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Sunday, May 17, 2026

Oil Supply News

14 May 2026

Oil Edges Higher as Markets Watch US-China Summit

© EA09 Studio / Adobe Stock

Oil prices edged up on Thursday, with markets focusing on the high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to see if it will yield any positive results towards a resolution for the Iran war.Trump is expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict, but analysts doubt that Xi will be willing to push China's long-time strategic partner too hard.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 45 cents, or 0.43%, to $106.08 a barrel by 0714 GMT, while U.S.

13 May 2026

Global Oil Supply to Fall Short of Demand as Iran War Goes On, IEA Says

© chitsanupong / Adobe Stock

Global oil supply will not meet total demand this year as the Iran war wreaks havoc on Middle East oil production, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly oil market report on Wednesday."With Hormuz tanker traffic still restricted, cumulative supply losses from Gulf producers already exceed 1 billion barrels with more than 14 million (barrels per day) of oil now shut in, an unprecedented supply shock," the agency said.Its base-case forecast is for a gradual resumption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz from the third quarter onwards…

10 May 2026

Two Tankers Exit Strait of Hormuz

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Two more tankers laden with crude exited the Strait of Hormuz last week with trackers switched off to avoid Iranian attacks, Kpler shipping data showed, underscoring a rising trend to sustain Middle East oil exports.The very large crude carrier (VLCC) Basrah Energy loaded 2 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude from Abu Dhabi National Oil Co's (ADNOC's) Zirku terminal on May 1 and exited the Strait of Hormuz on May 6, the data showed on Monday.The Panama-flagged vessel offloaded its cargo at the Fujairah Oil Tanker Terminals on May 8…

08 May 2026

Suspected Oil Spill Visible on Satellite Images Near Kharg Island Export Hub

© Adobe Stock/ImageBank4U

A suspected oil spill covering dozens of square kilometres of sea near Iran's main oil hub of Kharg Island has been seen on satellite imagery this week.The likely spill - appearing on images as a grey and white slick - covered waters to the west of the 8-kilometre (5-mile) long island, pictures from Copernicus’s Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites showed on May 6-8.“The slick appears visually consistent with oil,” said Leon Moreland, researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory…

04 May 2026

Norwegian Cruise Slashes Profit Forecast as Fuel Costs Continue to Rise

© Silverpics - stock.adobe.com

Norwegian Cruise Line cut its annual profit forecast on Monday, as the cruise operator battles surging fuel costs linked to the war in the Middle East and tepid demand for its sea voyages, sending its shares down 7% in morning trading.Global oil prices surged above $100 a barrel after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. More than $50 billion worth of crude oil supply has been lost since the start of the war, according to Reuters calculations as of mid-April.Rivals Carnival and Royal Caribbean have also highlighted potential hits from rising fuel costs…

03 May 2026

Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Port, Tankers and Military Ships

Source: social media

Ukraine launched a wave of drone attacks on targets across Russia on Sunday, hitting the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk and setting it on fire, and striking a number of vessels, as it steps up attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets.Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strikes had caused significant damage to the oil terminal port. They also hit an oil tanker, a small Russian Karakurt-class missile ship and a patrol boat in the Baltic Sea, he said on Telegram."Each such result further limits Russia’s war potential…

29 Apr 2026

Trump Discusses Prolonged Blockade, Urges Iran to Sign Deal

© Adobe Stock/alones

Donald Trump discussed how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long U.S. blockade of Iran's ports with U.S. oil companies, a White House official said on Wednesday, as the U.S. president urged Tehran to 'get smart soon' and sign a deal.The talks with oil executives on Tuesday followed days of deadlock in efforts to resolve the conflict, which has led the U.S. to try to squeeze Iran's oil exports with a naval blockade to try to force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.Trump…

20 Apr 2026

Oil Flows to Lag Even if Hormuz Strait Reopens

© Yellow Boat / Adobe Stock

The stop-start shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz underscores the profound uncertainty hanging over the world’s most critical oil and gas chokepoint. But one thing is already clear: even if the guns fall silent, flows through the narrow waterway will take months – and possibly years – to recover to pre-war levels.Iran said on Saturday that it was tightening control over the strait in response to a U.S. blockade on Iranian tankers, firing at several vessels and warning mariners that the strait was closed.

20 Apr 2026

Oil Jumps 6% on US-Iran Ceasefire Concerns

© zimmytws / Adobe Stock

Oil prices jumped more than 6% in early Monday trading on fears that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran could collapse after the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely halted.Brent crude futures LCOc1 advanced $5.51, or 6.1%, to $95.89 a barrel by 0752 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was up $5.46, or 6.5%, at $89.31.Both contracts tumbled by 9% on Friday, their largest daily declines since April 18, after…

20 Apr 2026

US Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship, Tehran Vows Retaliation

Source: CENTCOM

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the U.S. had hoped to kick off before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.The U.S. has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports…

17 Apr 2026

Strait of Hormuz Reopens and Oil Prices Drop, Impacting Federal Reserve Outlook

© Adobe Stock/Grispb

Reopened Middle East shipping and plummeting oil prices on Friday boosted bets the Federal Reserve may begin cutting interest rates as soon as December, but its policymakers still face a tangled outlook ahead of their April 28-29 meeting.Iran's announced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil below $90 a barrel for the first time in more than five weeks, but U.S. central bank officials will now need to assess how much damage the seven-week conflict has done to underlying price trends…

10 Apr 2026

US Considers Extending Russian Oil Waiver as Prices Spike During Iran Conflict

Adobe Stock/GAlexS

President Donald Trump's administration is likely to extend as soon as Friday a waiver allowing countries to buy some sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.The U.S.

