investor commitments for between $200 million and $400 million. Glencore would have to cover the rest itself, though there is obligation to hit the full $550 million.
