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Western Canadian News

01 Mar 2024

US Gulf Coast Fuel Oil Imports Hit Five-year Low

© scandamerican / Adobe Stock

Imports of fuel oil bound for the U.S. Gulf Coast fell to a five-year low last month as refiners ran more cheap, heavy Canadian crude and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East pressured fuel oil flows.Fuel oil deliveries to the Gulf Coast dwindled in February to just 318,000 barrels per day (bpd), a 20% drop from the prior month and marking their lowest level since February 2019, data from tanker tracking firm, Kpler showed.Heavy fuel oil feedstocks like high sulfur fuel oil…

22 Jul 2021

Environmental Concerns: Quebec Rejects Port of Saguenay LNG Export Project

File Image: Énergie Saguenay

The Canadian province of Quebec on Wednesday rejected a liquefied natural gas export project for the Port of Saguenay, citing environmental concerns, in the latest blow to North American LNG development.Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette said the proposed Énergie Saguenay project will not come to pass due to concerns over its emissions and would not support a transition to cleaner energy sources."This project has more disadvantages than advantages," Charette told reporters.The C$9 billion ($7.2 billion) project by privately held GNL Quebec had plans to export 11 million tonnes of LNG

20 Jan 2021

Crowley Wins Arctic Fuel Distribution Contract

(Photo: Crowley)

The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency-Energy (DLA-Energy) has awarded Crowley Solutions a five-year, $15 million contract for fuels transportation and distribution services for the Canada North Warning System locations supporting the nations’ joint security efforts.Serving the Canadian arctic region, Crowley will provide ocean transportation of Aviation Turbine, Kerosene Type Jet A-1 w/FSII & CI to stations across the region, leveraging decades of experience in the Arctic. Services…

31 Aug 2020

Alberta Oil Shipped Through Panama Canal to Atlantic Canada

On July 20, the tanker Cabo de Hornos delivered an estimated 450,000 barrels of crude oil to the Irving Oil refinery’s Canaport storage facilities in Saint John, N.B.What made Cabo de Hornos’s delivery different was that it was the first time crude oil had arrived in Saint John by ship from Alberta. It came via the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Westbridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, B.C., and then through the Panama Canal.By the end of April next year, a second tanker will arrive at Canaport carrying 350,000 to one million barrels of Western Canadian crude oil. In this case, the oil will have come via pipeline from Alberta to a crude oil exporting terminal in Texas or Louisiana.For most of the Saint John refinery’s 50 years of operation…

07 May 2018

Study Calls to Reduce Ship Speed for Arctic

In the Arctic, marine mammals such as belugas and bowhead whales rely on a quiet environment to communicate and forage. But as Arctic sea ice shrinks and shipping traffic increases, vessel disturbance could very likely impact their social behaviours, distribution and long-term survival, warns a new study led by University of Victoria marine biologist Lauren McWhinnie. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Ocean and Coastal Management, the study calls for precautionary measures to minimize the negative impacts of increased vessel traffic in the Arctic—such as noise and ship strikes—as climate change brings a longer ice-free season. “We…

05 Nov 2017

Algoma Niagara Arrives Sept Iles Port

Algoma Central Corporation, a leading provider of marine transportation services, announced that the first Equinox Class self-unloader, the seaway-max size Algoma Niagara, arrived at the Canadian port of Sept Iles, Quebec on November 1st. The Algoma Niagara is the fifth Equinox Class vessel in Canada and she joins her four gearless sister ships in the Algoma fleet. The vessel is currently undergoing inspections and re-flagging as a Canadian vessel before beginning commercial operations. “We are very pleased to see the Algoma Niagara in her home waters” said Gregg Ruhl, Chief Operating Officer of Algoma. “The performance of the Equinox Class has met all our objectives for efficiency and reliability”, Mr. Ruhl continued.

28 Sep 2017

Matrix Global Plans U.S. Crude Storage Deal

Matrix plans sweet crude storage futures at LOOP. Matrix Global Holdings is planning to start up an oil storage futures contract for low-sulphur crude oil that will enable companies to build up supplies for export cargoes, as Asia looks for more crude imports from the United States. The contract will give holders access to low-sulphur, or sweet, crude oil storage space at the Clovelly, Louisiana, terminal operated the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). The contract is expected to start up in about six months, Richard Redoglia, Matrix's chief executive officer told Reuters. Matrix currently hosts a monthly auction for crude storage at the LOOP and it offers a high-sulphur, or sour, crude oil storage futures contract through the CME Group with delivery at the Offshore Port.

07 Nov 2016

Canada's First LNG Export Terminal Seen as One-off

Woodfibre LNG, Canada's first liquefied natural gas export project, will be a "nice-to-have" fillip for the country's gas producers but does not signal the start of a west coast LNG boom, industry watchers said on Monday. Privately held Woodfibre LNG Ltd said on Friday it will start building its C$1.6 billion ($1.2 billion) project in Squamish, British Columbia, next year after its Singaporean parent company authorized the funds last week. It is the first of more than a dozen LNG projects proposed for British Columbia to get the final go-ahead, but analysts say Woodfibre is unlikely to herald an investment surge from other developers given the challenging economics of an oversupplied LNG market.

