Buildings damaged in Ecuador by earthquake of magnitude 6.3
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported that a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit near the coast in Ecuador on Friday. It damaged buildings in Esmeraldas, and some oil infrastructure was temporarily shut down. EMSC reported that the quake occurred at a depth between 23 km and 14.29 miles. The authorities of Ecuador have ruled out issuing a warning for a tsunami.
Sources say that commodity traders will submit bids by May for Italy's IP.
Two sources confirmed on Thursday that global commodity traders Glencore and Gunvor were considering the possibility of buying oil refiner Italiana Petroli API group. State Oil Company of Azerbaijan is also interested in the asset, two sources with knowledge of the transaction said. Glencore, Gunvor, and IP have declined to comment. SOCAR did not respond to a request for comment.
Sources say that commodity traders are expected to bid for Italy's IP in May.
Two sources confirmed on Thursday that global commodity traders Glencore and Gunvor were considering the possibility of buying oil refiner Italiana Petroli API group. State Oil Company of Azerbaijan is also interested in the asset, two sources with knowledge of the transaction said. Glencore and Gunvor have declined to comment. SOCAR and IP did not respond to requests for comment.
Bloomberg News reports that Abu Dhabi's ADNOC is considering a bid for Aethon US natgas assets.
Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported Friday that Abu Dhabi's state oil company ADNOC was considering a bid to acquire natural gas assets from investment firm Aethon Energy Management, which could be worth up to $9 billion. ADNOC is acquiring a number of companies in the gas and chemical industries, which it sees as important pillars to its future growth.
Sources say that the price of Saudi crude in China will surge after a fall in May.
Saudi Arabian crude oil supplies to China are expected to increase in May compared with the previous month, as the sharp price reduction by the Kingdom has attracted increased demand. A tally of the allocations made to Chinese refiners in May showed that Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, will ship 48 million barrels. This is up from 35.5 million barrels in April.
Masdar, a UAE renewable energy company, has completed the purchase of Terna Energy in Greece
Masdar, the renewable energy company of the United Arab Emirates, announced on Thursday that it had acquired a 100% stake in Terna Energy Greece, following its purchase of a majority share last year. This is a step further in their international expansion strategy. Masdar has increased its presence on European markets over the past few months, in an effort to…
Nigeria namess ex-Shell executive as head of state oil company NNPC
The Nigerian presidency announced on Wednesday that Bola Ahmed Tinubu had appointed Bayo Ojulari as head of the state-owned oil company NNPC Ltd. This is in response to the country's desire to increase oil production and revitalize its refinery capacity. Tinubu, who in his first year as president devalued the naira twice and ended costly subsidies, has now shifted…
Chinese Companies Shy Away From Russian Oil
Chinese state oil companies are shying away from Russian oil this month, with two importers halting purchases while two others scaled back volumes as they assess compliance following recent U.S. sanctions on Moscow, multiple trade sources said.Russian oil supplies to top buyers India and China fell sharply following the January 10 sanctions by the former Biden…
CERAWEEK - Venezuela's opposition drafts an energy reform to increase foreign pressure on Maduro
According to sources, the Venezuelan opposition has developed a proposal that allows international companies to participate in energy reforms. This is a bid to gain support from Big Oil, and President Donald Trump’s administration. This month, Trump's administration canceled an important license for U.S. Oil Major Chevron to work in Venezuela citing President Nicolas Maduro’s lack of electoral Reforms.
Sinopec certifies reserves of 1.3 billion barrels at East China Shale Oil Plays
Sinopec Corp announced on Monday that the Chinese government had certified new geological resources of about 180 million tons or 1.3 billion barrels at two of their shale-oil plays. Sinopec announced that the new reserves had been tapped in the Xinxing Field in the Jiyang trough in the Bohai Bay Basin and in the Qintong Field in the Subei Basin. The shale formations of Xinxing are buried between 2…
US oil licenses and authorizations for Venezuela
Since the United States first imposed sanctions against Venezuela's energy industry in 2019, it has granted licenses to certain oil companies, allowing them to export Venezuela's oil into specific destinations. Washington imposed sanctions after international observers reported irregularities at elections which have kept Nicolas Maduro on the throne repeatedly. Donald Trump, the U.S.
