Mexico Could Pay Pemex Debt from Stabilization Fund
Mexico's deputy finance minister said on Thursday the government was considering using part of a $15.4 billion public income stabilization fund to pay some debt obligations for heavily leveraged state oil company Pemex.The finance ministry is working on a new design for the fund to make it counter cyclical, deputy minister Arturo Herrera said in an interview with TV network ADN40, during a banking conference in Acapulco.Grappling with Pemex's financial health has been a key challenge for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December.
Expro Promotes Two Execs
Oilfield services company Expro announced Thursday it has promoted two company executives.Current Executive Vice President, Alistair Geddes, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) with immediate effect, and Keith Palmer has been promoted to Executive Vice President – Product Lines and will be responsible for Expro’s product lines, technology and group engineering.
Murphy Oil Sells Malaysian Assets
Murphy Oil Corp said on Thursday it is exiting Malaysia with the $2.13 billion sale of its oil and gas assets to a Thai company and will use the deal proceeds to pay down debt, buy back shares and fund potential deals in the United States.The buyer, PTT Exploration and Production Public Co Ltd, will also pay Murphy up to $100 million in bonus if certain exploration projects show results before October 2020, the company said.The deal follows moves by other U.S. oil majors to focus their investment and effort in high-yielding shale fields at home after U.S.
Oil Prices Reach 2019 Highs
Oil prices rose to new 2019 highs on Tuesday, supported by OPEC supply cuts and falling output from Iran and Venezuela because of U.S. sanctions.Brent crude oil futures were up 16 cents at $67.70 a barrel at 1415 GMT, having earlier risen to a 2019 peak of $68.20, their highest since November 2018.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were at $59.17, up 8 cents from their last settlement. They also touched their highest since November at $59.57.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Monday scrapped its planned meeting in April…
Rowan Rig Wins Repsol's Guyana Well Order
The offshore drilling contractor Rowan announced that Repsol Exploracion Guyana, a unit of Spanish energy major Repsol, has signed a contract for the EXL II, a high-specification Super 116E Jack-up rig, for work in Guyana.The contract is for one well beginning in the third quarter of 2019 with a duration of approximately 45 days, said a press release from the provider of well drilling services to the petroleum industry.The EXL II is currently under contract with BP in Trinidad, it said.Rowan has a fleet of 25 mobile offshore drilling units…
LNG Majors Okay MHPS Gas Turbine
The engineering and manufacturing giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group (MHI Group) said it has completed successive technical qualification, conducted by oil majors and engineering companies on Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems’ 120MW H-100 Gas Turbine.To date, major LNG players, including ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, along with key engineering contractors such as Bechtel, have all completed extensive qualification studies on Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems' 120MW H-100 Gas Turbine for…
Cheniere Completes 5th LNG Train at Sabine Pass
Texas-based Cheniere Energy Partners said that that Substantial Completion of Train 5 of the Sabine Pass liquefaction project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana (the "SPL Project") was achieved on March 7, 2019."Commissioning has been completed and Cheniere Partners’ EPC partner Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals has turned over care, custody, and control of Train 5 to Cheniere Partners," it said.Under sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) with Centrica plc and Total Gas & Power North America, Inc.…
SEA\LNG Welcomes Vancouver Fraser Port
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has joined SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. Vancouver Fraser Port is the first North America port member to join the industry group.The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the fourth port member to join the coalition, alongside Port of Rotterdam, Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port Corporation (YKIP), and most recently the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Oil Drops 3 pct, U.S. Supply Surges
Oil prices fell about 3 percent on Friday and were set for a second straight week of declines after disappointing U.S. job growth revived concerns about a slowing global economy and weaker demand for oil.With surging U.S. oil supply also unsettling markets, Brent crude futures fell $1.85, or 2.8 percent, to $64.45 a barrel by 10:42 a.m. EST (1542 GMT). The international benchmark was on track to fall about 1 percent for the week.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped $1.75, or 3.1 percent, to $54.91 a barrel. WTI was set to fall 1.5 percent for the week.U.S.
US to Overtake Saudi in Oil Exports
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.
Senate Confirms Wheeler to lead EPA
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed President Donald Trump's candidate, a former coal lobbyist, to lead the nation's top environmental regulator, infuriating Democrats and conservation groups who said his policies were endangering public health.Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a Washington insider with years of experience working as a congressional staffer, was nominated by Trump in January to permanently replace Scott Pruitt, who resigned in July after widespread criticism for alleged ethical missteps."As acting administrator of EPA…
Global FPSO Market to Hit USD30Bln by 2025.
The floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel market is anticipated to surpass USD 30 billion by 2025, said a study.The FPSO market is set to witness vigorous growth on account of shifting trends toward offshore exploration & production driven by depleting onshore oil & gas reserves, said a market report by GM Insights.Development challenges including excessive costs, material transportation, environmental conditions and decommissioning associated with fixed infrastructures will further shift the industry focus toward the utilization of these vessels as an alternative…
Pemex Shrugs off Losses; Eyes New Oilfields
Mexico's national oil company Pemex narrowed its multibillion-dollar losses last year, executives said on Wednesday, as it seeks to fast-track the development of 20 new fields this year in a bid to bring new streams of crude online.Long a source of Mexican pride and a potent political symbol, the state-owned company faces an increasingly uncertain future as oil output slides, leaving it with a $7.6 billion loss in 2018."In 2019, Pemex's main objective is to stabilize crude oil production…
Exxon Resumes Seismic Survey in Guyana
Exxon Mobil Corp has resumed seismic exploration for oil and gas off of the coast of Guyana after halting work in December due to a run-in with the Venezuelan navy, a Guyanese government official said on Tuesday.Vessels have been able to travel unimpeded since the incident, said Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin in an interview at Rice University in Houston where he addressed a group of business executives."That was a one-off on Dec. 22 and we haven't heard any reports of a recurrence," Gaskin said.
Oil and Gas Projects to Triple in 2019
A surge in final investment decisions (FIDs) this year on new petroleum projects worldwide could see sanctioned volumes of oil and gas – excluding shale and tight oil and gas prospects – nearly triple compared to last year’s tally.The collective volumes could swell past 46 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe), according to research conducted by Rystad Energy.“We expect global FID volumes in 2019 to triple over last year, and 2019’s megaproject awards could lead to billions of subcontracting dollars in coming years…
Brent Hits 2019 High on U.S.-China trade Hopes
U.S. crude stocks rise to 454.5 mln barrels as crude exports from U.S. hit record 3.6 mln bpd.Oil prices rose on Friday, supported by OPEC's ongoing supply cuts and hopes that Washington and Beijing may soon end their trade dispute.International Brent crude futures hit a new 2019 high of $67.60 a barrel, up 53 cents from Thursday's close.Further gains were tempered by U.S. crude oil production hitting a record 12 million barrels per day (bpd) and a surge in exports from the country.By 1125 GMT, U.S.
Coal's Uncertain Future and Glencore's Output Cap
It's been weird in the coal world in recent days, with the world's largest shipper saying it's capping output, biggest seaborne buyer China putting restrictions on some imports, and an Australian court saying mines must factor in climate change.Throw in an executive at a major Indian coal-fired power generator saying his company won't build any new plants as coal can't compete with renewables, and it's little surprise that environmental activists may be tempted to pop champagne corks.The common theme at work is that coal is finding it harder to secure a long-term future in the world's energy mix.
OPITO Appoints Director to Support Global Operations
OPITO has appointed Stuart Clow as Director with a remit focused on supporting industry safety through high-quality training and competency standards.Clow has over 30 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry in a variety of roles both in the UK and internationally including Africa, South America and the Middle East.He spent 28 years with Transocean, latterly as Workforce Planning Manager where he was responsible for resource planning for both offshore and onshore operations in the Eastern Hemisphere and also worked on major capital projects globally.
Epic Gas Bullish on LPG Carriers Market
Global seaborne liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) volume is expected to grow by over 6% in 2019 and surpass 100 million tonnes for the first time.Singapore based provider of pressurised LPG vessels, Epic Gas said that it is well positioned to benefit from the improving fundamentals of the LPG shipping market.For the fourth quarter of 2018, freight levels for most sizes in the pressurised sector were similar to the stronger levels seen in the third quarter. Rates for the 3,500cbm, 5,000cbm…
Mexico Plans $3.6 Bln Relief for Pemex
Mexico's government will inject $3.6 billion into ailing state-owned oil company Pemex, including by reducing taxes paid, company officials said on Friday, a move aimed at improving the firm's balance sheet and preventing a further downgrade to its credit rating.Formally known as Petroleos Mexicanos, the firm holds roughly $106 billion in financial debt, the highest of any national oil company in Latin America.Pemex will receive $1.8 billion in pension liability monetization as part of the new fiscal assistance plan for company…
