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Crude Oil Prices News

19 Dec 2023

US Launches Multi-National Operation to Safeguard Red Sea Commerce

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III greets Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. Austin traveled to Israel to meet with counterparts and underscore unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law. (Source: US Department of Defense)

The United States on Tuesday launched a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants forced major shipping companies to reroute, stoking fears of sustained disruptions to global trade.The Houthi militant group, which controls vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, has since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea - attacks it says respond to Israel's devastating assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.This week…

19 Jan 2023

Production Floater Market Outlook Brightening

© Igor Kardasov / Adobe Stock

IMA/WER has just completed its Annual Review and Five-Year Forecast of Orders for Floating Production Systems. The report:•provides a detailed look back at developments in the deepwater sector over the past year,•assesses 12 underlying market drivers that will determine the pace of production floater orders over the next five years,•identifies specific projects in the planning queue that will likely require a production floater and•forecasts the number of orders and capex for production floaters between 2023 and 2027.There has been a strong recovery in the deepwater sector…

13 Dec 2022

Singapore Bunker Sales Hit 22-month High

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

Marine fuel sales at Singapore jumped to a 22-month high in November, latest official data showed on Tueday, as lower prices lifted buying interest at the world's largest bunkering hub.November bunker sales totalled 4.37 million tonnes, climbing 3% month-on-month and up 4% year-on-year, data from Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority showed.The higher sales came despite lower vessel arrivals for bunkering at Singapore, which dipped dipped by 4% month-on-month at 3,299 vessel calls, although edged higher by 3% year-on-year.

15 Aug 2022

U.S. Offshore Oil Production Restarts after Pipeline Fix

A Shell Gulf of Mexico platform / Copyright: Mike Duhon Productions - Shell Photographic Services

A damaged oil pipeline component that disrupted output at several offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms was repaired late Friday, a Louisiana official said, with producers moving to reactivate some of the halted production.A failed flange connecting two onshore pipelines operated by Shell Plc in Louisiana leaked an estimated two barrels of oil. The oil, which spilled onto an area covered with gravel, has been removed, said Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission…

24 May 2022

Bolsonaro Fires Second Petrobras CEO in Two Months

Jose Mauro Coelho - Credit: Petrobras

Brazil's right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro fired the chief executive of oil producer Petrobras - the second in two months - after the company refused to sell fuels at a discount to consumers warning it would lead to diesel shortages. Bolsonaro also called for the election of a new board, according to a statement released close to midnight local time on Monday by the state-controlled company, opening the way to a full executive management shake-up.José Mauro Ferreira Coelho is the third Petrobras CEO fired by Bolsonaro over fuel prices.

07 Mar 2022

Recovery, Resilience and Demand Shifts to Drive Inland Waterway Cargo Flows

(Photo: Blessey Marine Services)

Waterway traffic is coming back. November 2021 saw 52.1 million tons moving on the U.S. inland waterway system, the highest monthly tonnage since October 2019, a few months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdowns and stoppages of early 2020. Flows estimated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) show a 25% rise from June 2020. Data in a presentation by The Waterways Council Inc (WCI)…

14 Feb 2022

Liza Unity: Exxon's Second FPSO in Guyana Produces First Oil

 Liza Unity is Guyana's second FPSO in production. - Image Credit: SBM Offshore

Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday said it is accelerating output at its Guyana offshore oil development, starting a new production vessel that will bring total capacity to more than 340,000 barrels per day.An Exxon-led consortium started production in the South America country in 2019 and is responsible for all oil and gas output in Guyana. Exxon and partners Hess Corp and CNOOC Ltd. have discovered some 10 billion barrels of oil.Production at the Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is expected to reach 220,000 barrels of oil per day later this year, Exxon said.

08 Nov 2021

China's Crude Oil Imports in Oct Drop to Lowest in Three Years

Illustration only - Crude oil tanker in front of Qingdao coastline - Credit: Igor Groshev - AdobeStock

China's crude oil imports plunged in October to the lowest since September 2018, as large state-owned refiners withheld purchases because of rising prices while independent refiners were restrained by limited quotas to import.The world's biggest crude oil importer brought in 37.8 million tonnes last month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday, equivalent to 8.9 million barrels per day (bpd).That is down from 9.99 million bpd in September and 10.02 million bpd in the same period last year.Over the January-October period, crude arrivals totaled 425.06 million tonnes,

08 Sep 2021

Profitability Still a Way Off for Tanker Shipping -BIMCO

© momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

New virus mutations and outbreaks have slowed the recovery in global oil demand as some countries lock down again and international travel remains complicated.Drivers of demand and freight ratesTo say that the summer has not been kind to the crude oil shipping industry would be an understatement. Average earnings have dropped below $10,000 per day since June for all crude oil tankers, with many trades offering negative earnings; freight rates are not high enough to cover voyage expenses, let alone operating and financing costs.

