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Crude Oil Shipping News

11 Jan 2023

Belgian Oil Tanker Firm Euronav Disputes Frontline's Right to Break up Merger

©Euronav (File image)

Belgian oil tanker and storage company Euronav said on Wednesday it disputed Frontline's right to end a merger agreement between the two firms and was considering options, including arbitration and legal action. Oslo-listed oil transporter Frontline said on Monday it was canceling the $4.2 billion merger deal. "Euronav has determined that Frontline's unilateral action in pursuing the termination of the combination agreement has no basis under (its) terms (...), and that Frontline failed to provide a satisfactory reason for its decision," the Antwerp-based group said in a statement.

04 Aug 2022

Euronav's Earnings Rise Offset by Low Rates for Large Vessel

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Belgian oil tanker and storage operator Euronav on Thursday reported sharply higher quarterly earnings, but despite a freight market recovery, rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) remained low, sending its shares down more than 4%."Management has good reason to be more optimistic on the winter season," ING's analyst Quirijn Mulder said after the group, which provides crude oil shipping and storage services, said freight rates had improved substantially since March.Chief Executive Officer Hugo De Stoop said in a statement that recent trading data…

12 May 2022

Freight Rates, Ukraine War Boost Euronav's Q1 Core Profit

Credit: Euronav (File image)

Belgian oil tanker and storage operator Euronav on Thursday reported a 30% increase in its quarterly core profit, helped by recovering freight rates and a positive impact from the war in Ukraine."The conflict in Ukraine has driven considerable dislocation in tanker market freight patterns as sanctions and so-called self-sanctioning by market participants has driven ton-mile growth," Chief Executive Officer Hugo De Stoop said in a statement.Ton mile is an industry measure incorporating volumes and distance.Euronav…

31 Mar 2022

Euronav Suspends Operations with Russian Customers

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Euronav has suspended operations with Russian customers, the oil tanker firm said on Thursday, adding this business accounted for less than 5% of its turnover.The Antwerp-based group, which provides crude oil shipping and storage services, joins the growing ranks of Western companies scaling back ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls "a special military operation."The company also said it could be adversely affected by trade tariffs and embargoes in light of the conflict.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, have come

03 Feb 2022

Euronav's Loss Deepens as Omicron Hits Tanker Market Recovery

©Euronav (File photo)

Euronav deepened its quarterly net loss as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus dragged on the recovery of the crude tanker market, the Belgian shipping group said on Thursday."We believe this is a temporary pause," Chief Executive Hugo De Stoop said in a statement, predicting a rebound in oil supply, restocking requirements of global crude inventory and consumption to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.Output cuts by the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries have constrained global crude oil exports during the pandemic…

04 Nov 2021

Euronav Confident of Upturn After Stormy Third Quarter

© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock

Euronav on Thursday pointed to a recovery in freight rates, after the oil shipping and storage operator swung to a loss in a "challenging" third quarter.The tanker industry has been under pressure this year as global crude oil exports have been constrained by OPEC+ output cuts and as COVID-19 outbreaks have continued to depress demand, delaying any recovery in freight rates.But the Antwerp-based group, which provides crude oil shipping and storage services, flagged positive developments contributing to a strong recovery in activity since early September.Euronav's shares pared early losses to s

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.

11 Oct 2019

U.S. Sanctions Bite; Traders Shun 300 Tankers

AdobeStock / © Jose Gill

Nearly 300 oil tankers globally have been placed off limits as companies fear violating U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, driving freight rates to new highs, industry sources said.The move has taken roughly 3% of the global oil tanker fleet out of the market, according to industry sources and data on Refinitiv Eikon, sending rates soaring to secure tankers to ship oil, particularly to Asia."Freight rates are going through the roof and people are getting very nervous with the cost of shipping…

01 Feb 2018

Hyundai Merchant Marine, GS Caltex Ink Crude Oil Deal

South Korean shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has signed a long-term crude oil shipping contract with compatriot oil refiner GS Caltex. A press release from HMM said that the KRW190 billion (USD 180 million) contract will involve the transportation of 19 million tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf from July 2019 to August 2024. Accordingly, HMM plans to deploy two 300,000 dwt Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) which were previously ordered last September. C.K. Meanwhile, HMM has continued its partnership with GS Caltex over 20 years in crude oil shipping business.

