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Ust 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…

29 Jan 2024

Russian Oil Facilities Hit by Drone Attacks, Fires

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Russia energy infrastructure has been hit by drone attacks and fires in the past month, adding to uncertainty in global oil and gas markets already rocked by the conflict in the Middle East.Russia and Ukraine have targeted each other's energy infrastructure in strikes designed to disrupt supply lines and logistics and to demoralise their opponent as they try to get the edge in a nearly two-year-old war that shows no sign of ending.Following are recent major incidents at Russian oil facilities in the past month:* A Russian appointed official said on Jan.

29 Jan 2024

Russia Eases Harsh Weather Restrictions to Boost Oil Exports

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Russian ports are operating during more severe storms and easing restrictions for non ice-class vessels during winter, traders said and regulations showed, in an attempt to boost exports following disruptions from Western sanctions and harsh weather.Following the European Union oil embargo, Russia has to rely mostly on seaborne loadings, rather than westbound pipeline supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.Traders and analysts said the easing of restrictions carried technical and ecological risks, but could help Russia's revenues that are heavily reliant on oil.Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft,

21 Jan 2024

Drone Attack: Russia Suspends Operations at Ust-Luga

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Russian energy company Novatek said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.The giant Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, is used to ship oil and gas products to international markets. It processes stable gas condensate - a type of light oil - into light and heavy naphtha, kerosene and diesel to be shipped by sea.It was not clear how long the disruption would last…

10 Jan 2024

Polish Seaborne LPG Import Growth Slowed to 7% in 2023

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Growth in sea-borne imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Poland slowed 7% last year to 1.084 million metric tons, from a jump of more than 70% in 2022, with sea terminals working almost at capacity, according to traders and LSEG data.Sea-borne imports account for some 35% of total LPG supplies to Poland, while deliveries by rail was more than 50%.Poland also remained the main destination for Russian LPG, which was banned by the European Union last month over the conflict…

12 Dec 2023

US Issues Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War

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The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…

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…

18 Oct 2023

Russia's Western Sea Port Oil Exports Seen Falling as Refinery Runs Rise

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Russia's oil exports via its western sea ports in November may fall by some 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) after ample supplies in September-October as domestic refineries are expected to raise runs as seasonal maintenance ends, three sources familiar with the plans said.Urals, Siberian light and KEBCO crude oil exports from Primorsk, Ust-luga and Novorossiisk ports are set to decline by some 300,000 bpd from October to slightly above 2 million bpd, according to the sources familiar…

21 Aug 2023

Russia Ships Naphtha to China via North Sea Route

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Russia is shipping a naphtha cargo via the North Sea Route (NSR) as Moscow seeks to increase supplies using the route to major trade partner China, cutting its way through European waters, traders said and Refinitiv data showed.SCF Irtysh is loaded with with 37,000 tonnes of naphtha onboard, loaded at Ust-Luga port on August 5, 2023, for delivery to China. It is the first such loading since at least the late 2000s, according to two traders.The supplier of the cargo was Gazprom Neft, the traders said.

18 Aug 2023

Kazakhstan Could Redirect Oil Exports via Russia's Baltic Ports if Black Sea Situation Worsens

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Aug 18 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan could redirect oil exports to Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga instead of Novorossiysk, if the situation on the Black Sea deteriorates, the head of Kaztransoil's transport department said on Friday.Kaztransoil's Abay Beisembaev said during an online briefing: "If the situation in the Black Sea worsens, the volumes that we transport in the direction of the port of Sheskharis (in Novorossiysk) will be transferred to the port of Ust-Luga." Novorossiysk…

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…

19 Apr 2023

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

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Oil loadings from Russia's key western ports in April will rise to the highest level since 2019, above 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) despite Moscow's pledge to cut output, trading and shipping sources said.Russian crude exports and transit from the ports of Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiisk in Arpil will rise above 10 million tonnes, up from 9.7 million tonnes in March.Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Feb.

31 Jan 2023

Western Tankers Ramp Up Russian Oil Shipments

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Western oil tankers ramped up their shipments of Russian crude in January as prices for Moscow's flagship Urals grade held below an international price cap, according to market sources and Eikon data.The Group of Seven nations (G7), Australia and the 27 European Union countries placed a price limit on Russian crude oil of $60 per barrel on Dec. 5.The cap allows non-EU countries to import seaborne Russian crude oil, but prohibits Western shipping and insurance companies from handling…