Bolivia's YPFB and other operators will pump almost $704 mln in oil projects this Year
The Bolivian state oil company YPFB, along with other operators, will invest $703,7 million in this year's investment plan, according to the company, which noted that almost three quarters of the plan will be spent on exploration and production. According to a YPFB statement, 72% of the budget will go towards so-called "upstream" activities that are aimed at discovering and extracting oil and gas in the South American country.
Nigeria's NNPC contains fire at storage facility
The Nigerian State Oil Company NNPC said that a fire in a crude oil storage barge on its Cawthorne Channel site, located along the coast of Rivers State, had been put out with no injuries. Olufemi Soneye, NNPC's spokesperson, said in a late-night statement on Thursday that the fire started around 1310 GMT Wednesday and spread quickly to other barges. Soneye stated that the incident did not affect operations at the flowstation.
ADNOC Drilling plans to refinance $1.25 billion worth of debt
ADNOC Drilling, a division of the state oil company in the United Arab Emirates, wants to refinance its debt due later this year, totaling $1.25 billion. Its chief financial officer announced that on Friday. Youssef Salm, the company's CFO, said that it will refinance term loans worth $500 million as well as a revolving loan facility of $750 million due in October 2025.
Mexico's Carlos Slim: 'Complicated' deepwater project being evaluated
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim announced on Monday that he and his team are re-evaluating the deal they signed with Pemex, Mexico's state oil company to develop Mexico’s first deepwater gas field. The project has been plagued by issues over its commercial viability for years. The comments are in line with an exclusive published last month, which revealed that…
Interra claims that oil contract was signed with Myanmar before the junta took power
Interra Resources, a Singapore-listed oil explorer, said Thursday that a production sharing contract between its subsidiary in Myanmar and a government-controlled entity was extended several years before 2021. The statement was made in response to an inquiry by the Singapore Exchange, a week after Justice for Myanmar claimed in a report Interra "helped provide the junta with over 2 million barrels" of oil and had "fueled its ongoing war crime".
Palmetto prices end higher amid fears of reduced production and weak demand
The price of Malaysian palm oils futures increased for the second session in a row on Thursday. This was due to expectations of a decrease in production. However, gains were limited by a lack demand from major importing countries. The benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in April on the Bursa Derivatives Market gained 71 Ringgit or 1.64% to close at $4,405 Ringgit ($993.91) per metric ton.
Reforms to the Mexican oil company Pemex will give it more flexibility in forming partnerships
A bill that was sent to Congress Wednesday will allow Pemex, the state-owned Mexican oil company, to work with private companies. This will ease restrictions imposed by the previous administration. The bill is expected to be passed by a large margin. Pemex can then enter into exploration and extraction contracts with private companies, after these contracts were canceled by the former president Andres Manuel Obrador.
Samsung E&A awarded a $1.7 billion contract by TA'ZIZ for the UAE's first methanol facility
Abu Dhabi's TA'ZIZ announced on Monday that it had awarded a $1.7billion contract to Samsung E&A for the construction of the UAE's 1st methanol facility. The plant is expected to produce 1.8m tons of methanol annually upon completion in 2028. TA'ZIZ is a joint venture of Abu Dhabi's state oil giant ADNOC with the sovereign fund ADQ. It was launched in 2020 in order to promote the development and growth of the new chemical industries.
China's 2024 refining output is expected to decline by a rare amount due to weak demand
China's oil refining throughput in the year 2024 will be the lowest in over two decades, barring 2022 when the world was hit by the pandemic. Plants have reduced production in response to stagnant demand for fuel and low margins. National Bureau of Statistics data showed that the world's second largest refining industry, after the U.S., processed 1.6% less crude last year.
