Increased Oil News

According to ship recycling leaders at GMS, sub-continent markets remain firmly poised for another week, particularly in Bangladesh and a now resurgent India.Pakistan, as seems to be typical for the market there, has gone quiet over much of the international uncertainty surrounding the possible outcome of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.Bangladeshi buyers have in turn, ramped up their buying and price offerings, mindful of the fact that some increased oil / gas prices due to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine…

A U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela-owned supertanker that had mechanical problems since January is transferring its 2-million-barrel cargo of heavy crude to other vessels in Asia, according to three people familiar with the matter.The very large crude carrier (VLCC) Maximo Gorki left Venezuela in November amid an export push designed to generate funds for cash-strapped state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), which has been under U.S. trading sanctions since 2019.Aging infrastructure problems, including a lack of oil storage and vessels, frequent refinery outages and export port congestion, are undermining PDVSA's increased oil production, impeding efforts to boost revenue, according to company documents and sources.

An Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-run shipping company said on Friday, adding it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called terrorism and naval piracy.The ship, Shahr e Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesday’s incident by an explosive object which caused a small fire, but no one on board was hurt, the spokesman, Ali Ghiasian, said, according to state media.“Such terrorist acts amount to naval piracy…

China, the global oil market's lifeline this year, has stepped up purchases from exporters like Russia, the United States and Angola in recent weeks, while buyers elsewhere pare orders as coronavirus infections surge and fresh lockdowns are put in place.China, the world's largest importer of crude, is the only major buyer expected to see increased oil demand this year as the pandemic destroyed consumption globally.With China's imports expected to reach 12 million barrels per day (bpd) next year…

The United States has increased oil supply to Europe in July for the first month since May, making up for output cuts from OPEC+ members, according to traders and Refinitiv Eikon data.U.S. crude supply to Europe reached nearly 31 million barrels in July, according to Refinitiv Eikon data as of July 24. With crude prices back above $40 a barrel, U.S. producers have rushed to claim market share while the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, is still cutting supply drastically.U.S.

Performance Shipping Inc. (NASDAQ: PSHG) has taken delivery of the M/T P. Kikuma (formerly FSL Shanghai), a 2007-built Aframax tanker of 115,915 dwt that the company entered into an agreement to purchase in February 2020."M/T P. Kikuma marks an additional step in becoming a pure tanker owning company," said Andreas Michalopoulos, the company’s Deputy CEO.

Bermuda-based Nordic American Tankers Limited (NAT) said in a press release that the last 12 months have been the busiest period for the international tanker company.Sale of 10 suezmax vessels and delivery of 3 new suezmax units took place in the last six months of 2018 and ensured a renewal of its fleet which count suezmaxes only. The operating costs for the NAT fleet came down further, a release said."Maximizing dividend is our strategy. We also aim at reducing the debt level and thereby lowering the cash break even further," NAT said.The new 5-year loan of $306 million that NAT announced in February this year, is a key element in this strategy of maximizing dividend and reducing debt…

United States will soon export more oil and liquids than Saudi Arabia, thanks to the continued rise in oil production from US shale plays and the increased oil export capacity from the Gulf Coast.According to Rystad Energy, energy research and business intelligence company, it is a a pivotal geopolitical shift. The US has for decades relied on large-scale imports to satisfy its thirst for oil, but this is about to change.The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported last week that the United States exported more crude and petroleum products than it imported. Granted, the EIA followed up with a report this week that US crude oil stocks had risen by 7.1 million barrels in a week…

U.S. shale energy companies are cutting their spending levels in 2019, but they're still planning on increased oil and gas output."US shale companies expect to deliver an average of 15% growth in oil production in 2019 vs. 2018. At the same time, operators say they will cut capital spending by 5% this year," said an analysis from Rystad Energy.The  energy research and business intelligence company has analyzed the recently released earnings reports for the fourth quarter of 2018 from 45 US operators, which also included their guidance for production and capital expenditure in the year ahead.“Earnings and guidance confirm that most US shale operators aim to moderate drilling and completion activity this year…

Swedbank’s chief economist, Harald Andreassen, isn’t “too hopeful” about the long-term prospects for the oil price, but then again, “I’m less certain of this than I’ve ever been as an economist,” he told a floating production conference in Oslo. After two-and-half years of oil-price collapse followed by layoffs in the thousands; stacked oil rigs and order freezes for offshore shipping, price insecurity itself is a partial expression of confidence. Beneath some palpable yet halting movements toward recovery in 2017…

Brian Salerno was sworn in as the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on August 26, 2013. He is responsible for promoting safety, protecting the environment and conserving resources through the vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement of offshore operations on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Prior to his appointment as Bureau Director, Salerno served as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deputy Commandant for Operations where he was responsible for establishing and providing operational strategy…

VLCC rates from MidEast have reached a floor at W33; surging Suezmax rates could make VLCCs more attractive. Freight rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) are set to climb next week as charterers ramp up tanker fixing activity from the Middle East while increased oil volumes from West Africa provided further support, ship brokers said. "Basra and Saudi Arabia cargoes are already starting to come out. Wednesday should see United Arab Emirates cargoes start, followed by Kuwait cargoes," said a Singapore-based VLCC broker on Friday. That came as rates from the Middle East to Japan slipped this week. "We've reached a floor in rates from the Middle East," the broker added. Rates are down to 33 on the Worldscale measure, equivalent to earnings of $14,000-16,000 per day.

