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Oil Price Collapse News

02 Apr 2021

OPEC+ to Ease Output Cuts from May

Credit: Corona Borealis/AdobeStock

OPEC+ agreed on Thursday to gradually ease its oil output cuts from May, after the new U.S. administration called on Saudi Arabia to keep energy affordable for consumers.The group, which has implemented deep cuts since a pandemic-induced oil price collapse in 2020, agreed to ease production curbs by 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, another 350,000 bpd in June and further 400,000 bpd or so in July.Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, confirmed the group would boost output by a total of 1.1 million bpd by July.In addition…

21 Aug 2019

Gulf Marine CEO Quits in wake of Profit Warning

A Gulf Marine Services Jack Up unit (CREDIT: GMS)

Gulf Marine Services said on Wednesday Chief Executive Officer Duncan Anderson has resigned as the oilfield industry contractor warned a reassessment of its ships and contracts showed profit would fall this year, kicking its shares 12% down.The Abu Dhabi-based offshore services specialist said a review by new finance chief Stephen Kersley of its large E-class vessels operating in Northwest Europe and the Middle East pointed to 2019 core earnings of between $45 million and $48 million…

13 Aug 2019

UAE Presence Grows in the Maritime World

DP World currently has five terminals in Dubai, three at the flagship Jebel Ali Port. Photo Credit: DP World

Over recent years the United Arab Emirates has emerged as an important maritime hub with grand ambitions. Mark Venables visited the region to discover what is driving that growth.When the UAE was elected to the IMO Council as a Category B member, it immediately raised its profile within the maritime community. The Emirates have taken a significant step forward in the maritime world.Despite this success, the region remains a challenging market for shipping and logistics. One of…

19 May 2017

The New Offshore Reality

(Photo: Oyvind Hagen, Statoil)

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…

18 May 2017

Russia Wants to Sell Sovcomflot to Small-stake Investors

Photo: Sovcomflot

Russia plans to sell part of state shipping firm Sovcomflot next month, hoping to draw in a wide range of small-stake investors rather than a strategic buyer who could threaten Moscow's control of the group, banking and industry sources say. The current era of low tanker market prices is far from the ideal time for Sovcomflot to raise revenue with a share offer, as freight rates were at their highs in 2015. Sovcomflot operates the world's second largest fleet of oil tankers. But…

06 Apr 2016

Floating Production's Future: The 6 Things You Need to Know Now

Bonga FPSO (Photo: Shell)

No question that the market for new floating production systems has taken a battering. The past 12 to 18 months have been a difficult period for everyone in the business sector. Absence of new contracts has forced fabricators and equipment suppliers to make huge cutbacks in personnel and spending. But deepwater production will rebound – oil demand keeps growing -- and though the signs are mixed we see indications of the rebound starting. First some numbers about the state of the business. 261 oil/gas floating production units are currently installed on offshore fields.

23 Mar 2016

Seaborne Trade: Checking Up On The Trends

The recent shifts in demand trends contributed to slower seaborne trade growth in 2014 (3.2%) and 2015 (2.0%). Clarkson Research Services Limited checks how has this reflected changes in demand for bulk shipments into major importing countries? Following a decline in 2009, seaborne trade grew on average by 4.9% p.a. in 2010-13, reflecting booming import demand in a number of key importing countries and faster than global GDP growth. The ratio between global seaborne trade growth and GDP growth (the ‘multiplier’), when considered over a long time period, can be a useful indicator of the impact of drivers in shipping. Following the economic downturn…

29 Sep 2015

Nigeria's Oil Exports Under Threat

Nigeria's latest effort to combat theft could imperil its oil income lifeline, compounding the damage the crude price fall has done to its finances, access to dollars and imports. Oil traders and shipping brokers said a newly implemented "letter of comfort" requirement under which vessel owners must sign a guarantee that their ships will not be used for theft has made it more difficult and expensive to load Nigerian crude, putting some buyers off. A copy of the letter draft seen by Reuters asked vessel owners to "guarantee to indemnify" the government and national oil company NNPC against any illicit use of their vessel, which led some owners to reject pending bookings. Traders say others are refusing future requests for now.