02 Jul 2015

Bahri Goes to Hyundai Samho for Five More VLCCs

Immediately after signing contract with signed with Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries to build five VLCCs, with an option to build additional five VLCCs, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) signed a contract with Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries to build additional five VLCCs, total VLCCs presently under construction will become ten. These carriers will be delivered during 2017/2018. The financial impact of these contracts will appear after the delivery of the vessels. The Company will announce the financing details at a later time. These VLCCs are designed to the latest international technical specifications and are fitted with environmentally friendly specifications and high efficiency in fuel consumption, with a capacity of 300,000 DWT/ per carrier.

09 Apr 2015

Refineries Revolution Spurs Product Supertankers

The rapid growth of mega refineries is prompting a new class of oil products supertankers, mirroring an earlier revolution in crude oil shipping, as traders look for scale that was previously not economically viable. In the early 1970s, ships capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil were built to mitigate disruptions from the closure of the Suez Canal and to meet growing global demand. Now, the products trade is spurring similar innovation. As the Middle East and U.S. Gulf Coast transform into refining hubs, traders require ever-larger tankers to move oil products such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel to Europe, Asia and Latin America.

31 Mar 2015

Shipping Confidence Hits 2.5 Year Low

Richard Greiner, Moore Stephens Partner, Shipping Industry Group (photo courtesy of Moore Stephens)

Overall confidence levels in the shipping industry fell to their lowest level for two-and-a-half years in February 2015, according to the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from international accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens. Respondents to the survey identified overtonnaging as the biggest factor behind the fall in confidence, but also expressed concern about the effect on the industry cause by lower oil prices and the growth of investment by financiers from outside shipping.

07 Sep 2014

U.S. Merchant Bank Buys Aging Newfoundland Refinery

A New York-based commodities merchant bank run by veteran energy traders, Neal Shear and Kaushik Amin, announced on Friday plans to buy the aging Come by Chance refinery in Newfoundland from South Korea's state-run oil company. Korea National Oil Corp said it will sell the 115,000-barrel-per-day refinery to SilverRange Financial Partners LLC for an undisclosed price following a months-long search to find a buyer. The deal also includes 53 gas stations and convenience stores. SilverRange is a New York-based merchant bank focused on energy and natural resources owned by SilverPeak Partners, a real estate fund with over $12 billion in assets under management, according to its website.

06 Sep 2014

KNOC Sells Aging Newfoundland Refinery to SilverRange

Korea National Oil Corp said on Friday that it would sell its 115,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Come by Chance, Newfoundland, to SilverRange Financial Partners LLC for an undisclosed price following a months-long search to find a buyer. KNOC's Harvest Operations Corp unit is selling the aging refinery, as well as 53 gas stations and convenience stores, to SilverRange. The New York-based merchant bank has entered into a multiyear refining deal with an unspecified global oil company, Harvest Operations and SilverRange said in a release. "(The refinery) is strategically located along Atlantic crude oil shipping routes and provides access to petroleum markets in Europe and the U.S. Eastern seaboard," SilverRange official Harsh Rameshwar said in the release.