The Port of Rotterdam reported record volumes 466.4m tonnes in 2015 boosted by increased oil trade. Goods throughput in Rotterdam increased by a total 4.9%. “Low oil prices result in high margins for the refineries, so they have large quantities of oil shipped in for refining,” Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein said in a statement, adding that “this not only applies to the refineries in Europe but also to those in Russia. As a result of the healthy fuel oil volumes from Russia, as well as increased shipments of gasoil and diesel, oil product throughput at the port increased by 18%. LNG throughput nearly doubled but remained in absolute terms at 2.3 million mt “still small”, the port said.

There are new-builds, and there are conversions. In lean times, there’s also “life-extension” for FPSOs increasingly seen as the best hope of developing oilfields too pricy as platform projects. Life extension is about making first-time money, cutting costs or continuing to earn when a field or floater enters a new stage. It’s also about safety. Life extension involves major, multiyear considerations for operators and FPSO contractors, and for all approaches to longer life, history is the great decider.

There are new-builds, and there are conversions. In lean times, there’s also “life-extension” for FPSOs increasingly seen as the best hope of developing oilfields too pricy as platform projects. Life extension is about making first-time money, cutting costs or continuing to earn when a field or floater enters a new stage. It’s also about safety. Life extension involves major, multiyear considerations for operators and FPSO contractors, and for all approaches to longer life, history is the great decider.

The oil market was massively oversupplied in the second quarter and remains so today, the International Energy Agency (IEA) wrote in its latest monthly oil market report. "The market's ability to absorb that oversupply is unlikely to last. Onshore storage space is limited. So is the tanker fleet. New refineries do not get built every day. Something has to give," the agency warned starkly. If so, someone forgot to tell the futures markets, where timespreads have remained firm and give no indication storage might be running out (http://link.reuters.com/zyt25w). Brent and WTI futures imply the market is willing to pay less than 45 cents per barrel per month to finance and store crude on average over the next half-year, down from more than $1 at times between January and March.

The licensees in the Johan Castberg and Snorre 2040 licences have decided to spend more time on the projects. “Castberg and Snorre 2040 are two major and important projects in our portfolio, and it is important that we find sound and robust development solutions for them,” says Ivar Aasheim, Statoil’s senior vice president for field development on the NCS. Statoil and its partners have put in an extensive effort to develop cost-effective solutions for the projects. “We see that our efforts have yielded results, and we are focused on reaping the full benefits of this in a way that ensures a sustainable and profitable utilisation of the resources in the Snorre and Johan Castberg fields. The recent decline in oil prices emphasises this,” Aasheim says.

General Electric today announced the opening of the $500 million Brazil Technology Center that will focus on developing advanced subsea oil and gas technology. The center, GE’s first in Latin America, will be a hub for engagement and collaboration with GE’s customers in the region and is expected to employ 400 researchers in the future. In the twentieth century, one of mankind’s greatest feats was successfully landing on the moon more than 235,000 miles from earth. In the 21st century, mankind’s greatest feat may well be securing the  world’s energy future for the next few centuries. Subsea engineers often say that it is actually more difficult to put a machine 10,000 feet under the sea than send a rocket to the moon.

Runaway oil production could slow road traffic as drivers face longer delays to cross train tracks in many congested regions, a U.S. study released on Friday predicted. Oil, coal and grain shipments are taxing the national rail grid as the deliveries of those commodities are expected to climb along with commercial shipments in the coming years, according to the report from the Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress. Freight movements on the tracks are due to rise 51 percent over 2007 levels by 2040, according to the Transportation Department, and so exceed 28 billion tons per year. One factor is oil train deliveries out of North Dakota's energy patch that neared 250,000 carloads in 2012 compared with roughly 10,000 in 2007, says the study.

More oil and gas projects in Norway could be put on hold because of rising costs, adding to a growing list of developments that have been delayed or called off, Bente Nyland, the head of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said on Thursday. Most vulnerable will be small fields, projects to increase the recovery from producing assets, and new finds further than 40 km from existing infrastructure, Nyland told Reuters. Oil firms are cutting back on capital spending across the world as years of cost inflation has squeezed margins, cutting back their ability to pay dividends.

More oil and gas projects in Norway could be put on hold because of rising costs, adding to a growing list of developments that have been delayed or called off, Bente Nyland, the head of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said on Thursday. Most vulnerable will be small fields, projects to increase the recovery from producing assets, and new finds further than 40 km from existing infrastructure, Nyland told Reuters. Oil firms are cutting back on capital spending across the world as years of cost inflation has squeezed margins, cutting back their ability to pay dividends.

The growth in crude production in the Atlantic Basin will have a profound impact on regional crude supply/demand balances. According to PIRA Energy Group, a sizeable crude surplus will develop within the region, and crude will be forced to seek markets elsewhere, primarily in the rapidly growing countries in Asia. The Atlantic Basin is broadly defined as including the Americas, Europe, and Africa. According to PIRA, refinery runs in these countries have declined in recent years after peaking in 2005-2007, but they are expected to slowly resume growth with increases in the U.S.

Aker Solutions wins a topside modification contract by Statoil to increase oil recovery at Gullfaks South. Estimated contract value is NOK 180 million. The main object of the project is to deliver topside modification for tie-in of two new templates, located at Gullfaks South, to Gullfaks A, plus topside modification for re-routing production from existing template D from Gullfaks A to Gullfaks C. Scope of work under the Gullfaks South increased oil recovery topside project includes engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning assistance (EPCIc). "This will be a challenging and exciting job. It is an important assignment for Aker Solutions, which shows that we are competitive on jobs in all levels of the market.