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Seaborne Oil News

15 Apr 2024

Russia's Seaborne Oil Product Exports Fell in March

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Russia's seaborne oil product exports fell 4.2% in March from the previous month to 10.178 million metric tons due to unplanned maintenance at refineries and a uel export ban, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.Russia's daily offline primary oil refining capacity has jumped by around a third in March to 4.079 million metric tons from February due to drone attacks, Reuters calculations based on data from industry sources showed.Last month, a fire broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack at the Norsi refinery…

16 Nov 2023

US Sanctions Maritime Companies, Vessels for Shipping Oil Above Russian Price Cap

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The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on maritime companies and vessels for shipping Russian oil sold above the G7's price cap, as Washington seeks to close loopholes in the mechanism designed to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine.The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on three United Arab Emirates-based companies and three vessels owned by them in the action, accusing the vessels of engaging in the export of Russian crude oil priced above the $60 a barrel cap.

15 Nov 2023

Russian Oil Tankers Not Targeted in EU Sanctions Proposal -EU Diplomats

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Russian oil tankers are not targeted in the European Commission's proposal for tightening the implementation of a price cap on the country's crude oil, EU diplomats said on Wednesday.The Financial Times reported earlier on Wednesday that Denmark will be tasked with inspecting and potentially blocking Russian oil tankers sailing through its waters under new European Union plans as a way of enforcing a $60 per barrel price cap on Moscow's crude.The FT said that Denmark would target tankers carrying Russian oil that did not have Western insurance…

15 Nov 2023

Denmark Could Block Tankers with Russian Oil from Reaching Markets - FT

For illustration, the Danish frigate Peter  - Photo: Rune Dyrholm / Danish Armed Forces

Denmark will be tasked with inspecting and potentially blocking tankers carrying Russian oil through its waters under new European Union plans, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing three unidentified sources.Russia sends about a third of its seaborne oil exports, or 1.5% of global supply, through the Danish straits so any attempt to halt those supplies would send oil prices higher and trigger a confrontation with Russia. The FT said that Denmark would target tankers carrying Russian oil that did not have Western insurance…

26 Oct 2023

World's Ghost Fleet in Focus Over US Russian Price Cap Crackdown

Credit: komi$ar/AdobeStock

U.S. penalties on shippers transporting Russian oil in breach of the G7's price cap could push more Russian cargoes onto vessels referred to as the ghost fleet and away from mainstream tankers, shipping sources and analysts told Reuters.The cap bans Western companies from providing maritime services for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel.It was designed to keep oil flowing to markets while reducing Russia's energy earnings that it can use to finance its war on Ukraine…

18 Oct 2023

Oil Tanker Hit by US Sanctions Heads to Texas for Unloading - Exxon

An oil tanker that the U.S. government imposed sanctions on for recently carrying Russian oil above the Western price cap is proceeding to the Baytown refinery in Texas for unloading, Exxon Mobil said on Tuesday.Exxon, the current charterer of the Yasa Golden Bosphorus, was not targeted by the sanctions last week since the oil producer chartered the tanker months after it had carried and offloaded Russian oil, a price cap coalition official after the U.S. imposed the sanctions on the tanker.The unloading by Exxon has been authorized by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the company said in a statement. The deliveries are certified products of Canadian origin, according to Exxon.The U.S.

12 Oct 2023

US Sanctions Two Tanker Owners for Carrying Russian Oil Above Price Cap

The U.S. on Thursday imposed the first sanctions on owners of tankers carrying Russian oil above the G7 price cap of $60 a barrel, one based in Turkey and one in the United Arab Emirates, in an effort to close loopholes on the mechanism designed to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.The U.S., other G7 countries and Australia imposed the cap last year, seeking to reduce Russia's revenues from seaborne oil exports as part of sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.The cap bans Western companies from providing maritime services, including insurance, finance and shipping, for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel, while seeking to keep oil flowing to markets. Caps also were imposed on Russian fuel exports.U.S.