09 Apr 2026

Hormuz Shipping Traffic Remains Below Normal Volumes Despite Ceasefire

© Adobe Stock/Arif Wijanarko

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stood at well below 10% of normal volumes on Thursday despite a U.S.-Iran ceasefire as Tehran asserted its control by warning ships to keep to its territorial waters while doing so.Hundreds of tankers and other ships have been stuck inside the Gulf since the Iran war began on Feb 28, cutting global oil supply by 20% in the world's biggest-ever supply disruption. Prices for some physical oil grades hit fresh all-time highs on Thursday as the crisis showed little signs of abating.Iran must open the strait without conditions…

08 Apr 2026

France Leads 15-Country Effort to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

© Kalyakan / Adobe Stock

French President Emmanuel Macron said about 15 countries were planning to facilitate the resumption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply usually flows, after a ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced."About 15 countries are currently mobilised and are participating in the planning, under France's leadership, to enable the implementation of this strictly defensive mission in coordination with Iran to facilitate the resumption of traffic…

06 Apr 2026

Ukrainian Drones Attack Caspian Pipeline Consortium's Black Sea Terminal

© Timon - stock.adobe.com

Russia on Monday said that Ukrainian drones attacked the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's Black Sea terminal, which handles 1.5% of global oil supply, damaging the single point mooring (SPM), loading infrastructure and four vast storage tanks.Separately, the Ukrainian military said it had struck oil loading facilities at the nearby Sheskharis oil terminal in Novorossiysk.The strikes could be among the most significant on Russia's Black Sea export facilities during the more than four-year-old war with Ukraine…

06 Apr 2026

Jones Act Waiver Not Boosting Oil Flows Within U.S.

© Niphon / Adobe Stock

U.S. President Donald Trump's move allowing foreign-flagged cargo ships to move fuel and other goods between domestic ports has so far had little impact on American oil supply, according to trade data and analysts who noted that U.S. refiners and shippers are earning more profits sending fuel overseas.Last month, Trump waived Jones Act limitations for 60 days starting March 17, hoping the move would help tame the surge in fuel prices caused by the Iran war by increasing shipments from the U.S.

25 Mar 2026

Oil Falls on Middle East Ceasefire Hopes, Easing Supply Fears

© corlaffra / Adobe Stock

Oil prices sank about 4% on Wednesday after reports the United States had sent Iran a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, raising prospects of a ceasefire that could ease supply disruptions in the region.Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell $4.17, or 4%, to $100.32 a barrel by 0708 GMT, after declining to as low as $97.57. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 futures were down $3.11, or 3.4%, at $89.24 a barrel, after falling to as low as $86.72.Both benchmarks rose nearly 5% on Tuesday…

25 Mar 2026

Iran to UN: 'Non-Hostile' Ships Can Transit Strait of Hormuz

© vladsv / Adobe Stock

Iran has told the United Nations Security Council and the International Maritime Organization that "non-hostile vessels" may transit the Strait of Hormuz if they coordinate with Iranian authorities, according to a note seen by Reuters on Tuesday.The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has all but halted shipments of about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas through the strait, causing oil supply disruption.The note from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was sent to the 15-member Security Council and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday.

25 Mar 2026

Oil Prices Fall 4% as US Proposes Iran Peace Plan

© Adobe Stock/ecrow

Oil prices slid about 4% on Wednesday on reports that the U.S. had sent Iran a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the war, prompting talk of progress toward a ceasefire.Brent futures fell 3.96, or 3.8%, to $100.53 a barrel at 10:41 a.m. EDT (1441 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $3.57, or 3.9%, to $88.78.Pakistan has delivered a U.S. proposal to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be a venue for discussions to de-escalate the war, a senior Iranian…

26 Mar 2026

Oil Rises as Ceasefire Optimism Fades

© Destina / Adobe Stock

Oil rose about 2% on Thursday, clawing back losses from the previous session on concerns that protracted fighting in the Middle East will further disrupt energy flows.Brent futures LCOc1 rose $2.08, or 2.03%, to $104.30 a barrel by 0638 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 were up $1.93, or 2.14%, at $92.25 a barrel.Both benchmarks slumped more than 2% on Wednesday.Iran is still reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war, but has no intention of holding talks to end the Middle East conflict, Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday.U.S.

29 Mar 2026

Russia's Ust-Luga Port Damaged by More Ukrainian Drones

© max5128 / Adobe Stock

Russia's Baltic Ust-Luga port, one of its largest petroleum export hubs, was damaged again on Sunday by a Ukrainian drone attack which sparked a blaze later brought under control, Russian officials said.It followed several Ukrainian drone strikes last week on Russia’s western energy corridor when facilities at the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk came under fire, igniting storage tanks and forcing a suspension of oil and oil product loadings.The regional governor of Leningrad said…

02 Apr 2026

IEA: Oil Supply Disruptions to Impact Europe from April

© Mahir Asadli / Adobe Stock

Oil supply disruptions from the Middle East will rise in April and begin to impact Europe's economy as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz severely curbs supplies, International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol said on Wednesday.More than 12 million barrels of oil have been lost since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran due to Tehran's attacks on energy assets in the region and restrictions on shipping through the Strait, he added."The loss of oil in April will be twice the oil loss in March, on top of the loss of LNG...

02 Apr 2026

Oil Hikes 7% after Trump Says US-Israel will Keep Striking Iran

© Ink & Ideas / Adobe Stock

Oil prices climbed nearly 7% on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue attacks on Iran, stoking fears of prolonged disruptions to oil supply.Brent crude futures LCOc1were up $7.65, or 7.6%, to $108.81 per barrel at 0902 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 futures were up $7.06, or 7.1%, at $107.18 per barrel.Both benchmarks were heading for the biggest daily gains, in both absolute and percentage terms, in three weeks, though they remained…

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