06 Aug 2015

Sewage Flow is Williston's Oil Bust Indicator

The population of a U.S. oil boomtown that became a symbol of the fracking revolution is dropping fast because of the collapse in crude oil prices , according to an unusual metric: the amount of sewage produced. Williston, North Dakota, has seen its population drop about 6 percent since last summer, according to wastewater data relied upon heavily by city planning officials. They turned to measuring effluent because it was a much faster and more accurate way to track population than alternatives such as construction permits, school enrollment, tax receipts or airport boardings. U.S. Census Bureau figures are usually too old as a full-fledged population count only happens once a decade, with sporadic updates in between.

26 May 2015

Harnessing Offshore Wind Peaks in U.S.

For the US energy industry, 2014 will be remembered as the year when crude oil prices fell below 50$/bbl, resulting in significant realignments in the sector. Aside from the oil price collapse and the historic high of domestic natural gas production, several other energy records were set last year. Both solar and wind energy production reached an all-time high in the US, contributing to a record 9.8% of total primary energy supply. The US is ranked the second largest producer of wind energy. With more than 65 GW installed capacity in 39 states, wind energy represented over 4% of national power generation in 2014. Annual installations peaked in 2012 when some 13 GW of new capacity came online.

23 Feb 2015

Wikborg Rein & Co: Oil Prices Won't Impact Dual-Fuel LNG Carriers

   Joe McGladdery (Photo courtesy of Wikborg Rein & Co)

Joe McGladdery, a partner with the London law offices of Wikborg Rein & Co, says that, while falling oil prices have exerted pressure on the LNG charter markets, the new generation of low-speed, dual-fuel LNG carriers now in service and on order remain an attractive option for owners and operators. “As a result of the oil price collapse, energy companies are reducing capital budgets to protect against falling revenues. Given the investment levels needed to sustain an LNG production project…

23 Feb 2015

Oil Prices Should Not Impact Dual-fuel LNG Carriers

Joe McGladdery (Photo courtesy: Wikborg Rein & Co, )

Joe McGladdery, a partner with the London law offices of Wikborg Rein & Co, says that, while falling oil prices have exerted pressure on the LNG charter markets, the new generation of low-speed, dual-fuel LNG carriers now in service and on order remain an attractive option for owners and operators. McGladdery notes, “As a result of the oil price collapse, energy companies are reducing capital budgets to protect against falling revenues. Given the investment levels needed to sustain an LNG production project, the final decision to proceed with a number of projects has been put on hold.

15 Dec 2014

Tanker Markets See Storage Boon from Oil Price Collapse

Photo: Teekay Corporation

The oil price drop will hand tanker markets an unexpected bonus next year, boosting demand for oil storage at sea while distant eastern markets also bargain-hunt fuel and need shipping. Supertanker rates are already close to five-year highs of over $83,000 a day - helped by a drop in shipping fuel bunker prices. Overcapacity, which has dogged owners for years, is also receding. Herbjorn Hansson, chairman and chief executive of Nordic American Tankers, told shareholders recently that lower oil prices "may trigger stockpiling or have a more general positive impact".

29 Nov 2014

Russian Assets Sink on Oil price Collapse

Russia's rouble and shares hit new lows on Friday as oil prices collapsed after OPEC decided to leave its output unchanged despite heavy oversupply. At 1000 GMT, the rouble was around 2.2 percent below the previous close at 49.72 roubles per dollar, and 1.7 percent weaker against the euro at 61.94 roubles . It earlier hit an all-time low of 49.90 to the dollar. Traders said market moves were exacerbated by thin volumes, which mean that even small purchases of foreign currency were able to move the market. Brent crude was last trading at around $72 a barrel after falling as much as $6.50 a barrel a day earlier, when the OPEC oil producer group made known its decision not to cut its output targets.