29 Mar 2021

Giant Ship Blocking Suez Canal Partially Refloated

Credit: Suez Canal Authority

A massive container ship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal for nearly a week has been partially refloated, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Monday, raising hopes the busy waterway will soon be reopened for a huge backlog of ships.The 400-meter (430-yard) long Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal in high winds early last Tuesday, halting shipping traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.After further dredging and excavation over the weekend…

26 Jan 2021

BIMCO: Tanker Market Hangover Continues

© unikyluckk/AdobeStock

Tanker shipping was in many ways the odd one out of the shipping sectors in 2020; at the start of the pandemic, the market was strong, only to finish off the year in the doldrums, while the other sectors stayed profitable. Even a demand boost in December only managed to lift earnings slightly, raising the question, what will it take for tankers to return to profitability?In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic being declared, tanker shipping appeared immune, but it too has suffered from lockdowns and travel restrictions.

24 Apr 2020

Supertanker Rates Ease After Spike. Could Jump Again Soon

For Illustration - Image by Fotos von Schiffen - AdobeStock

Supertanker freight rates eased this week as surging demand for floating storage cooled and crude oil output is set to fall, but rates could jump again as fewer tankers become available and as traders take advantage of weak oil prices, sources said.Tanker rates jumped earlier in the week after U.S. WTI crude futures for May turned negative ahead of their expiry for the first time ever on Monday as desperate traders paid to get rid of oil, prompting a spike in demand for tankers…

11 Nov 2019

Asian LPG Market to Cross $109Bln by 2024

The Asian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market stood at over $81.4 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% to cross $109 billion by 2024, as increasing demand for LPG  as a fuel for power generation in remote and off-grid locations in comparison to its less environment-friendly alternatives like coal, diesel and fuel oil.Increasing demand for LPG used to run vehicles (Autogas)  is being witnessed as it is a comparatively cheaper automotive fuel and can be used in vast applications related to transportation, said a report by ResearchAndMarkets.Of the overall LPG consumed across the globe, nearly 87% is used for residential/consumer use.By source, the Asian LPG market has been categorized into Refinery, Associated Gases & Non-Associated Gases.

02 Sep 2019

Marine Diesel Engine Market to Grow 3.9%

The global marine diesel engine market is estimated to grow at CAGR above 3.9% over the forecast time frame and reach the market value around US$ 8.1 billion by 2026.The worldwide market for marine diesel engines has expanded mainly as shipping industry needs to decrease carbon emissions, said Acumen Research and Consulting.The shipping industry focuses on developing higher-efficient diesel engines that use less diesel while offering more ship propulsion. However, the latest shipping and shipbuilding downturn has impaired the market.Shipbuilding orders decreased with lower shipping prices. Recovery is anticipated during the forecast period…

12 Aug 2019

Industrial Internet to Help Upstream Sector

There has been a growing interest among oil and gas companies in adopting the Industrial Internet to improve sustainability and market competitiveness, said a study.According to data and analytics company GlobalData the upstream sector is witnessing comparatively more implementations of the Industrial Internet compared to other oil and gas sectors. This is driven by the need to reduce operational risks and maximizing returns from their assets through digitization.The adoption of the Industrial Internet would enable companies in digitalizing oilfield operations and creating digital twins to reduce risks and optimize performance, said…

02 Aug 2019

Seismic Solutions Market to Reach $890mln by 2024

The global offshore oil and gas seismic equipment and acquisitions solutions market stood at around $660 million in 2018 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5% to cross $890 million by 2024.According to a report by ResearchAndMarkets, the growth of global offshore oil and gas seismic equipment and acquisition solutions market is majorly attributable to rising investments in oil & gas exploration activities, stability in crude oil prices and an increasing number of strategic partnerships.Moreover, the increasing demand for oil and gas is resulting in rising exploration activities to find more oil and gas reserves, which in turn, is further fueling the growth of global offshore oil and gas seismic equipment and acquisitions solutions market.In terms of type…