04 Jul 2014

Moody's Rates Sovcomflot Ba2: Negative Financial Outlook

Moody's Investors Service says it has confirmed the Ba2 corporate family rating (CFR) and the Ba2-PD probability of default rating (PDR) of Sovcomflot JSC with $800 million of rated debt affected. Concurrently, Moody's has confirmed Sovcomflot's Ba3 senior unsecured issuer rating and the Ba3 senior unsecured rating assigned to the $800 million Eurobond issued by SCF Capital Limited, which is a 100% indirect subsidiary of Sovcomflot (Sovcomflot guarantees the Eurobond). The outlook on all ratings is negative. This confirmation of Sovcomflot's ratings reflects Moody's expectation that the company will be able to improve its financial metrics over the next 12-18 months…

23 Apr 2014

Euronav Posts 62% Core Profit Increase

Photo courtesy Euronav

Belgian crude oil shipping group Euronav on Wednesday unveiled a 62 percent rise in first-quarter core profit as daily rates for its fleet rebounded from last year. Euronav said that while rates were very volatile in the first three months of 2014, they had improved from the first quarter of 2013 when excess capacity on the oil tanker market had kept prices low. The group said it expected this trend to continue as few new ships were scheduled to enter the market over the course of the next 24 months.

06 Jun 2013

Tankship Overcapacity Blights the Market

With seasonally weak demand in the second quarter, the short-term view for freight rates does not look positive finds Drewry. Global oil demand declined by 1.0% in the first quarter of the year to 89.9 million bpd, although some recovery in demand is likely in the second half of the year based on seasonal demand, which will push overall tonnage demand higher by 2% in 2013. This will be countered by a continuing supply of fresh tonnage through the year. With 46 million dwt already added since 2010 and a further 17.1 million dwt (4%) due this year, utilisation will be poor and freight rates will not show any noticeable signs of recovery. There is a glimmer of hope for the longer term from the slowdown in ordering and the gradual global economic recovery.

26 Jan 2013

Great Lakes Crude Oil Shipping Feasibility Study

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. Announces Feasibility Study for Crude Oil Shipping. Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: CLMT) ("Calumet") announced it will explore the feasibility of building and operating a crude oil loading dock on Lake Superior, near its Superior, WI refinery, designed to load ships with heavy Canadian and light Bakken crude oil for shipment through connecting waterways. "Calumet is currently assessing the viability of the project and gauging interest in the marketplace. We would expect to have this project fully operational during the shipping season of 2015 and are currently in talks with potential customers and partners," said Todd Borgmann, VP of Business Development at Calumet.

25 Jan 2012

Frontline Commits 100 Vessels to Inmarsat XpressLink

Inmarsat, a provider of global mobile satellite communication services, today announced that Frontline, the world leader in the international seaborne transportation of crude oil, has committed to Inmarsat XpressLink for more than 100 vessels from its existing fleet and its planned new builds. “We evaluated the providers and made a purely commercial decision about XpressLink from Inmarsat,” said Kjell S. Langva of Frontline Management AS. “The choice was made after a year of positive experience with VSAT from Ship Equip”. “The cost-benefit profile and the unmatched failover capability, which offers unlimited usage on Inmarsat FleetBroadband, was key to the decision. Also Inmarsat’s ability to deliver made up the additional element in making the choice,” he said.

20 Sep 2004

EuroNav Demerger OK’d

The board of directors approved the proposal to demerge the crude oil shipping activities. For this purpose a demerger proposal will be deposited with the Registry of Commerce in Antwerp on September 21, 2004. Within the framework of this operation the crude oil activities will be demerged from CMB nv into Euronav nv. As a consequence of the demerger all CMB shareholders will be granted new shares in Euronav. CMB has already submitted a ruling application to the Ruling Commission in order to obtain confirmation of the tax neutrality of the envisaged transaction. CMB will also apply for a separate listing of the Euronav shares with Euronext Brussels, subject to the approval of the extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting.

12 Jun 2001

General Maritime Goes Public, Raises $144 Million

General Maritime Corp., a crude oil shipping company, raised $144 million by selling 8 million shares in an initial public offering, the latest in a spate of energy companies to go public. New York-based General Maritime priced shares on Tuesday at $18 each, the middle of its expected range of $17 to $19 a share. Shares are expected to begin trading on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol GMR. The company, which operates a fleet of oil tankers in the Atlantic basin, intends to use the proceeds to reduce debt and fund operations. he IPO, which was underwritten by joint bookrunners Lehman Brothers and ABN Amro Rotschild, was co-managed by Jefferies & Co.