24 Jul 2016

Canada Seek to contain Oil Spill

Authorities are building a new containment boom to fight an oil spill in a major western Canadian river, officials said on Saturday, after the spill breached a previous barrier and threatened the drinking water of several communities along the coast. The city of North Battleford, which draws its drinking water in part from the North Saskatchewan River, shut its supply intake on Friday and switched to using ground water, provincial officials said in a telephone conference with reporters. Some 1,572 barrels of heavy oil and diluent leaked from Husky Energy Inc's Saskatchewan Gathering System pipeline on Thursday, flowing into the river. The Calgary-based company has shut the line, stopping the leak, and has been working to contain the spill.

15 Dec 2015

Heavy Iraq Crude Has Limited Appeal for US Gulf Coast Buyers

Sellers of a new grade of Iraqi oil are competing fiercely to win market share on the U.S. Gulf Coast, though high sulfur content has limited appeal for refiners of the crude, known as Basra Heavy. Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) began selling the crude with an API gravity of about 23 degrees in May after separating it from the Basra Light stream to resolve quality and consistency issues and reach new customers. The first shipments of Basra Heavy to the U.S. Gulf Coast were modest. They peaked in October at nearly 2.5 million barrels, then plunged 80 percent in November. December arrivals have also been low, according to Reuters vessel tracking data.

10 Feb 2015

Fortis to Host Inaugural U.S. Investor Day on April 1

Fortis Inc. will host its inaugural U.S. Investor Day on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 in New York. The event will take place at The New York Palace hotel, 455 Madison Avenue at 50th Street (Spellman Room). Registration (and a continental breakfast) will begin at 7:30 a.m. (Eastern) on April 1, 2015 with management presentations scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Eastern). Institutional investors, analysts and members of the financial community interested in attending can register in advance by contacting Annette Carberry at Fortis via email at [email protected] or via telephone at 709.737.2822. A live and archived audio webcast of the event will be available on the Corporation’s website at www.fortisinc.com.

11 Jan 2015

Battle Over Keystone XL Pipeline

Nebraska's Supreme Court ruled against a challenge to the Keystone XL oil pipeline's route through the state on Friday, clearing the way for the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress to try to force President Barack Obama to approve the project. The 1,179-mile (1,900-km) pipeline would send up to 830,000 barrels per day of oil sands crude from Hardisty, Alberta, across the U.S. border to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect with the project's already-built Gulf Coast leg. July 2008 - TransCanada Corp announces plans to expand its existing 590,000 bpd Keystone oil pipeline system to the Gulf Coast. September 2008 - TransCanada Corp files an application with the U.S. State Department for a presidential permit allowing construction of the project.

16 Dec 2014

Zargon Cash Dividend for December 2014

Zargon Oil & Gas Ltd. confirms that the monthly cash dividend for the month of December in the amount of Cdn. $0.06 per common share will be paid on January 15, 2015 to shareholders of record on December 31, 2014. Unless otherwise indicated, all dividends paid by Zargon are "eligible dividends" for Canadian tax purposes. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Zargon's securities trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and there are currently 30.175 million common shares outstanding. Zargon Oil & Gas Ltd. is a Calgary based oil and natural gas company working in the Western Canadian and Williston sedimentary basins that has delivered a long history of returns and dividends (distributions).

18 Nov 2014

Zargon Oil & Gas Confirms Cash Dividend

Zargon Oil & Gas Ltd. confirms that the monthly cash dividend for the month of November in the amount of Cdn. $0.06 per common share will be paid on December 15, 2014 to shareholders of record on November 30, 2014. Unless otherwise indicated, all dividends paid by Zargon are "eligible dividends" for Canadian tax purposes. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Zargon's securities trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and there are currently 30.175 million common shares outstanding. Zargon Oil & Gas Ltd. is a Calgary based oil and natural gas company working in the Western Canadian and Williston sedimentary basins that has delivered a long history of returns and dividends (distributions).

03 Nov 2014

Quebec Eyes Exports of Oils Sand Crude, LNG

Photo: Suncor

Canada's Quebec province could start exporting crude from oil sands and also liquefied natural gas to Asia and Europe from 2017-2018, as buyers search for alternative suppliers to Russia, Quebec's energy minister said. The standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine has increased Europe's quest for alternative suppliers of oil and gas and Canada's exports to Europe have already started to pick up in the last few months. In September, oil sands giant Suncor exported its first-ever cargo of Western Canadian crude to Europe…

22 Oct 2014

FortisBC Starts Expansion of Tilbury LNG Facility

FortisBC – a subsidiary of Fortis Inc. has officially started construction of its $400 million Tilbury LNG Facility expansion project today. The company is adding 1.1 million gigajoules of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to storage and 34,000 gigajoules per day of liquefaction capacity. FortisBC marked the occasion with a ground-breaking ceremony attended by The Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia; Delta Mayor Lois Jackson; as well as Scott Hamilton, MLA North Delta; and Vicki Huntington, MLA South Delta. FortisBC Energy Inc. operates the only two LNG facilities in Western Canada. The existing Tilbury LNG Facility opened in 1971 and has safely operated in Delta, B.C. for the last 43 years.