03 Aug 2023

Russian Seaborne Oil Exports Plummet 16% in July

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Russian seaborne crude oil export volumes have remained strong and grew 13% y/y in 2022 despite the invasion of Ukraine. However, after a 4% m/m fall in June, volumes fell another 16% m/m in July, and the Russian administration has announced export cuts for August, says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.An even more important factor for the crude tanker market is how EU regulations have reshaped crude trades. China, India, and Türkiye have replaced EU countries as the main buyers of Russian crude oil…

27 Jul 2023

Obscure Traders Ship Half Russia's Oil Exports to India, China After Sanctions

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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…

05 Jun 2023

Oil Exports from Russia's Western Ports Hit 4-year Record

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Russia's seaborne oil exports from Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiisk hit 4-year record of 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in May as domestic refineries maintenance season freed up extra barrels, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Monday.Russia's oil exports have been growing steadily over the last couple of months even though the state pledged additional cuts in line with OPEC+ members. Saudi Arabia has recently announced a deep cut to its output in July on top of a broader OPEC+ deal.Russian refineries cut runs in May amid major seasonal maintenance on most plants…

18 Apr 2023

Norway Crude Mops Up in Europe as Russia's Urals Heads East

Johan Sverdrup - Photo credit: Lizette Bertelsen and Jonny Engelsvoll - Equinor

The clear winner in the race to replace Russian oil at Europe's refineries is Norway's Johan Sverdrup crude, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and traders.Johan Sverdrup was launched in 2019, making it a relative newcomer compared to Russia's Urals grade.Initially sold mostly to Asia, an EU ban on Russian seaborne oil imports imposed in December has opened up the European market where the medium sour grade has become a primary feedstock for refiners in countries such as Germany…

12 Apr 2023

LNG Imports Test EU Resolve to Quit Russian Fossil Fuel

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Political pressure is building within the European Union to tackle the daunting challenge of closing a loophole in its efforts to stop using Russian fossil fuels: liquefied natural gas (LNG).In the year since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the EU has placed sanctions on seaborne oil and coal imports from Russia.It has drastically cut reliance on Russian pipeline gas, despite not imposing sanctions on the fuel. But at the same time, EU countries have increased their overall purchases of Russian LNG…

01 Dec 2022

EU Tentatively Agrees $60 Price Cap on Russian Seaborne Oil

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European Union governments tentatively agreed on Thursday on a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil - an idea of the Group of Seven (G7) nations - with an adjustment mechanism to keep the cap at 5% below the market price, according to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters.The agreement still needs approval from all EU governments in a written procedure by Friday. Poland, which had pushed for the cap to be as low as possible, had as of Thursday evening not confirmed if it would support the deal…

14 Jun 2022

Russian Oil Production up 5%; Seaborne Exports up 9.5%

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Russia's oil production rose almost 5% in the first half of June compared with May, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the output statistics.Average daily oil production, including condensate, was 1.46 million tonnes in the first 13 days of June, 68,000 tonnes more than May levels, the news agency reported.Russian oil companies, led by Rosneft ROSN.MM, were expected to re-open wells in June which they had shut due to Western sanctions as the companies bank on a pick-up in seasonal demand and sustained Asian buying, Reuters sources said previously.

30 May 2022

India's Imports of Cheap Russian Crude Surge Since Ukraine Invasion

Credit: Oleksii

India has received 34 million barrels of discounted Russian oil since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, more than trebling the value of total imports from Russia, including other products, compared with the same period of 2021.The volumes of India's seaborne oil imports from Russia exclude CPC Blend oil, which is also exported via Russia's Black Sea port, but mostly supplied by Kazakhstan's subsidiaries of western countries as transit volumes.India's oil imports from Russia have been rising since February…

17 May 2022

Seaborne Oil a Lifeline as German, Polish Refiners Swerve Russian Supply

© Horst Schmidt / Adobe Stock

Seaborne oil has thrown a lifeline to refiners in eastern Germany and Poland, with non-Russian deliveries into the Polish port of Gdansk hitting at least seven-year highs this month as they switch away from Russian supply.Imports booked for May into Gdansk from Egypt, the United States, Norway, Britain and West Africa had hit 8.4 million barrels by May 16, their highest level according to Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data that goes back to 2015.At the same time, Russian crude booked for May into Gdansk and the port of Rostock stood at 700…

09 Mar 2022

US Sanctions on Russian Oil to Leave More Cargoes at Sea with No Buyers

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The U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas imports is likely to leave more cargoes at sea with no buyers, and the European Union's decision to continue imports was unlikely to make much difference to disarray in Russian oil trade, analysts said on Tuesday.U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine and Britain said it would phase out imports through the end of 2022.The European Union did not join the ban because it is more dependent on Russian oil and gas supplies.

