Friday, February 20, 2026

Black Sea News

Russian Drones Hit Odesa Energy Infrastructure, Cutting Power

© Denis Rozhnovsky - stock.adobe.com

Russian forces struck energy facilities in Ukraine's Odesa region on the Black Sea overnight, leaving over 95,000 people in the southern part of the region without power, a regional official said on Tuesday.Russia launched 125 drones at Ukraine overnight and Ukrainian air defence units shot down or neutralised 110, the Ukrainian air force said.Oleh Kiper…

Tengiz Oilfield Power Facility Fires Damage Kazakhstan's CPC Oil Exports

© Adobe Stock/PX Media

Kazakhstan's planned oil exports could fall by as much as 35% this month via its main route through Russia, four trading sources have told Reuters, as the giant Tengiz oilfield slowly recovers from fires at power facilities in January.U.S. oil major Chevron leads the Tengizchevroil (TCO) consortium that operates the field.Oil exports through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system…

GRAINS-Chicago soya beans jump to a two-month high after Trump's comments

Chicago Board of Trade soybean contracts hit a 2-month high following remarks by U.S. president Donald Trump regarding China purchasing more U.S. soyabeans, traders said. In a recent post on the Truth Social platform, Donald Trump said that China "has increased the Soybean count for this season to 20 million tons (They have committed 25 million Tons next season!

GRAINS-Chicago soya beans jump to a two-month high after Trump's comments

Chicago Board of Trade soybean contracts hit a two month?high following remarks by U.S. president Donald Trump regarding?China purchasing more U.S. soy beans, traders said. In a posting on?his Truth Social Platform, Trump stated that China "raises the Soybean Count to 20 Million Tons (They have committed 25 Million Tons next season! China purchased 12 million metric tonnes of U.S.

Grain prices in Chicago corn and soy recover after updated biofuel guidance

Analysts said that Chicago grain and soybean contracts gained ground on Tuesday, as the selloff of commodities markets subsided?and the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued updated guidance?on biofuel credit credits. As of 11 am CT (1600 GMT), the most active soybean "contract" on the Chicago Board of Trade recovered from a three session fall.

Russian Oil Stored in Tankers Awaits Sales

© Adobe Stock/Vladimir

Traders are increasingly using tankers to store Russia's Urals crude as demand weakens and customers weigh growing sanctions risks, Reuters calculations based on LSEG and trade data show.Major importers India and Turkey have cut purchases since the end of the last year amid tougher Western sanctions, including recent U.S. measures…

Kazakhstan's main export pipeline returns to full capacity after mooring points repaired - CPC

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Kazakhstan's main oil export pipeline, returned to full capacity on Sunday at its terminalon the Russian Black Sea Coast after maintenance was completed at one mooring point and a tanker loaded with crude. Kazakhstan, the 12th largest oil producer in the world, has been facing a number of challenges in recent months.

Kazakhstan CPC Oil Exports Struggle After Tengiz Field Shutdown

© Timon - stock.adobe.com

Kazakhstan's CPC oil exports could remain restricted even as extensive maintenance on its primary oil export route wraps up, sources said on Wednesday, with force majeure declared at the country's largest oilfield, Tengiz, following a fire.The CPC terminal, which handles about 1.5% of global oil supply and 80% of Kazakhstan's crude exports…

Kazakhstan's Tengiz Oil Field to Remain Shut for Another 7-10 Days

© Adobe Stock/杜 海珍

Oil production at Kazakhstan's vast Tengiz oil field, one of the world's largest, could be halted for another 7-10 days after shutting down on Sunday, cutting crude exports via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, three industry sources told Reuters.The field's operator Tengizchevroil (TCO) said on Monday that due to power supply problems…

Urals Freight Rates to India Rise Due to Bad Weather, War Risks

© Pavel Ignatov - stock.adobe.com

Freight rates for tankers to ship Urals crude from Russia’s western ports to India have risen this month, as bad weather made fewer vessels available, disrupted loading and unloading and the cost of insuring for war risks increased, industry sources told Reuters on Friday.Drones struck two oil tankers in the Black Sea on Tuesday, including one chartered by U.S.

