National Petroleum News

The third and the last train of the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia has been put on hold but the second train is likely to be installed, the head of stakeholder TotalEnergies' said.The liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Russian Arctic has faced challenges from U.S. sanctions imposed on the project last November over the conflict in Ukraine, and subsequent force majeures by shareholders.At the end of 2023 Arctic LNG 2 started tentative production at its first train, which is yet to deliver a first cargo.

Foreign shareholders suspended participation in the Arctic LNG 2 project due to sanctions, renouncing their responsibilities for financing and for offtake contracts for the new Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, the daily Kommersant reported on Monday.The project, seen as a key element in Russia's drive to boost its LNG global market share to 20% by 2030 from 8%, was already facing difficulties due to U.S. sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine and a lack of gas carriers.China's state oil majors CNOOC  and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) each have a 10% stake in the project…

The U.S. Department of the Interior said Monday that President Biden would take action to designate about 2.8 million acres in the Arctic Ocean nearshore the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) as indefinitely off-limits for future oil and gas leasing. This action will complete protections for the entire Beaufort Sea Planning Area, building upon President Obama’s 2016 withdrawal under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and the majority of the Beaufort Sea…

Finland-based marine technology company Wärtsilä has signed a five-year vessel maintenance deal with Abu Dhabi-based firm National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC).Wärtsilä said that the agreement covered seven vessels in the NPCC fleet and was designed to maximize operational uptime."It will also provide flexibility in maintenance scheduling, which will ease chartering arrangements, while providing long-term cost predictability," Wärtsilä said.NPCC is an engineering, procurement…

China has entrusted a defense-focussed state firm to ship millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil despite U.S. sanctions, part of a deal to offset Caracas' billions of dollars of debt to Beijing, according to three sources and tanker tracking data. China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) stopped carrying Venezuelan oil in August 2019 after Washington tightened sanctions on the South American exporter. But it continued to find its way to China via traders who rebranded the fuel as Malaysian, Reuters has reported.

China more than halved the volume of export quotas for refined fuel, predominantly gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, under the first allotment for 2022, while raising the allowances for low-sulphur fuel oil by 30%, industry sources said on Tuesday.The deep cuts to refined fuel, largely expected by the market, was in line with the Chinese government's recent policy to curb excessive domestic refinery production amid a broad plan to reduce carbon emissions, the sources said.Quotas for refined fuel exports totalled 13 million tonnes under the batch…

China has issued new export quotas for the export of low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) used to power ships and for other refined fuels such as gasoline and diesel for the rest of 2021, according to a trading source and document reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.Under the new quotas, 1 million tonnes of LSFO can be exported while 1.579 million tonnes of refined fuels can be shipped, according to the source and the document issued by the Ministry of Commerce.The new issue brings this year’s total permits for refined fuel exports to about 38.6 million tonnes…

Engineering and construction services giant  KBR has won a contract with Nigeria's UTM Offshore to support the development of Nigeria's first Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility.Acting as Owner's Engineers, KBR will be responsible for a multi-disciplined due diligence review of the Pre-Front End Engineering Design, being completed by Japanese engineering company JGC.UTM Offshore is leading the development of the 1.2 million tonnes per year FLNG facility in collaboration with LNG Investment Management Services…

Japan's JGC has been awarded the Pre-Front End Engineering and Design (Pre-FEED) contract for an FLNG facility project in Nigeria.The project is being run by UTM Offshore Limited, a Nigerian private company engaged primarily in crude oil sales and construction equipment leasing, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.This project calls for the Pre-FEED of an FLNG facility with a production capacity of 1,200,000 tons annually using gas from the Yoho gas field owned by ExxonMobil and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Chinese state-run shipping giant COSCO Shipping Development Co said on Tuesday that it holds a 3.74% stake in Bank of Kunlun, which has acted as a key official channel for money flows between China and Iran.The statement was made by the shipping firm on the e-interview platform of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in response to an investor question on whether it held a stake in the bank.COSCO did not elaborate on when it acquired its holding, although the bank had disclosed the shipping firms stake in its 2019 annual report.COSCO’s comments come days after China and Iran, both subject to U.S.

Bureau Veritas (BV), a testing, inspection, and certification body, has completed the classification of the Torman LNG floating regasification unit (FRU) at Tema port, Ghana in sheltered waters.The unit is combined with a floating storage unit (FSU) for the delivery of gas to onshore consumers."This exciting development of Gasfin’s facility – involving the Torman LNG FRU and a Moss-type LNG floating storage unit (FSU), both classed by Bureau Veritas – paves the way for the first…

Venezuela has resumed direct shipments of oil to China after U.S. sanctions sent the trade underground for more than a year, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel-tracking data and internal documents from state company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).Chinese state companies China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and PetroChina - long among PDVSA's top customers - stopped loading crude and fuel at Venezuelan ports in August 2019 after Washington extended its sanctions on PDVSA to include any companies trading with the Venezuelan state firm.The imposition of the sanctions was part of a push by the Trump administration to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro…

Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd (MOL) said on Monday it has signed a 30-year charter contract with the operator of the Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) 2 project, led by Novatek, for three ice-breaking carriers for the Russian project.The three vessels will be built by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd, costing about 90 billion yen ($859 million) in total, and are scheduled for delivery in 2023, MOL said.The carriers will mainly transport LNG from a…

Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co, a unit of China State Shipbuilding Corp, has signed contract to construct three liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers worth 3.9 billion yuan ($551.62 million), reported the state-backed Jiefang Daily on Tuesday.The LNG carriers, each with a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres, will be operated by China COSCO Shipping and be deployed for LNG shipping services for PetroChina International Co, an affiliate of China National Petroleum Corp."The construction of the new LNG carriers is to response government calls to expand domestic demand," Jiefang Daily reported, citin

Last year, China replaced the United States as the No. 1 importer of oil from Venezuela, yet another front in the heated rivalry between Washington and Beijing.The United States had imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company as part of a bid to topple that country’s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. U.S. refineries stopped buying Venezuelan crude. Caracas’ ally China, long a major customer, suddenly found itself the top purchaser. Through the first six months of 2019, it imported an average of 350,000 barrels per day of crude from Venezuela.But in August, Washington tightened its sanctions on Venezuela, warning that any foreign entity that continued to do business with the South American country’s government could find itself subject to sanctions.

The first vessel to deliver a liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from Russia's Yamal plant via the Northern Sea Route this year is on its way to China, ship-tracking data showed and analysts said.The direct route to Asia, shorter than the westward journey via Europe, is frozen for much of the year, but is being used increasingly as climate change means it is free of ice for longer.This year's opening is more than a month earlier compared to 2019, when first vessel to go via the route left Yamal LNG on June 29.The Christophe de Margerie vessel, an Arc7-classed LNG tanker, left the Sabbeta port in Russia's Arctic on May 18 and is expected at China National Petroleum Corp' (CNPC) Tangshan LNG terminal on June 11…

China's March crude oil imports from top supplier Saudi Arabia fell 1.6% from a year earlier, while purchases from No.2 supplier Russia rose 31%, Reuters' calculations based on customs data showed on Sunday.China's March crude oil imports rose 4.5% year on year to 9.68 million barrels per day (bpd) as refiners stocked up on cheaper cargoes despite falling domestic fuel demand and cuts in refining rates due to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic.Shipments from Saudi Arabia were 7.21 million tonnes…

China's marine fuels sales fell by as much as 50% in February as the rapidly spreading coronavirus and prolonged Lunar New Year break strangled freight movement in and out of the global manufacturing powerhouse, trade sources said.The epidemic, which has killed almost 3,000 people and infected about 80,000 in China alone, triggered the sharpest contraction on record for Chinese factory activity in February and caused massive port congestion because of labor shortages.The resulting plunge in freight demand has knocked 40% off Asian prices for very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) since early Januar

Brazil’s Petrobras is on track to become the world’s largest oil producer among publicly listed companies by 2030, based on Rystad Energy’s latest data and forecasts.Brazil’s biggest-ever oil auctions in November were generally deemed to be disappointing, receiving muted interest from international exploration and production companies.However, national oil company Petrobras could not have asked for a better outcome. The world’s fastest growing oil producer gained nearly full control of more than eight billion barrels of oil in the Buzios field, where a sixth floater is being planned.To develop these and other resources off the coast of the South American country, Brazil is set for a whopping $70 billion offshore capital investment spree between 2020 and 2025, solely on field development.

The Asian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market stood at over $81.4 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% to cross $109 billion by 2024, as increasing demand for LPG  as a fuel for power generation in remote and off-grid locations in comparison to its less environment-friendly alternatives like coal, diesel and fuel oil.Increasing demand for LPG used to run vehicles (Autogas)  is being witnessed as it is a comparatively cheaper automotive fuel and can be used in vast applications related to transportation, said a report by ResearchAndMarkets.Of the overall LPG consumed across the globe, nearly 87% is used for residential/consumer use.By source, the Asian LPG market has been categorized into Refinery, Associated Gases & Non-Associated Gases.

Chinese power giant China Power International Holding (CPIH) and Norwegian energy firm Equinor have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on offshore wind projects off China and Europe.“China is rapidly increasing its use of renewables and natural gas. The country is set to become the world’s biggest offshore wind market by 2030. As an offshore wind major, Equinor is excited to collaborate with CPIH to develop offshore wind” says executive vice president New Energy Solutions, Pål Eitrheim.“CPIH, as a leading power generator in China, has been striving to develop its international strategy to become a pioneer of reliable energy provider worldwide.

Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company Saudi Aramco said that using renewable energy at unconventional well sites in Wa’ad Al-Shamal provides multiple benefits to the company."Not only is it a reliable and less expensive way to power the remote wells, but it also reduces carbon emissions and helps to save hydrocarbons for export by providing natural gas for the region’s power generation," Saudi Arabian Oil Company said.A new collaboration between the Power Systems Renewables Department (PRSD) and Unconventional Resources (UR) is not only saving costs while creating value, but is also reducing Saudi Aramco’s environmental…

Bermuda-headquartered Teekay has taken delivery of Vladimir Voronin, the fourth in a series of six Arc 7 icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers intended for Yamal LNG project."Named after the famous Soviet sea captain, we have recently taken final delivery of Vladimir Voronin HN 2431, the fourth in the series of our six Arc 7 ice breaking LNG newbuilds," said a press statement from Teekay, which has developed from a regional shipping company into one of the world's largest marine energy transportation, storage & production companies.With a capacity of 172,410 cbm, the Bahamas-flagged ship features a length of 299 meters and a width of 50.1 meters…