Iran Confirms Seizure of Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute
Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.The seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas coincides with weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias targeting Red Sea shipping routes."After the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year, St Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran's Navy this morning with a judicial order ...
Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute Boarded by Armed Guards Near Oman
An oil tanker caught up in a dispute last year between the United States and Iran was boarded by armed individuals off the coast of Oman on Thursday and appeared to have changed course towards Iran, according to UK maritime sources.The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker St Nikolas was boarded by armed intruders as it sailed close to the Omani city of Sohar, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, and its AIS tracking system was turned off as it headed in the direction…
Indian Oil Corp Buys its First Cargo of Iraqi Basra Medium Oil
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) , the country's top refiner, has loaded its first cargo of Iraq's newly introduced Basra Medium crude grade, according to ship-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon and a source with knowledge of the matter.IOC loaded the cargo onto Minerva Kalypso, a Suezmax-sized vessel, which left Iraq's southern port of Basra on Jan. 4, the data showed.The ship is expected to arrive at Chennai port in southeastern India for IOC's subsidiary Chennai Petroleum Corp (CPCL) around Jan. 14.Iraq's state oil marketing company (SOMO) launched the new sour crude grade in January by splitting existing Basra Light production into two grades to provide better quality stability."From this year IOC will get all three grades - Basra Light…
Hutchison Ports, Basra Port in Management Deal
Hong Kong-based port operator Hutchison Ports has agreed to partner with NAWAH Port Management (NPM) to manage existing and future operations at the Port of Basra in southern Iraq. Hutchison Ports will assume oversight of day-to-day commercial and operational activities at NPM, operating under the name of Hutchison Ports Basra. NPM is a containerized terminal operator at the Port of Basra located along the Shatt Al Arab waterway in Iraq. The company services the shipping needs for a full spectrum of customers across Iraq – from large, multinational companies to local Iraqi merchants. NPM’s proximity to the city center and major oilfields, and its operations are viewed as key competitive advantages versus other ports in the region.
China Teapot Refiners Create Qingdao Tanker Jam
Tankers at Qingdao port face up to 30-day wait. At least 15 large tankers wait to offload -shiptracking data. A surge in oil buying by China's newest crude importers has created delays of up to a month for vessels to offload cargoes at Qingdao port, imposing costly fees and complicating efforts to sell to the world's hottest new buyers. China's independent refiners, freed of government constraints after securing permission to import just last year, have gorged on plentiful low-cost crude in 2016. This has created delays for tankers that have quadrupled to between 20 to 30 days at Qingdao port in Shandong province, the key import hub for the plants, known as teapots, according to port agents and ship-tracking data.
Huge Tanker Traffic Jam Builds at Basra
Nearly 30 large oil tankers waiting to load at Basra; daily VLCC tanker rates have doubled to nearly $75,000. A traffic jam of nearly 30 large oil tankers has built up outside the Iraqi port of Basra due to loading delays, with some waiting up to three weeks and costing ship operators around $75,000 a day per vessel. Shippers and port sources said more delays are expected throughout April as the city's facilities struggle to cope with Iraq's soaring crude output. The problems at Basra, coupled with continuing storage tank shortages in China, have pushed supertanker rates from the Middle East to Asia to unseasonal highs as the delays disrupt future sailing schedules and charterers cover future tonnage requirements.
Cargo Movement to and from Iraqi Ports
In compliance with the circular, DP World ports shall not accept any Imports, Export or Transshipment cargo / containers arriving from or destined to other Iraqi Ports except those mentioned above. Therefore all Shipping lines and Agents are kindly requested not to accept bookings to/from Iraqi ports other than the above, via DP World ports. Should you require any further clarification, please feel free to contact our Customer Service department.
Tanker Backlog Builds at Basra
Ships face up to a three week wait; bad weather in February delayed loading, created backlog. SINGAPORE, April 1 (Reuters) - A backlog of over 30 oil tankers has built up outside the Iraqi port of Basra and shippers face lengthy delays of up to three weeks to load oil because of bad weather and possible oil quality issues, shipping industry sources said. The problems could delay or limit the number of oil export cargoes from Basra in April, potentially pushing down tanker freight rates, two Singapore ship brokers familiar with the issue said. More than 30 oil tankers, two-thirds of them supertankers (VLCC), with a combined capacity of around 50 million barrels are currently lying outside Basra, some of them since mid-March, Reuters shipping data shows.
Iraqi Port of Basra Container Terminal Opens
NAWAH Port Management (NPM), a business unit of North America Western Asia Holdings (NAWAH), in partnership with the General Company for Ports of Iraq, has launched the first phase of a containerized terminal at Al Maqal Port, also known as the Port of Basra. The opening ceremony marked the completion of an essential yearlong phase for NAWAH and the modernization project for Al Maqal, culminating in the initiation of commercial operations at the newly containerized Berth 14. This…
