Kinder Morgan Invest $170Mln in Houston Ship Channel
Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan (KMI) plans to invest $170 million in various expansion projects along the Houston Ship Channel.The investment will increase efficiency, add product liquidity, and enhance blending capabilities at its Pasadena and Galena Park terminals, part of its best-in-class refined products storage hub on the Houston Ship Channel, said the energy infrastructure company in North America.In response to growing customer demand…
Oil Falls as Refined Products' Stocks Rise
Oil prices fell on Friday as a rise in stocks of refined petroleum products offset a sharp decline in U.S. crude inventories to the lowest level since 2015.Brent crude futures were down 34 cents at $76.16 a barrel by 1346 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slipped 64 cents to $67.13 per barrel.Both contracts were set for their first weekly loss in three.U.S. commercial crude…
U.S. Sanctions Russian Firms, Vessels Over N. Korea Oil Transfers
The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on two Russian shipping companies and six vessels it said were involved in the transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels in violation of U.N. restrictions.The U.S. Treasury identified the firms as Vladivostok-based shipping companies Primorye Maritime Logistics Co Ltd (Primorye) and Gudzon Shipping Co LLC (Gudzon).It also named six Russian-flagged vessels: Bella…
Middle East Oil & Gas Shipping Routes are at Risk
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was suspending oil shipments through the Red Sea after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked two crude tankers, underscoring risks caused by the conflict in the world's top oil exporting region.Iran, in its row with the United States over sanctions, has also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the other major strategic shipping route for oil from the region…
Oil Prices Pare Gains After Earlier Rise on Saudi News
Oil prices traded broadly unchanged on Thursday after an announcement that Saudi Arabia would suspend some oil shipping in the Red Sea had initially sent prices higher.Brent futures had risen 19 cents to $74.12 a barrel by 1305 GMT, extending their rally into a third day but slipping from a 10-day high in earlier trading.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 2 cents at $69.28, hovering around Wednesday's closing level.
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…
Al-Iraqia Shipping Commences Bunkering Operations in Iraq
Al-Iraqia Shipping Services & Oil Trading (AISSOT) is shortly commencing bunkering operations at Iraqi Ports mainly at Basra, Khor Al-Zubair and Umm Qasr. AISSOT is a joint-venture company of Iraqi Oil Tankers Company (IOTC) & Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Company (AMPTC) to handle plethora of activities ranging from Trading of petroleum products, Ship chartering, Oil terminals, various Marine services, and Bunkering.
Suspect Involved in N. Korean Oil Smuggling Released on Bail
A court in Taiwan has released on bail a man prosecutors allege to have made false declarations in the case of a Hong Kong-flagged tanker suspected of transferring oil to North Korea in violation of international sanctions. The man, surnamed Chen, said the vessel was bound for Hong Kong, despite knowing it was bound for international waters to traffic oil products, the prosecutors' office in the southern city of Kaohsiung said on Wednesday.
Taiwan Releases Suspect in North Korean Oil Transfer
A court in Taiwan has released on bail a man prosecutors allege to have made false declarations in the case of a Hong Kong-flagged tanker suspected of transferring oil to North Korea in violation of international sanctions. The man, surnamed Chen, said the vessel was bound for Hong Kong, despite knowing it was bound for international waters to traffic oil products, the prosecutors' office in the southern city of Kaohsiung said on Wednesday.
China Denies Selling Oil Illicitly to N.Korea
China on Friday denied reports it has been illicitly selling oil products to North Korea after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not happy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation. Trump said on Twitter the previous day that China had been "caught" allowing oil into North Korea and that would prevent "a friendly solution" to the crisis over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes that it conducts in defiance of heavy U.N. Security Council sanctions.
Trump Troubled About Oil Flow into North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was "very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea" and that such moves would prevent "a friendly solution" to the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear program. "Caught RED HANDED - very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!" Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.
Concordia: Contract Signed for Tanker
Concordia Maritime signed a contract to charter out the P-MAX tanker Stena Provence. The contract is for one year, with an option for a further year, and runs from mid-September 2017. The contractual partner is one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. The vessel has previously been used by the same customer for consecutive transportation of refined petroleum products, mainly in the Asia Pacific region.
UN Resolution Targets Libyan Fuel Smugglers
The U.N. Security Council has extended sanctions on illegal oil exports from Libya to cover refined petroleum products as well, in a bid to stem rampant smuggling of subsidised fuel by sea. Imported fuel that is priced lower for the domestic market is commonly smuggled by ship from western Libya to Malta, Italy and Turkey, and by land to Tunisia, according to U.N. investigators who earlier this month recommended an extension of the sanctions.
Oiltanking Grindrod Calulo, Transnet Ink Agreement
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) appointed Oiltanking Grindrod Calulo Holdings to plan, fund, construct, maintain and operate a new liquid bulk handling facility at the Port of Ngqura. This Build, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement was concluded in December 2016, after an open tender process. The concept engineering design as well as the topographical and geotechnical survey has been completed and construction is due to commence in the 4th quarter of 2017…
Rosneft, Trafigura Consortium to Acquire 98% Essar Oil
Essar Energy Holdings Limited and Oil Bidco (Mauritius) Limited—companies incorporated and managed under the laws of Mauritius—the controlling shareholders of Essar Oil Limited (EOL) have entered into separate definitive agreements for the sale of 98% of EOL. The first sale and purchase agreement envisages the sale of 49% to Petrol Complex Pte. Ltd (a subsidiary of PJSC Rosneft Oil Company)…
Kemp: India's Thirst for Gasoline Helps Spur Global Oil Demand
India's gasoline consumption is surging and has become of the fastest-growing components of global oil demand. With other parts of the global economy struggling, continued growth in gasoline consumption in India, together with the United States and China, has become one of the most important indicators for global oil prices. Saudi Arabia and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum…
Kuo Oil Looks to Lift Two Iranian Fuel Cargoes
U.S. lifts 2012 Iran sanctions against three trader companies; Kuo Oil seeks to load two Iranian fuel oil cargoes. Kuo Oil, a Singapore-based oil trading company, is seeking ships to load Iranian fuel oil, according to a shipping broker report, now that it is finally clear of U.S. trade sanctions imposed in 2012 for trading with the country. The United States lifted the sanctions on Saturday against Kuo…
Crowley Acquires Jones Act Tankers
Crowley Maritime Corp. took delivery of Ohio, the first of four new, Jones Act, product tankers this week from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (APSI), the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. The delivery is momentous not only for Crowley, but also for the industry because it signifies the first time a product tanker has been constructed with consideration for the future use of LNG for propulsion.
South Africa Refurbishes Crude Storage Tanks
South Africa plans to refurbish more crude oil storage to bring into use to take advantage of new finds in Africa and add to already brimming stocks. Its Strategic Fuel Fund Association (SFF), which manages the country's emergency crude stocks, wants to refurbish its 7.5 million barrels storage tanks near Cape Town, a document showed. The 39 crude storage tanks at the SFF's Milnerton terminal…
Oando Sheds 60 pct of Downstream to Vitol
Nigeria's Oando has agreed to sell a 60 percent stake in its downstream business to Vitol and Helios Investment Partners for $276 million, the energy company said on Tuesday. Oando, which is shifting away from being a marketer of refined petroleum products into an oil and gas explorer, completed the acquisition of ConocoPhillips's upstream oil and gas business in Nigeria last year. Its downstream business…
