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Opec Output News

19 Jun 2019

OPEC Output to Remain Flat: Rystad

OPEC and its allies, including Russia, can maintain their current cuts and not reduce outputs any more because there will be a crude oil demand surge later this year from changing shipping fuel standards worldwide.The OPEC+ countries will not be able to increase their collective oil production levels in the second half of 2019 without having a detrimental effect on oil prices. However, the production cuts required by OPEC+ in order to support prices need not be as much as 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), according to Rystad Energy.That is contrary to what traditional supply-demand balances suggest, owing to a tight market for medium and heavy barrels and the fast-approaching shipping fuel changes known as IMO 2020…

10 May 2019

U.S. Refiners' 2020 Plans Now Uncertain

File Image: An aerial view of the Houston, Texas refining complex. (CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Irina K)

U.S. refiners had a plan for 2020: use their complex operations to maximize profits by making products that would comply with new international laws capping sulfur content in shipping fuels.But after a series of unexpected market moves, heavy, sour crude oil processed by U.S. refiners has become more expensive, eating up hoped-for profit windfalls before they even materialized, forcing refiners to rethink plans to invest more in heavy crude processing units.New regulations by…

13 Mar 2019

Iran's Oil Tanker Fleet Being Squeezed as Sanctions Bite

© alexyz3d / Adobe Stock

Iran is running short of options to replace its ageing fleet of tankers and keep oil exports flowing because renewed U.S. sanctions are making potential sellers and flag registries wary of doing business with Tehran, Western and Iranian sources said.Since U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions in November, exploratory talks with South Korea for up to 10 new supertankers have stalled and Panama has also removed at least 21 Iranian tankers from its registry forcing Tehran to put the vessels under its own flag…

11 Feb 2019

Fund Buying Slows on Crude

© Pawin/AdobeStock

Hedge funds added more bullish positions in crude at the start of February but at a much slower pace than before, as optimism about OPEC output cuts was tempered by renewed anxiety about the U.S.-China trade talks.Hedge funds and other money managers increased their net long position in Brent crude futures and options for the eighth time in the last nine weeks but by just 1 million barrels.Fund managers added new short positions (+13 million barrels) for the week ended Feb. 5…

09 May 2018

Sanctions spell the end of OPEC output deal

© Douglas Knight / Adobe Stock

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran marks the end of the current output agreement between OPEC and its allies.OPEC is likely to insist the current agreement remains in effect, at least for now, but the prospective removal of several hundred thousand barrels per day of Iranian exports from the market will require a major adjustment.Saudi Arabia has already promised to "mitigate" the impact of any potential supply shortages, in conjunction with other suppliers and consumer countries…

20 Apr 2018

Trump Rails Against Oil Prices, OPEC Pushes Back

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

U.S. President Donald Trump accused OPEC on Friday of "artificially" boosting oil prices, drawing rebukes from some of the world's top energy exporters."Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea. Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted!" Trump wrote on Twitter.It was unclear what triggered the tweet, Trump's first mention of OPEC on social media during his term.U.S. oil prices are near a three-year high…

28 Sep 2017

Crude Oil Markets Bullish, But Not Really: Russell

Sentiment is often a somewhat flighty and nebulous concept, but it appears that crude oil markets are turning increasingly bullish about the prospect for higher prices. Certainly the mood at this week's major industry conference in Singapore was a marked change from recent years, with several upbeat presentations, panel discussions and off-the-record chats giving the view that prices were more likely to rise than fall. The most bullish commentary at the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) was from trading house Trafigura, whose co-head of group market risk, Ben Luckock, said the era of prices being lower for longer was coming to an end, and the market would be in a supply deficit of between 2 and 4 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2019.

11 Sep 2017

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. This is the second time charter contract for Concordia Maritime in recent months. A similar contract was signed with the same customer in June for the P-MAX vessel Stena Paris. “It’s always pleasing to be given a renewal of confidence. Long-standing customer relationships are one of the cornerstones of our strategy.

11 Aug 2017

Tanker Shipping Rates to Remain Weak: Drewry

Rising long haul exports of crude oil from the US and Nigeria will not be sufficient to push tanker shipping freight rates higher given lower anticipated Middle East output and surging tonnage supply, according to the latest edition of the Tanker Forecaster, published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. Although a slight slowdown in global oil demand growth and inventory drawdown because of the ongoing production cut by OPEC is capping global the oil trade, the impact of lower OPEC output is partly counterbalanced by rising long-haul trade. With the lower supply in the Middle East, Asian refiners have increased their imports from the US, Brazil and Nigeria, where production is rising.