07 Jun 2019

US Oil Output Heads for More Records in 2019

U.S. total oil production, which is already off to an amazing start in 2019,  is on track to set another record for this year.New records are expected both when the final numbers for May emerge and at the end of the year, said Rystad Energy.The energy research and business intelligence company is raising its forecast for US crude output to 13.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by December 2019. For May 2019, our research and calculations point to crude oil production averaging 12.5 million bpd. Both are new all-time highs.“Our US supply projections have been revised up yet again. US oil production is already higher than many in the market believe…

08 Mar 2019

US to Overtake Saudi in Oil Exports

United States will soon export more oil and liquids than Saudi Arabia, thanks to the continued rise in oil production from US shale plays and the increased oil export capacity from the Gulf Coast.According to Rystad Energy, energy research and business intelligence company, it is a a pivotal geopolitical shift. The US has for decades relied on large-scale imports to satisfy its thirst for oil, but this is about to change.The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported last week that the United States exported more crude and petroleum products than it imported. Granted, the EIA followed up with a report this week that US crude oil stocks had risen by 7.1 million barrels in a week…

15 Nov 2018

Teekay Expects Recovery in Tankers Market

Crude tanker rates have continued to strengthen during the early part of the fourth quarter of 2018, particularly in the Atlantic Basin with Aframax tanker rates in this region attaining levels not seen since December 2016 and Suezmax tanker rates averaging the highest since March 2017, says Teekay Tankers.The conventional tanker fleet operator said that crude tanker spot rates firmed counter-seasonally during the third quarter of 2018, which is typically the weakest quarter of the year, as higher OPEC and Russian oil production, coupled with strong crude oil exports out of the U.S. Gulf, offset the impact of seasonally lower oil demand.Crude tanker rates during the third quarter of 2018 averaged higher than rates in the second quarter for the first time since 2014…

02 Jan 2019

Global FSRU Market to Grow 9% in Next Three Years

The global floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) market is expected to post a CAGR of over 9% during the period 2018 – 2022, said a market research report. However, the growth momentum of the market is expected to decelerate during the year-over-year growth.According to a report from Technavio, stabilisation of crude oil prices is one of the major trends being witnessed in the global FSRU market 2018 – 2022.From 2014 to 2016, crude oil prices have witnessed fluctuations with steep variations in the price of crude oil per barrel, even though the market did not observe any reduction in the quantity of crude oil supplied across the…

05 Feb 2019

Global LPG Prices Decline: Dorian LPG

The biggest market change in the fourth calendar quarter of 2018, was the decline in crude oil prices, with Brent falling from a monthly average of nearly $82/barrel in October, finishing the year below $51 per barrel. As a result, global  liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)prices followed the downward trend.Dorian LPG, the Stamford-based owner and operator of 22 very-large gas carriers, said that without the additional LPG cargoes out of Marcus Hook from Mariner East 2, which started operations in January 2019, U.S. exports remained similar to the third calendar quarter of 2018, if not slightly lower.Total LPG exports from the U.S. are estimated at 32.8 million metric tons for the full year, up nearly 10% year-over-year.

16 Jan 2019

Ship Fuel: Singapore Bunker Volumes Dip, 2019 Uncertain

© stockphoto mania/AdobeStock

Sales of marine fuels in Singapore, the world's biggest ship fueling port by volume, totaled 49.8 million tonnes in 2018, down 2 percentfrom a record the year before, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Monday.December sales volumes of marine fuels, also known as bunkers, reached an 11-month high of 4.308 million tonnes, up 10 percent from November and the second-highest for the year, the data showed.The strong month helped lift Singapore's 2018 marine fuel sales figures to the second highest on record…

01 Nov 2018

Cautious Consolidation for OSV Companies Brings Market Change

A Gulfmark offshore support vessel (CREDIT: Gulfmark)

Will a rising tide in the offshore oil markets float all the boats? In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, that remains to be seen.Offshore services, exploration and production are on a roll. In early October, yet another business combination of big drillers was announced. In a sign of optimism, Ensco announced its plan for an all-stock acquisition of Rowan Offshore, worth around $2.4 billion. The new company will be domiciled in the United Kingdom, but will have a large presence in Houston.