17 Jan 2023

Russia Boosts Baltic Oil Exports

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Europe's ban on seaborne Russian oil imports from Dec. 5 has prompted Moscow to divert its crude flows to Asia and failed to curb Russian supplies, according to traders and data from Refinitiv Eikon.Supplies of oil from Russia and Kazakhstan from the Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk rose in the first half of January to 3.4 million tonnes from 2.5 million tonnes in the same period of December.That includes 3.1 million tonnes of Russian oil, up 35% from 2.3 million tonnes in the corresponding period of December…

28 Oct 2022

Russia Ramps Up Seaborne Urals Oil Exports to Asia ahead of EU Embargo

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Russia ramped up seaborne Urals oil exports to Asia to 50% of the total over the Oct. 1-20 period ahead of a December EU embargo on the state's oil and products, according to traders and Refinitiv Eikon data.EU countries which have been primary consumers of Russian crude oil for decades will stop buying it from Dec. 5 due to the embargo imposed by the bloc.Bulgaria is the only state allowed to continue seaborne imports beyond the date, while Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will continue buying via pipeline.Russian Urals oil shipments to Asia rose to 2.08 million tonnes during Oct.

15 Jul 2022

Russian Fuel Oil Cargo Arrives in Cuba as the Island Ramps Up Imports

A tanker carrying Russian fuel oil arrived in Cuba on Thursday, bringing supplies for the Caribbean nation's sputtering power plants and giving Russia an outlet for products shunned by the West.The United States and Canada have imposed sanctions on Russian oil and fuel over its invasion of Ukraine, while Europe and the United Kingdom are moving toward an end-of-year embargo on Russian crude imports.The Liberia-flagged Aframax tanker Suvorovsky Prospect arrived in Cuba's Matanzas port carrying about 700,000 barrels of fuel oil, loaded at Russia's Ust-Luga port. The cargo is worth some $70 million at market prices.The vessel is owned by a unit of top Russian shipping conglomerate Sovcomflot, according to maritime database Equasis. Sovcomflot is under British, Canadian and U.S.

25 May 2022

Russia to Complete May Oil Loading Plan from Baltic Ports in Full

Ust-Luga - Credit: max5128/AdobeStock

Russian Urals crude exports and transit from its Baltic ports in May are expected to match the initial plan, despite Western sanctions that have hit demand in Europe, according to three traders and Reuters calculations based on shipping data.Official sanctions and self-sanctioning by European buyers have hammered demand for Urals in its traditional market, but Asian buyers have stepped in to keep export flows unaffected.The ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga will load a total of 7 million tonnes of Urals in May, in line with the initial plan, traders said and the data showed.

29 Apr 2022

Costlier Smaller Tankers Deployed to Move Displaced Russian Oil to China

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Traders are deploying smaller, costlier vessels to ship displaced Russian oil from European ports to China, in a rare move as Western sanctions on Moscow force them to use unconventional methods to transport the product.About 5 million barrels of Russian Urals crude was scheduled to load in April and May destined for China on four Aframax-sized tankers that each carry 730,000 barrels and two Suezmax-sized vessels each holding around 1 million barrels, according to shipping reports and research by Refinitiv and Vortexa.A very large crude carrier (VLCC)…

26 Apr 2022

Norway Arrests Activists Blocking Tanker from Unloading Russian Oil

 Greenpeace activist Andreas Randoy - Credit: Greenpeace - Free Use License

Norwegian police said they had arrested 20 Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion campaigners who on Monday blocked a tanker from delivering Russian oil to an Exxon Mobil terminal.In a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, activists had fastened their red rubber dinghy to the Ust Luga's anchor chain, Greenpeace said, as they sought to prevent it offloading an estimated 95,000 tonnes of oil."Oil is not only at the root of the climate crisis, but also of wars and conflicts.

25 Apr 2022

Greenpeace Blocks Ust Luga Tanker from Delivering Russian Oil to Norway

Credit: Greenpeace

Greenpeace activists sought to block a tanker on Monday from delivering Russian oil to Norway, chaining themselves to the vessel in a protest against the war in Ukraine, the advocacy group said.The Ust Luga product tanker is currently anchored outside Exxon Mobil's Slagen oil terminal some 70 km (43 miles) south of the capital Oslo, according to vessel tracker Marine Traffic.Activists arriving in a small boat chained themselves to the tanker's anchor chain as they sought to prevent the offloading of a cargo estimated at 95…

13 Apr 2022

Russia Faces Drop in Cargo Traffic, Container Deficit

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Russia is bracing for a sharp decline in cargo flows and a deficit of containers after major international container shipping lines halted operations in the country due to Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, two Russian executives said.The world’s three largest container shipping lines, Denmark’s Maersk, France’s CMA CGM and Swiss-based MSC, have suspended their bookings to and from Russia after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking a flurry of Western sanctions.The…