04 Aug 2017

Oil Prices Dip as OPEC Oil Exports Rise

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Oil prices edged lower on Friday and were on track for weekly losses, weighed down by rising OPEC exports and strong output from the United States. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, were trading at $51.76 a barrel at 1141 GMT, 25 cents below the last close and heading for a fall of close to 1.5 percent on the week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were 30 cents lower at $48.73 per barrel and were set to drop by around 2 percent for the week. Analysts said prices were pressured by rising output, although strong demand limited the losses.

12 Apr 2017

A Glimmer of Hope for Asia Dirty Tankers

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

As we enter Q2 2017, Asia’s crude tanker market finds itself flooded with a flurry of newbuilds that hit the water over the last quarter. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, new tonnage delivered hit 15m dwt in Q1 and is expected to stand at 8.7m dwt in Q2. The gradual but steady unwinding of floating storage in global hotspots due to a flattening Brent futures curve is likely to release a constant stream of tonnage into the market, exacerbating the situation of oversupply.

20 Dec 2016

Frontline Sees Strong Start to 2017

Crude tanker operator Frontline expects strong demand for its vessels at the start of 2017 and could benefit from oil producers' pact to cut output if it forces Asian buyers to go further afield for supplies, its chief executive said. Spot rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have doubled since October to around $70,000 per day, far above the level Frontline needs to earn a profit, as OPEC output hit a record in November and seasonal demand for oil kicked in. "Our all-in break-even rate for VLCCs is below $22,000, so we're optimistic with regards to our own earnings," CEO Robert Hvide Macleod told Reuters. Even though OPEC and non-OPEC producers agreed on Dec.

30 Sep 2016

US Rig Count Recovery Hinges on $50 Oil Post-OPEC Meeting

U.S. oil drilling has seen its best quarter since crude prices tumbled two years ago mainly due to small operators returning to the well pad, but analysts say the continued recovery in the rig count depends on whether OPEC's output reduction plan can bring the market back to $50 a barrel. Since May, drillers have added 100 oil rigs with the rig count rising to 416 rigs last week, that included the most additions in a quarter since the first quarter of 2014, according to oil service firm Baker Hughes Inc. The number of rigs had plunged from a record high of 1,609 in October 2014 to a low of 316 in May after crude prices collapsed in the biggest price rout in a generation, in part due to U.S. shale producers adding to a global oil glut.

04 May 2016

Oil Turns Lower after US Crude Build

A bigger-than-expected build in U.S. crude inventories to fresh record highs pushed oil markets lower on Wednesday after an early rally over concerns about production cuts in Canada's oil sands region due to a wildfire. U.S. crude stocks, which have been setting record highs since January, grew 2.8 million barrels last week, government data showed, about a million barrels more than analysts' expectations. Gasoline stocks also posted a surprise increase. The data overshadowed concerns over evacuations in the Canadian province of Alberta, where a wildfire raged unchecked through the Canadian city of Fort McMurray in the heart of the country's oil sands region, prompting some companies, including Suncor Energy and Royal Dutch Shell, to cut back production.

23 Feb 2016

Saudi's Rule Out Production Cuts, Oil Drops 4%

Oil prices fell 4 percent on Tuesday after Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi ruled out any production cuts, restating the kingdom's rationale for maintaining output was that demand would pick up excess crude that has crushed prices over the past 20 months. Big oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia have proposed to freeze output at January levels, which were near record highs, only if other producers also do the same. More meetings on the potential freezes will be held in March, al-Naimi told the IHS CERAweek conference in Houston, adding that he expects most of the countries that count to freeze crude production levels. Analysts remain skeptical that the cuts will be effective in rebalancing the market.

21 Feb 2016

Tankers Are Like A Box Of Chocolates

The uncertainty around the direction of the tanker market has increased since the start of 2016. At current production levels, the markets for both crude oil and (certain) refined products seem oversupplied, which supports healthy spot rates for both crude oil and product tankers. Tanker market bulls argue that if crude producers keep pumping oil at full tilt and refiners continue to process it at high levels, the tanker market will have another banner year. Tanker rates will be particularly strong if the oversupplied oil markets lead to significant levels of floating storage. Although reports continue to surface about the potential for floating storage, actual market activity has been fairly limited so far.

