Mexico tries to avoid US tariffs for states that ship oil to Cuba
Mexico will look for diplomatic solutions to help Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that the country would seek alternatives and find diplomatic solutions after U.S. president Donald Trump signed a tariff order on oil-supplying countries. The White House Executive Order on Thursday could be devastating for Cuba and Mexico, as it is one of the last oil suppliers. Sheinbaum, at her daily morning news conference, said, "We don't want tariffs…
Bousso: ROI-Oil is not able to break through the range of its current price because it needs a shock from Iran's supply, but a tough talk.
Even though oil prices rose 15% in January on the back of fears that a new U.S. attack on Iran was imminent, they remain in a narrow range. A well-supplied crude oil market will not allow for much more price increase from either side. It would take a massive action to?have a lasting impact on the global balance of supply and demand. Brent crude futures are at their highest level since July last year. This puts the global benchmark in line for its largest monthly gain since January 20, 2022 when Russian forces prepared to invade Ukraine.
Venezuelan oil reform encourages immediate investments, but executives still need to go deeper
Foreign and local executives and attorneys said that a proposed reform to Venezuela's oil laws is sufficient to encourage existing companies to expand, and to start investing. However, deeper reforms are needed to attract the $100 Billion the U.S. estimates is necessary to overhaul the nation's energy industry. The U.S. now controls Venezuela's oil revenue and exports after a military invasion to capture President Nicolas Maduro in early this month and a naval blockade since December to stop oil shipments from sanctioned ships.
OPEC Oil Output Falls in December After Low Supply From Iran, Venezuela
OPEC's oil output fell in December due to lower supply from Iran and Venezuela, which offset an OPEC+ agreement to raise production for the month, a Reuters survey found on Friday.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 28.40 million barrels per day last month, down 100,000 bpd from November's revised total, the survey showed, with Iran posting the largest decline.OPEC+, comprising OPEC and allies including Russia, has slowed the pace of its monthly output increases amid concerns of a supply glut.
Russian Urals Discounts in India Triple Since August as US Sanctions Hit
Discounts for Russian flagship Urals crude in Indian ports have tripled since August against dated Brent as U.S. sanctions drive key buyers away from Moscow-supplied oil, three sources involved in the trade said.The United States last month imposed its toughest sanctions yet on Russia’s energy sector, targeting oil majors Lukoil and Rosneft. Friday marks the deadline for companies to wind down all dealings with the two producers.Urals crude has been a mainstay feedstock for Indian refiners since 2023…
Russian Oil Exports Remain Stable Despite Recent Sanctions
Russia has maintained a steady pace of oil shipments from its sea ports at the start of November despite fresh U.S. sanctions imposed on the country's largest oil companies, traders said and LSEG data shows.The United States last week introduced sanctions against Russia's two biggest oil producers, Lukoil and Rosneft. These are the first direct sanctions on Russia imposed by U.S.
Yanchang Seeks Non-Russian Oil in Tender
Chinese refiner Yanchang Petroleum is seeking non-Russian oil in its latest crude tender, trade sources told Reuters on Tuesday, while others said Sinopec subsidiary Luoyang Petrochemical has shut for maintenance as an indirect result of Western sanctions.China's state oil companies and some Indian refiners are avoiding buying Russian oil due to concerns about falling foul of secondary sanctions after recent western sanctions on Russian oil shipments, including last month's U.S.
Lukoil declares Force Majeure in Iraqi oilfield following US sanctions
Four sources familiar with the situation said that Lukoil declared force majeure on Iraq's West Qurna-2 giant oilfield on Monday after Western sanctions against the Russian oil major hindered its operations. Lukoil didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Last month, the United States and Britain imposed sanction on Rosneft, Russia's largest oil company, and Lukoil. Three sources confirmed that Iraq had stopped all crude and cash payments to the company.
Lukoil declares Force Majeure in Iraqi Oilfield after Sanctions
Four sources familiar with the situation said that Lukoil declared force majeure on Iraq's West Qurna-2 giant oilfield on Monday after Western sanctions against the Russian oil giant hampered the oil major's operations. Lukoil didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for a comment. Last month, the United States and Britain imposed economic sanctions against Lukoil, Russia's second largest oil company. Iraq has stopped all crude and cash payments to Lukoil, according to three sources.
US Sanctions on Iranian Oil Target Sinopec
The latest U.S. sanctions on Iranian petroleum exports deal a blow to Chinese refining giant Sinopec by targeting a terminal through which the state major handles one-fifth of its crude oil imports, industry executives and analysts said.The sanctions announced on Thursday further complicate U.S.-China relations, coming ahead of planned talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this month.The move follows China's decision to tighten controls on…
Sources say that OPEC+ is planning to increase oil production in November.