Oil Prices Surge Ahead of Possible Iranian Supply Disruptions

© Adobe Stock/Nattawit

Oil prices surged by about 3% on Tuesday as the prospect of disruptions to Iranian crude exports overshadowed possible increased supply from Venezuela.Brent futures LCOc1 jumped $1.88, or 2.9%, to $65.75 a barrel by 11:07 a.m. EST (1607 GMT), hovering around a three-month high. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 climbed $1.79…

Oil Prices Rise 2% Amidst Venezuela Conflict, Supply Concerns

© Adobe Stock/SC studio

Oil prices rose about 2% on Thursday after two days of declines as investors assessed developments in Venezuela and on worries about supplies from Russia, Iraq and Iran.Brent futures rose $1.21, or 2%, to $61.17 per barrel at 11:17 a.m. EST (1617 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.02, or 1.8%, to $57.01.The U.S.

Oil Prices Rise as US Continues Tanker Interceptions Offshore Venezuela

© Adobe Stock/zimmytws

Oil prices settled higher on Monday after the U.S. Coast Guard tried to intercept an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela a day earlier, and Ukraine damaged two vessels and piers in Russia, raising the risk of oil supply disruptions.Brent crude futures gained $1.60, or 2.7%, to settle at $62.07 a barrel, while U.S.

OPEC data show that Russian oil production increased in November.

OPEC data on Thursday showed that Russian oil production increased in November by 10,000 barrels per day, up from October. This was after the OPEC+ group agreed to a moderate increase in output quotas. OPEC+ (which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and some smaller producers) has increased their?oil production targets by over 2.7 million bpd in this?year.

Romania extends OMV Petrom Permits; Onshore royalty tax will jump

The coalition government of Romania announced on Wednesday that it had extended exploration and production licenses for energy group OMV "Petrom" (and agreed to increase its onshore royalties by approximately 40%). OMV Petrom is a majority-owned company by Austrian OMV. It supplies a third of Romanian gas, fuels, and electricity.

Kazakhstan to Divert Kashagan Oil to China After Ukraine Drone Attack

© Timon - stock.adobe.com

Kazakhstan said on Wednesday it would redirect some oil from its Kashagan field to China and other routes after a Ukrainian drone attack last month on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's Black Sea terminal in Russia.The decision was announced by the energy ministry after Reuters reported earlier this week that Kazakhstan plans…

Kazakhstan to Directly Supply Kashagan Oil to China Due to CPC Damage

© Adobe Stock/tomas

Kazakhstan plans to supply 50,000 metric tons of crude to China directly from the vast Kashagan field in December for the first time after a Ukrainian drone damaged the Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), two sources told Reuters.The CPC, which accounts for 1% of global crude supply and includes Russian, Kazakh and U.S.

Romania adopts decree to control Lukoil local assets

The coalition government in Romania approved a decret on Tuesday that allows it to control the assets local of companies subject to international sanctions such as Russia's Lukoil. Lukoil operates 320 petrol stations across Romania. It is the third largest refinery in the country and has offshore exploration rights for a part of the Black Sea. For weeks, the refinery has been closed for maintenance.

Lukoil to Sell International Assets

© Eric Akashi - stock.adobe.com

Russia's Lukoil is selling its international assets after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the company.Washington refused to approve the sale of assets to Swiss commodity trader Gunvor, throwing Lukoil's operations in disarray and leading to a scramble of potential buyers.The U.S. Treasury cleared potential buyers to talk to Lukoil until December 13. They will need separate approval for specific deals.

Palmettos end higher due to Indonesian output risks and a softer ringgit

Malaysian palm futures closed slightly higher for the third session in a row on Monday, thanks to a weaker ringgit as well as bullish predictions from industry analysts. The benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in January on the Bursa Derivatives exchange gained 6 ringgit or 0.14% to 4,151 Ringgit ($1,000.72). A Kuala Lumpur…