Abu Dhabi's Al Seer Marine Buys LPG Tanker Duo for $67M to Meet Growing Demand
Abu Dhabi's Al Seer Marine, a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), has said it has acquired two vessels, valued at a combined AED 246 million ($66,97 million), to meet the "rapidly growing demand for transportation of liquified petroleum gas (LPG)."Al Seer Marine has purchased LPG tankers, MT Alcor and MT Alkaid, each with a capacity of 20,700 cubic meters. The vessels are expected to provide an internal rate of return (IRR) of 25%, Al Seer Marine said. The company plans to buy up to 15 ships in 2022.
Sibur and Sinopec Link on Amur JV
Russian petrochemicals giant Sibur has signed several agreements with Chinese state-owned conglomerate China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec).One deal relates to Sinopec’s potential participation in Sibur’s previously announced Amur Gas Chemicals Complex (AGCC) in Russia’s Far East.Sinopec, Chinese oil and gas enterprise based in Beijing, which bought a 10% stake in Sibur in December 2015, is expected to take a 40% share in the joint venture, subject to a final investment decision in the project, expected in 2020.“The partnership will allow the parties to tap into shared expertise and experience to maximise efficiency of new large-scale projects and to exchange best practices”…
U.S. Commerce Chief Ross Reportedly Divests Shipping Interests
According to a Reuters report, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has divested his interests in oil tanker company Diamond S Shipping and is in the process of selling off his holdings in another shipping firm, Navigator Holdings, a Trump administration official said earlier this week. Ross had originally intended to retain his shipping interests following his confirmation in February. But the 79-year-old investor came under criticism after disclosures on Sunday that one of Navigator's major clients is the Russian gas company Sibur…
Sibur Targets LPG Exports Growth, Eyes Asia
Russia's largest petrochemical producer, Sibur plans to boost exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in 2016-2020 before an increase in domestic demand, Sibur's director general Dmitry Konov told reporters. Sibur, in which Kirill Shamalov, son of an old friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a major shareholder, plans to build a huge new processing plant, Zapsibneftekhim, in Tobolsk, Siberia. In January Sibur obtained $1.75 billion from Russia's National Wealth Fund to help build the plant by 2020. Total investments are seen at $7.2 billion in 2016-2020.
Russia Plans Fuel Shipments to Syria from Crimea
Russia plans to supply Syria with 200,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year via the Crimean port of Kerch, two trading sources told Reuters. The plans are a further sign of cooperation between the two countries despite hopes in the West that Russia might stop shielding President Bashar al-Assad from pressure to step aside. Moscow had been shipping significantly lower volumes of LPG to Syria via Kerch before Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014. The United States and the European Union, which say the seizure of Crimea violates international law, have imposed sanctions on individuals and business in Crimea, which include restrictions on use of the Kerch port. Russia is a staunch ally of Syria and an exporter of arms to Damascus.
Russia's Surgut to Export Baltic Diesel
Surgut to transport diesel by rail from its Kirishi refinery; Main diesel terminal in Primorsk reaches full capacity. Surgutneftegas will start exporting diesel from the Baltic port of Ust Luga next month after extensive modernising upgrades to Russian refineries have created a surplus of higher grade fuels, traders said. Russian refiners are struggling to find new ports to cope, with the Baltic's Primorsk already at full capacity. Surgut, Russia's third-largest oil producer, plans to transport diesel by rail from its 420,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Kirishi refinery in northwest Russia to Ust Luga. From there it will be exported from the Sibur-Portenergo terminal owned by Sibur, Russia's top petrochemical company, the trading sources said.
Sovcomflot Reports on Slippery 2013 Financial Slope
SCF Group (Sovcomflot) has released its audited financial results for the year ending 31, December 2013, indicating a slip in profitability during what they describe as another challenging year for the international tanker industry. Further implementation of programme of commercial voyages along the Northern Sea Route, involving ice-class tankers SCF Yenisei and Viktor Bakaev (first transit completed by the Group in an East-West direction) and the bulk carrier NS Yakutia.
LNG Export Strategies on Agenda at London 'Russian Day'
The role of Russia as a key global supplier of natural gas will be amplified at upcoming 'Russian Day' event. The Russian Energy Minister, Alexander Novak, confirms he will host a special ‘Russian Day’ at one of the world’s leading gas industry events in London this October. The role of Russia as a key global supplier of natural gas will be examined during the day-long session, which also welcomes Novak’s Deputy, Pavel Fedorov, plus chief executives from petrochemical giant SIBUR and liquefied natural gas exporter, Sakhalin Energy. Other leading government and state energy executives will also be present to explore future investment and financing issues in Russian energy and project development.
