Gunvor News

Rising oil tanker chartering rates due to global shipping disruption are forcing oil shippers to take on longer-term shipping charters, executives said this week at an energy conference in Houston.The global oil tanker fleet must now travel further to get crude to refineries and fuel to consumers. European sanctions have forced Russian exporters to send oil to Asia that would have otherwise gone to Europe. Attacks on vessels in the Red Sea have forced some shippers to sail around…

In a well-timed decision given the current situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the UK Supreme Court recently handed down judgment in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor International BV [2024] UKSC 2, a decision that arose from seizure of a ship by Somali pirates.Key factsThe vessel MT Polar was chartered to carry a cargo of fuel oil from St Petersburg to Singapore. The most direct route would be via the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aden.The Gulf of Aden was within the “high risk area” for piracy when the charter was agreed.

Oil and fuel tanker traffic in the Red Sea was stable in December, even though many container ships have rerouted due to attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi militants, a Reuters analysis of vessel tracking data showed.The attacks have driven up shipping costs sharply along with insurance premiums, but have had less impact than feared on oil flows, with shippers continuing to use the key East-West passage. The Houthis, who have said they are targeting Israel-bound vessels, have largely…

Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft has signed contracts with J.P. Morgan Asset Management for offshore wind Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) newbuilds.In 2023, Bernhard Schulte Offshore ordered the design and construction of two such vessels from Ulstein under a contract which included options for two plus two vessels.These options have been transferred to institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, who declared the first two.The CSOVs will be…

Several liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels have changed their courses in recent days to avoid the Red Sea region amid maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on the world's main East-West trade route.The Red Sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal, creating the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia, and is connected to the Gulf of Aden by the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between Yemen and Djibouti. About 12% of world shipping traffic transits the canal.But attacks in recent days on ships along the route have led companies such as oil major BP…

Ulstein Group CEO, Cathrine Kristiseter Marti, has decided to take on a new opportunity outside the Group, and former CEO, Gunvor Ulstein, has been appointed CEO from November 29, 2023.Ulstein had previously been CEO of Ulstein Group for nearly 22 years and represents the third generation of the family-owned group. When stepping down in 2020, she did so to continue her engagement through Ulstein Group board positions and as Chair of the Board of Ulsmo (majority owner of Ulstein Group)."We wish to thank Cathrine for her commitment to Ulstein Group for nine years…

A Liberian-flagged oil tanker set sail in May from Russia's Ust-Luga port carrying crude on behalf of a little-known trading company based in Hong Kong. Before the ship had even reached its destination in India, the cargo changed hands.The new owner of the 100,000 tonnes of Urals crude carried on the Leopard I was a similarly low-profile outfit, Guron Trading, also based in Hong Kong, according to two trading sources.The number of little-known trading firms relied on by Moscow to export large volumes of crude exports to Asia has mushroomed in recent months…

A tanker containing liquefied natural gas (LNG) that originated from a Russia supplier and was loaded onto a Gunvor Group-chartered vessel off the coast of France was turned away this week by Argentine energy firm Enarsa, according to officials.The tanker Flex Artemis was in the South Atlantic and heading northeast on Thursday, according to Refinitiv vessel tracking. It had carried LNG from Yamal in Russia, according to a trader familiar with the matter, and had arrived in Argentine waters about July 14.The rejection is one more sign of the energy market upheavals since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and of a growing wariness of buyers involving even authorized deals with Russia-originated fuels.

Shipowner Celsius Tankers announced it has ordered four new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from shipbuilder China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) (CMHI) for scheduled delivery in 2026 and 2027.Celsius has formed a joint venture with an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners (ArcLight), a middle-market infrastructure investor, to fund two of the LNG carriers. Commodities trading house Gunvor Group Ltd will have a significant equity interest in the other two newbuildings, the first for any independent LNG trading company, demonstrating the strength of Gunvor's global position in the LNG market. All four vessels will enter long…

At least three proposed U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants have likely found enough customers to receive financial approvals this year, according to Reuters calculations, developments that would make the country the world's largest LNG exporter for years to come.After a dearth of plant approvals last decade, developers have secured dozens of long-term contracts to finance new multibillion-dollar LNG plants. The pace of approvals has accelerated as Europe has shifted…

Global energy trader Gunvor Group reported a net profit of $726 million for 2021, the highest since 2015, buoyed by its natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) divisions, the company said on Tuesday.The profit was the highest since 2015 when net profit was boosted by the sale of most of its Russian assets and was up on the $320 million the Geneva-based company made in 2020 when refining impairments took the shine off its record gross profit.Gunvor's rivals have seen record profits on higher oil volatility and skyrocketing natural gas prices in the second half of 2021.

