Oil Refineries News

A fire broke out at Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, a major oil export hub, after a major Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials said on Wednesday.Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and export routes over recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia's war economy.Ust-Luga and Primorsk, on the Gulf of Finland, were forced to suspend exports of oil and crude on Sunday after drone attacks but they had restarted loadings on Monday, Reuters reported.But Alexander Drozdenko…

At first glance, the Iran war appears to be hitting oil and gas with equal force, as missiles, drone strikes and shipping disruptions choke flows through the Strait of Hormuz.But beneath that surface symmetry lies a critical imbalance. The global gas supply chain has fewer rerouting options and less storage capacity than the oil market - making the fallout for gas consumers considerably more acute.Key gas infrastructure - liquefaction plants in particular - is more complex and expensive to build and repair than the oil equivalent.

Several Asian refineries and petrochemical companies were forced to cut runs and declare force majeure as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran disrupted crude and feedstock exports from the Middle East.Asian steam crackers, which source more than 60% of their naphtha feedstock from the Middle East, have been quick to declare force majeure on petrochemical supplies to customers.Three operators told Reuters they are curtailing run rates to roll over some of their feedstock into next month…

A Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday after what Moscow described as an attack by Ukrainian drones launched from Libya.The Arctic Metagaz sank in waters between Libya and Malta after catching fire a day earlier, Libya's maritime rescue agency said in an advisory seen by Reuters."Information indicates that the tanker experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking," the agency said.Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in an attempt to de

Croatia is assessing whether it can lawfully import seaborne Russian crude oil to supply to Hungary and Slovakia after the Druzhba pipeline supplying them via Ukraine was damaged, the European Commission said on Wednesday.Supply via Druzhba to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU countries still importing Russian oil, was halted on January 27 due to damage which Kyiv blamed on a Russian drone strike."Croatia has communicated that it is assessing the situation, whether it can lawfully accept Russian crude at its port, both under the EU and U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to explore legal questions arising from the fraught history of U.S.-Cuban relations when it considers the scope of a 1996 law that lets U.S. nationals seek compensation for property confiscated by the communist-led Cuban government.The justices hear arguments on Monday in two cases centered on the federal law called the Helms-Burton Act, one involving U.S. oil major ExxonMobil and the other involving the cruise lines Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises.One of the law's provisions, called Title III, allows for lawsuits in U.S.

Hungary and Slovakia have asked Croatia to help them secure Russian oil and Hungarian company MOL initiated the release of strategic crude reserves after disruption to flows via Ukraine that the two countries have blamed on Kyiv.Kyiv's foreign ministry last week said a Russian attack on a Ukrainian pipeline was responsible for the halt in flows to Eastern Europe since January 27.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted a photo on X of firefighters and what he said was Druzhba pipeline infrastructure burning…

India stopped exporting diesel to the European Union this month due to the European Union's ban on fuel derived from Russian crude and instead sent a record amount to West Africa, shipping data from Kpler and Vortexa showed, while Turkey's diesel exports to the EU slowed in recent months.The developments highlight that the EU policy, aimed at punishing Russia over its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is prompting a further reordering of intercontinental oil flows, forcing…

Ukraine has struck a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil shipping.The vessel - the Qendil - was empty when it was struck by drones in neutral waters more than 2,000 km (1,250 miles) from Ukraine, sustaining critical damage, the official at the SBU security service said in a written statement.The tanker was located off Libya's coast at 1330 GMT, MarineTraffic data showed.

Ukrainian sea drones on Wednesday hit and disabled a tanker involved in trading Russian oil as it sailed through Ukraine's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a Ukrainian official said.The attack is the third sea drone strike in two weeks on vessels part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" - unregulated ships which Kyiv says are helping Moscow export large quantities of oil and fund its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have spiked…

Ukrainian naval drones hit two sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets, an official said on Saturday, as Kyiv tries to pile pressure on Russia's vast oil industry.The two oil tankers, identified as the Kairos and Virat, were empty and sailing to Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea oil terminal, the official at the Security Service of Ukraine told Reuters.Naval drones could be seen speeding towards hulking tankers followed by powerful explosions that caused fires on the vessels…

Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk temporarily suspended oil exports, equivalent to 2.2 million barrels per day, or 2% of global supply, on Friday, according to industry sources, after what local authorities said was a Ukrainian drone attack.The attack, one of the biggest on Russian oil-exporting infrastructure in recent months, comes after Ukraine in August stepped up strikes on Russian oil refineries in an attempt to degrade Moscow's ability to finance its war.Global oil…

A Ukrainian drone attack struck one of Russia's main Black Sea oil ports on Sunday, causing a fire and damaging at least one ship, as Kyiv tries to undermine Russia's war effort by targeting its energy infrastructure.Ukraine has for several months been striking Russian oil refineries, depots and pipelines in a bid to undermine the Russian economy.Footage on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram news channels appeared to show a terminal and one tanker ablaze at night. Reuters was not…

Western powers have ramped up pressure on Russia's oil sales amid its war with Ukraine as U.S. President Donald Trump said India would stop buying and Britain imposed sanctions on top Russian oil firms.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is schedule to meet Trump in Washington on Friday to push for military and energy support at a time when Kyiv and Moscow are escalating the war with attacks on energy infrastructure.Indian officials are also in Washington for trade talks, with the U.S.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on about 100 individuals, entities and vessels, including a Chinese independent refinery and terminal, that helped Iran's oil and petrochemicals trade, the administration of President Donald Trump said on Thursday.The Treasury Department sanctioned the Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, which it said is an independent teapot refinery in Shandong Province that has purchased millions of barrels of Iranian oil since 2023.It also sanctioned China-based Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal, which operates a terminal at Lanshan Port.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on more than 20 companies in a network that it said has long sent Iranian oil to China, days after negotiators from Iran and the United States concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks.The network facilitated the shipment of oil worth billions of dollars to China on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy, Treasury said. Washington designated Sepehr in 2023.The U.S. sanctioned companies including CCIC Singapore PTE…

Dutch and German oil refineries have snapped up all four cargoes of Chadian Doba crude in April to profit from soaring demand for cleaner marine fuel in Europe from shipping companies including Maersk, according to shipping data and trade sources.Asia was the main destination of Doba cargoes prior to April, as China and Malaysia received several cargoes, according to Kpler.In May, the International Maritime Organization designated the Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area…

Russia shipped a diesel cargo to Syria onboard a tanker under U.S. sanctions, the first known such direct supply to the Middle Eastern country in more than a decade, LSEG data showed.The final destination of the cargo is unclear. Russia has two main military installations in Syria: an air base in Hmeimim and a naval base in Tartous, integral to Russia's military reach in the Middle East and Africa.Russia's control over the bases is under threat following the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad last year.

A tanker carrying Iranian oil to Syria turned round in the Red Sea to head away from its original destination after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to ship tracking data.The Suezmax tanker Lotus, carrying around 1 million barrels of Iranian oil, turned around just before the Suez Canal on Dec. 8 to start sailing southbound in the Red Sea, according to maritime data analytics firm Kpler.Tanker Trackers, another ship tracking source, also reported Lotus' turnaround in the Red Sea.The Iran-flagged tanker, laden with crude loaded on Iran’s Kharg Island, was sailing southbound in the Red Sea off Egypt, and was not signalling a new destination…

A power outage in the Rotterdam port area in the Netherlands briefly interrupted operations at one of Europe's biggest oil refineries on Tuesday, the plant's operator BP said.Electricity grid operator TenneT said the problem was solved shortly after 1000 GMT.

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…

Global oil benchmark Brent on Tuesday rose above $89 a barrel for the first time since October, albeit briefly, as oil supplies faced fresh threats from Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities and escalating conflict in the Middle East.Brent futures for June delivery were up $1.35, or 1.5%, at $88.76 a barrel by 11:40 a.m. EDT (1540 GMT) after touching a peak of $89.08.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May rose $1.27, or about 1.5%, to $84.98 after touching a peak of $85.46…

The United States announced the first offshore wind power development rights sale in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, which President Joe Biden will discuss during a trip to highlight the administration's efforts to boost renewable energy.In February, the United States proposed to expand offshore wind power developments into the Gulf of Mexico, introducing the nascent clean energy industry into a major hub for oil and gas production.The Interior Department said the sale will take place on Aug.