Three sources familiar with the discussions said that OPEC+ is likely to approve another increase in oil production of at least 137,000 bbls per day during its meeting on Sunday. The group's desire to gain market share has been boosted by the rising price of oil, they added. OPEC+ reversed its April strategy of production cuts and has already increased quotas to more than 2,500,000 barrels per day. This represents about 2.4% world demand. The goal is to increase market share, and to do so, they have been under pressure by U.S.
Ukraine Strikes Two Russian Oil Distribution Facilities
Ukraine's military struck two Russian oil distribution facilities in the Bryansk and Samara regions overnight, Kyiv's general staff said on Tuesday.In Samara, the military hit a line production station that mixes Russian oil for its flagship Urals oil grade for export, the general staff said on Telegram.The pumping station, used for Russia's oil pipeline network system in the Samara region, supplies the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk and also accepts Kazakhstan's transit oil shipments to Russian ports and the Druzhba pipeline to Germany.In Bryansk…
Chevron, Valero Working to Resume Supplies of Venezuelan Oil to US
Chevron and Valero Energy are working to resume supplies of Venezuelan crude to Valero's U.S. refineries under an agreement that was on pause, three sources close to the preparations said on Tuesday, following a new license granted to the U.S. oil major.Washington in late July issued a new restricted authorization for Chevron to operate, swap oil and export crude from sanctioned Venezuela in a policy shift following a prisoner swap. The U.S.
Venezuelan Oil Exports Declined in July as Partners Awaited US Authorizations
Venezuela's oil exports declined about 10% in July from the previous month as key partners of state company PDVSA awaited U.S. authorizations to expand operations in the country, according to vessel tracking data and company documents.Washington in late July green lit producer Chevron to operate in the sanctioned country and export its crude to the U.S. under a restricted license that does not allow any payment to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's administration.Other…
Enbridge Sees Demand for More Pipeline Capacity from Canada to US Gulf
Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge said on Friday its recent commercial process to gauge oil shippers' interest in an expansion of its Flanagan South pipeline was oversubscribed, indicating strong demand for additional oil transport capacity from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.The success of the Flanagan South open season — an industry term for the binding process pipeline companies use to notify shippers of available capacity and solicit bids — brings Enbridge closer to formally sanctioning its proposed expansion of its Mainline network…
Russian Oil Freight Rates to India Ease Further With Increased Tanker Availability
IFreight rates for Russian oil shipments from the Baltic ports to India eased further in the period from late May to early June, thanks to high tanker availability, but the trend may reverse if Europe's proposed lower price cap comes to fruition.The European Union has put forward a new sanction package against Russia over Ukraine and proposed to lower the Group of Seven nations' price cap on Russian crude oil to $45 a barrel from $60 a barrel.The G7 countries and the EU…
Officials in Malaysia have announced that they will take action against fraud in the export of used cooking oil.
Malaysia's deputy commodities minister said that it would crack down on fraud within the used cooking oil sector, while western governments investigated whether the shipments of biofuels from Asia contained virgin oil. According to Deputy Plantation and Commodities Ministry Chan Foong Hin, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board is revising its policies and standards governing palm industry waste (SPO), also known as used cooking oil. This will help to distinguish between them and prevent discrepancies when exporting.
VLCC Rates Spike as US Sanctions Bite
Supertanker freight rates jumped after the U.S. expanded sanctions on Russia's oil industry, sending traders rushing to book vessels to ship supply from other countries to China and India, shipbrokers and traders said.Chinese and Indian refiners are seeking alternative fuel supplies as they adapt to severe new U.S. sanctions on Russian producers and tankers designed to curb the world No. 2 oil exporter's revenue due to its war in Ukraine.Many of the newly-targeted vessels…
US Storm, Weaker Dollar Push Oil to 12-week High
Oil prices edged up to a 12-week high on Monday as a winter storm boosted demand for energy to heat U.S. homes and businesses, and on support from a weaker U.S. dollar and expectations of tighter sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil exports.Brent futures rose 27 cents, or 0.4%, to $76.78 a barrel by 11:33 a.m. EST (1633 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 27 cents, or 0.4%, to $74.23.Both crude benchmarks gained for a sixth-straight day with Brent on track for its highest close since Oct. 14 and WTI on track for its highest close since Oct.
Iranian Oil Prices to China Spike as Shipping Sanctions Bite
The price of Iranian crude oil sold to China has risen to the highest in years as fresh U.S. sanctions have tightened shipping capacity and driven up logistics costs, trade sources and analysts said.Rising prices for Iranian oil as well as Russian crude are raising costs for independent Chinese refiners that account for about a fifth of demand at the world's top crude importer, underscoring challenges ahead as the Trump administration is expected to ramp up pressure on Iran.Some of the refiners are switching to supplies not under sanction restrictions…