17 Sep 2015

OPEC Sees Oil Prices Returning to $80/Barrel by 2020

OPEC forecasters expect oil prices will rise by no more than $5 a barrel a year to reach $80 by 2020, with a slowing in rival non-OPEC production growth not enough to absorb the current oil glut, according to OPEC sources. The sources said the figures came from an updated mid-term strategy report discussed this week by representatives from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, which has yet to be fully endorsed by OPEC ministers. The report forecasts that non-OPEC supply would amount to 58.2 million barrels per day by 2017, some 1 million barrels per day lower than in the previous forecast. That effectively…

08 Jun 2015

Oil Slips on OPEC Output, China Slowdown

China's crude imports down 23 pct in May; OPEC oil production likely to continue to exceed demand. Oil prices slipped on Monday on news of a slide in China's fuel imports and as markets digested OPEC's decision to maintain its production target, which analysts said could prolong a supply glut for the rest of the year. China, the world's biggest net oil importer, bought nearly a quarter less crude in May than it did in the previous month, official data showed. China's imports of oil products also fell by more than 6 percent while oil product exports fell 10 percent. The Chinese data came after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed on Friday to maintain oil output at levels well above current demand…

12 Oct 2014

S. Arabia Raised Output in Sept

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia told OPEC it raised its oil production in September by 100,000 barrels per day, adding to signs it has yet to respond to a drop in prices well below $100 a barrel by trimming output. In a monthly report issued on Friday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said Saudi Arabia reported September production of 9.704 million barrels per day (bpd), up from 9.597 million in August. The lack of a Saudi cut could add to perceptions of traders and analysts that the kingdom is looking to defend market share, not prices. Oil in September fell below $100 a barrel, a level endorsed by Saudi Arabia, for the first time in 14 months and hit $88.11 on Friday, its lowest since 2010.

28 Feb 2014

OPEC oil output rises in February

Supply rises by 170,000 bpd, led by Iraq, Angola. Saudi Arabia trims output, Libyan supply falls and OPEC output below 30 million bpd target for fifth month. OPEC's oil output has risen further in February from December's 2-1/2-year low, due to more shipments from Iraq and Angola, and further upward creep in Iranian exports, a Reuters survey found on Friday. Output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries averaged 29.96 million barrels per day (bpd), up from a revised 29.79 million bpd in January, according to the survey based on shipping data and information from sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants. The survey illustrates the potential for OPEC supply to rebound in 2014 if Iraq and Iran sustain higher output…

05 Mar 2010

OSG’s Q4 Results & Improving Outlook

Overseas Shipholding Group’s Q4 2009 results were aided by an unexpected tax credit. OSG reported a loss of $0.59 excluding one-time items versus our ($1.02) forecast and the Street’s ($1.25) forecast. However a $30.5 million tax credit for 2009 against 2004 earnings led to the earnings beat, as earnings without the tax credit would have been ($1.73). The actual cash tax credit will be $43 million, which OSG will receive in 2010. TCE revenues were $5 million below our forecasts on slightly lower utilization than we had expected while G&A costs of $36 million were $5 million higher than we forecast. Management guided stronger 1Q10 results.OSG disclosed that 66% of its spot VLCC days have been fixed at an average of $50,000/day, with 57% of its spot Aframax days done at $25,000/day.

19 Dec 2008

OPEC Output Cut May Hit Shipping

According to a report from The Economic Times, the Indian shipping industry is concerned with the steady fall in crude oil prices and is waiting for the outcome of an important upcoming OPEC meeting. Industry officials feel that if Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cuts production further, tanker rates could go into free fall, delivering a body blow to the domestic shipping industry that has half of its fleet in tankers. Tanker rates have already more than halved in the past one year. (Source: The Economic Times)

06 Dec 2007

IEA Reacts to OPEC Decision

leave production levels unchanged. markets and stable competitive petroleum prices. in December”, Tanaka stressed. “Our concern is that there are uncertainties that surround the sustainability of some of that supply, and winter demand is as variable as the weather.

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