Indigenous Protesters in Peru's Amazon Release Captured Oil Tankers
Indigenous protesters in the Peruvian Amazon have released two oil tankers and their crew members being held since last week in protest over changes to a development fund, a source at the company operating the vessels, PetroTal, said on Monday.The firm's marine shipments in the area also resumed earlier on Monday, the source added.The two ships were hijacked on Tuesday, one with 40,000 barrels of crude aboard. The release occurred on Saturday after a meeting between the Indigenous group's leaders and local authorities…
Pelosi: Case Needed for Offshore Drilling
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that expanded oil drilling in federal waters could be included in a broader energy bill if advocates can prove its effectiveness as a solution to 's energy problems. In a television interview yesterday, Pelosi said the oil industry and its allies in Congress also would have to agree to pay royalties on oil profits to fund the development of renewable energy resources. The California Democrat, has previously expressed outright opposition to expanded offshore drilling. Yesterday she said offshore drilling should be discussed but she does not believe it is a workable solution in the short run. Source: AP
OTC: Offshore Industry Barometer For More Than 30 Years
The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) annually attracts a global audience of leading engineers, managers, and scientists to the heart of the oil and gas industry. It was 1969 when OTC made its debut in Houston, a big year for the energy industry: oil was discovered in the North Sea; environmentalists were blocking the Trans-Alaskan pipeline that would bring North Slope oil supplies to the lower 48 states; oil rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa were demanding a bigger share of oil profits; and oil prices were positioned for takeoff. That inaugural event was modest by today’s standards, attracting just 4,200 offshore professionals and 125 exhibitors-less than one-tenth the turnout of recent years. Currently OTC is the offshore industry’s largest annual gathering.
Big Oil Profits Expected To Fly High
The near record oil prices have left U.S. oil majors as the envy of industry during the third quarter reporting period, according to many industry analysts. about having disappointing earnings surprises," said one. "The question is not whether they will beat consensus estimates, but by how much they'll beat estimates," said another. Such expectations from analysts and investors come as crude oil prices in the third-quarter hit ten-year highs and averaged $31.63 a barrel, up from $21.72 a barrel during the period last year. U.S. natural gas prices were just as scorching, averaging $4.48 per million British thermal units compared to $2.55 a year ago. Exxon Mobil Corp., for instance, said its second-quarter profits were the highest in U.S. corporate history.
Chavez Looks to Expand Venezuelan Oil Exports
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, wants Venezuela oil tankers going to places other than the US, according to a VHeadline report. Although the US is the No. 1 buyer of Venezuela oil, Chavez prefers to earn greater political power by selling oil at a discount to Caribbean and South American countries than at a premium to the US. Additionally, Chavez just increased the government's take of royalties on oil profits from 1% to 30% and increased the tax rate from 34% to 50%. As a result, any non-Venezuelan company is now required to turn over more than 75% of its profits to the Venezuelan government and an increasing amount of Venezuelan oil production is government controlled, according to the report.