The global oil market was thrown into chaos on Thursday after Russia invaded Ukraine, with top buyers of Russian oil struggling to secure guarantees at Western banks or find ships to take crude from one of the world's largest producers.At least three major buyers of Russian oil have been unable to open letters of credit from Western banks to cover purchases on Thursday, four trading sources said, citing market uncertainty after the Russian invasion.Russia produces every 10th barrel in the world and oil prices jumped to above $105 per barrel on Thursday, their highest since 2014, due to fears of disruptions.In the Black Sea, a Turkish-owned ship was hit by a bomb off the coast of Ukraine's port city Odessa…

Global Energy Storage (GES) announced it has closed the transaction to acquire part of the Stargate Terminal from Gunvor Group in Europoort, Port of Rotterdam.GES, which signed a binding agreement to take over the site in November 2021, now owns four Class 1 product tanks totaling over 212 thousand cubic meters with long-term off-take from Gunvor. In addition, GES has acquired the rights to develop approximately 20 hectares of vacant land. Furthermore, it is pursuing expansion projects to support the Energy Transition…

Global Energy Storage, a new company that aims to store products such as hydrogen and biofuels, said on Thursday it is buying assets in Rotterdam from commodities firm Gunvor Group and will redevelop 20 hectares (49 acres) of land in the port for its operations.Financial details of the purchase, which includes part of Gunvor's Stargate Oil Terminal, were not disclosed.The company's plan is to "take an existing oil terminal and develop it into a state-of-the-art low-carbon products terminal…

Danish shipping company Celsius Tankers announced it has ordered a series of four liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries. Upon delivery during 2023 and 2024, the 180,000-cuboc-meter capacity newbuilds will enter into long-term time charters with Clearlake Shipping, a subsidiary of Gunvor Group Ltd.Celsius Tankers recently took delivery of the fourth and last LNG carrier from the previous series of 180,000-cubic-meter capacity XDF vessels ordered at Samsung Heavy Industries in 2018.

Bangladesh bought two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for delivery in October at record prices, two industry sources said on Friday, as low inventory in Europe boosts competition with Asia for supplies ahead of winter.The south Asian nation bought one cargo from trader Vitol for delivery in mid-Oct. at $35.89 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) and another from Gunvor for late Oct. delivery at $36.95 per mmBtu, said an official of state-run Petrobangla."Winter is yet to come but prices have gone crazy…

Clearlake Shipping, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gunvor Group, has fixed a new building 37,000 deadweight ton (dwt) asphalt carrier, the White Pearl, to be delivered before year end.White Pearl will complement Gunvor’s growing asphalt trading business, which has been active since 2016, adding to the company’s position in the trade, storage, and transportation of asphalt products. Gunvor’s trading desk operates worldwide, moving approximately 1 million MT of bitumen annually, and has a dedicated fleet of four existing fixed vessels and multiple spot charters.

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer Tellurian Inc said on Thursday it signed a 10-year agreement with commodity trader Gunvor Group for 3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG.Tellurian shares soared around 24% on the news to their highest since February.In addition, Tellurian released a presentation that said its proposed Driftwood export plant in Louisiana was positioned for first quarter 2022 commerciality.Analysts at Cowen & Co said in a note that meant Tellurian pushed…

Tanker owner TOP Ships announced on Tuesday that it has taken delivery of a scrubber-fitted 157,000 dwt newbuild Suezmax vessel, Eco Malibu, built at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea.The Marshall Island-flagged vessel is scheduled to commence by the end of the week its previously announced time charter employment with Gunvor Group subsidiary Clearlake Shipping for three years with two yearly extension options, TOP Ships said.The Nasdaq-listed company said revenue backlog expected to be generated by the fixture, assuming all options are exercised, is about $63.3 million. For 2021 alone, the charter is expected to generate $7.8 million in revenue, it said.

Energy trader Gunvor Group aims to cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% in absolute terms by 2025, the company said on Tuesday, and has set up a new subsidiary to invest in non-hydrocarbon projects.The Geneva-based firm, which is among the top five global oil traders, aims to cut emissions it produces directly, and those from the electricity it uses, against its 2019 total of 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.Its new unit will invest in biofuel, renewable power projects such as solar and biomass…

Energy trader Gunvor Group has bought a minority stake in Artemis Technologies to build high-speed ferries capable of carrying up to 350 passengers with zero emissions, the company said on Thursday.The new vessel, called the Artemis eFoiler, will produce savings of up to 90% on fuel compared with traditional diesel ferries. The British firm received a £33 million grant from the British government earlier this year.The hydrofoils will run on batteries recharged by renewable energy sources.

Norwegian shipbuilder and vessel design group Ulstein announced Tuesday that its CFO Cathrine Kristiseter Marti has been promoted to replace long-serving CEO Gunvor Ulstein, who has decided to step down.Marti will take over as CEO on November 2 after six years as Ulstein Group's CFO.The transition comes amid changes to management and strategy at the group, which includes several companies focused on various marine-related industries but mainly vessel construction and design.Gunvor…

Some of the world's biggest commodities and energy players on Wednesday launched an initiative to cut and track emissions from the ships they charter as efforts intensify to reduce the maritime industry's carbon footprint.About 90% of world trade is transported by sea, and the UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050.Carbon emissions from shipping rose in the six-year period to 2018 and accounted for 2.89% of the world’s CO2, the latest IMO-commissioned study showed, mounting pressure on the