21 May 2014

India’s Seaborne Oil, Bulk Liquids & Gas Tanker Trade Conference

India Tanker Conference the biggest event of Hinode Events and Services Pvt Ltd, and the first one on the Tanker trade is set to take off on JUNE 5 in Mumbai at the Hotel Vivanta by Taj - President, in MUMBAI. This First Annual Conference on the Outlook for India’s Seaborne Oil, Bulk Liquids and Gas Tanker Trade, will explore the current challenges and outlook for the seaborne transportation of crude oil, bulk liquids AND gas cargoes encompassing the shipment of crude oil, petroleum products, petrochemicals, liquefied gases as well as vegetable oils, etc. Over 200 delegates are expected to attend. They will represent a wide cross section of the trade and industry including Ship owners and operators, charterers, cargo interests.

25 Feb 2021

Tanker Shipping Facing a Tough Year Ahead, Says BIMCO

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After a turbulent year, low demand looks set to plague the market in the coming months combined with too many ships fighting for too few cargoes in both the crude oil and oil product segments, says the oil tanker shipping overview and outlook released today by BIMCO.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe realities of the pandemic are setting in for the tanker market. The record-breaking Q2 2020 is a distant memory and, instead, the market faces a slow recovery with low demand, stock…

09 Jul 2014

Petro-Pirates Plague Busy SE Asia Lanes

In the dead of night, as his fuel tanker sailed through the narrowest section of one of the world's busiest waterways, Captain Thiwa Saman was wrenched from sleep and pitched into a waking nightmare. Three men with guns and swords were banging on his cabin door. Other pirates had already stormed the bridge, seized the duty officer and smashed up the radio and GPS equipment. Over the next 10 hours, mostly in daylight, the pirates held Thiwa and his 13 crew captive while siphoning off 4 million litres of diesel, worth around $2 million on the black market, to another tanker. They even re-painted the name of Thiwa's ship to confuse anyone searching for it. Then they vanished.

08 May 2015

General Maritime, Navig8 Crude Complete Merger

General Maritime Corporation and Navig8 Crude Tankers Inc. General Maritime Corporation and Navig8 Crude Tankers Inc. have completed a merger to create Gener8 Maritime, Inc., a U.S.-based provider of international seaborne oil transportation services. In accordance with the terms of the definitive agreement, Navig8 Crude merged with a newly-formed subsidiary of General Maritime and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Maritime. General Maritime was renamed Gener8 Maritime. Navig8 Crude shareholders will receive 0.8947 shares of Gener8 Maritime for each share of Navig8 Crude common stock. The definitive agreement provides that…

08 Nov 2016

Ships More at Risk After First Somali Pirate Attack in Years

File photo: Euronav

Merchant vessels sailing through busy shipping lanes between Somalia and Yemen may be underestimating the risk of piracy and terrorism following two attempted attacks last month, maritime officials say. More than 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil supplies pass through the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, a major shipping lane also used to move exports and commodities such as food between Asia and Europe. The European Union's counter-piracy naval force (EU Navfor) confirmed on Nov. 4 that six armed men attacked chemical tanker CPO Korea 330 nautical miles (610 km) east of Somalia on Oct.

28 Nov 2016

EU to Patrol for Somali Pirates Until end 2018

The European Union's naval mission will keep patrolling for pirates off the coast of Somalia for another two years, to guard against any resurgence of attacks, the bloc said on Monday. The number of raids and kidnappings has fallen - though maritime officials have warned that the risk is still, underlined by two attempted attacks last month. NATO said last week it had ended its own mission off the Horn of Africa, as it shifts resources to deterring Russia in the Black Sea and people smugglers in the Mediterranean. But the EU said it would extend the EUNAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta until the end of 2018, allowing it to keep guarding U.N. aid deliveries.