17 Oct 2014

Suncor Crude Tanker to Resume Journey from Quebec to Gulf Coast

A tanker chartered by Canada's Suncor Energy Inc to ship oil sands crude from Quebec to the U.S. Gulf Coast was expected to receive replacement parts on Friday, enabling it to resume its journey, a Transport Canada spokeswoman said. The aframax tanker Genmar Daphne will be the second tanker of Western Canadian heavy crude that Suncor has shipped from the port of Sorel-Tracy on Quebec's St. Lawrence river. However, further shipments are unlikely in the current price environment, a market source said. Shrinking differentials between Western Canada Select heavy blend and U.S. crude futures mean netbacks - the price received by producers minus the cost of getting the product to market - have been severely squeezed. The Genmar Daphne has been anchored in the St.

25 Sep 2014

Specialty Workboat Missions Propelled by Innovative Engines

Volvo Penta allows operators to save on fuel, cut emissions and most importantly – get the job done, in a wide array of conditions and mission sets. Volvo Penta of the Americas is delivering fuel efficiency, reducing emissions and raising performance as it powers U.S. and Canadian vessels with modern diesel engines, Jens Bering, product management head of the Virginia-based operation said last month. The company, a supplier of marine and industrial engines, is part of Volvo Group in Stockholm, Sweden.

23 Jun 2014

Grain Company to Buy Canadian Crop Terminal

Canadian grain marketer CWB said on Monday it has agreed to buy Great Sandhills Terminal Ltd, a farmer-owned 20,000-tonne grain handling facility in Leader, Saskatchewan, for $16.3 million. The deal, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, is expected to close by Sept. 1. It also includes a majority stake in a short-line railway in Saskatchewan. CWB did not release further financial details. CWB, which was previously known as the Canadian Wheat Board, has made several deals to piece together a grain-handling network in the past year as it moves toward operating outside of government control. Ottawa stripped the board of its western wheat and barley marketing monopoly in 2012 and agreed to guarantee CWB's borrowings until it is sold or develops a plan to be self-sustaining by 2016.

31 Jul 2014

Montreal Could Become an Oil Export Hub

Montreal has emerged as an export base for Western Canadian heavy sour crudes as prospects to construct new pipelines to the British Columbia coast, Eastern Canada and U.S. fade. Suncor, owner and operator of the 137,000 b/d Montreal East refinery in Quebec, loaded 35,000 mt of Western Canadian Select (WCS) crude from Montreal East onboard the Panamax tanker Sparto Sunday, according to market sources. Sparto is bound for the Motiva Norco refinery in Louisiana. This is believed to be the first time Western Canadian crudes are being shipped from Montreal into the U.S. Gulf Coast. Suncor, in addition to its tankage at its Montreal East refinery, has leased tankage at Kildair’s Sorel-Tracy terminal in eastern Montreal.

23 Sep 2014

Suncor Sends First Tanker of Western Canada Heavy Crude to Europe

Canada's largest oil and gas producer, Suncor Energy Inc, is shipping its first ever tanker of Western Canadian heavy crude from Canada's East Coast to Europe, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Suncor spokeswoman Sneh Seetal confirmed Reuters shipping data that shows the aframax tanker Minerva Gloria was set to pick up a cargo of crude oil from the port of Sorel-Tracy on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. Seetal declined to comment on where in Europe the crude cargo is going, citing commercial confidentiality. According to Reuters data it will be discharged in the Mediterranean. The crude was delivered by rail to a storage facility in Sorel-Tracy that is owned by Kildair Service Ltd.

20 Feb 2014

Ziff Energy, GPMi Launch LNG Study

Ziff Energy and Gas Processing Management Inc. analyze the gas growth areas of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta and British Columbia. Ziff Energy, a division of HSB Solomon Associates LLC (Solomon), and Gas Processing Management Inc. (GPMi) announced the launch of the Gas West for LNG Growth Study, which analyzes the gas growth areas of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta and British Columbia as key suppliers of natural gas to the developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on the West Coast of British Columbia (Canada) and Oregon (United States). The proponents of 16 natural gas liquefaction (NGL) and export facilities have applied to the Canadian National Energy Board for licenses to export gas volumes or have announced potential projects.

10 Apr 2014

Canada Grain Handlers to Expand, Crops Overwhelm System

Three Canadian grain handlers said this week that they will expand facilities to handle the country's crops, after a record-smashing harvest overwhelmed the transportation system. Viterra, owned by Glencore Xstrata PLC, said on Thursday it will spend C$100 million ($92 million) to boost grain shipping through Port Metro Vancouver, while CWB, formerly known as the Canadian Wheat Board, said it is building a second Western Canadian grain elevator. Global commodities trader Cargill Ltd said on Wednesday that it would expand an elevator site in Manitoba. The moves come as the country's grain handlers and railways have struggled to move a record harvest to port, causing a massive backlog.