Hess Corp Completes Drilling on Aspy Well Offshore
The exploration and production company Hess Corporation said that Aspy probe did not encounter commercial quantities of hydrocarbons.Hess Corporation announced in a press statement that drilling of the Aspy exploration well offshore Nova Scotia reached total depth of 7,400 meters."The prospect did not encounter commercial quantities of hydrocarbons and Hess’ share of the well cost through September 30…
Start-up of Turkey's $6 bln STAR Oil Refinery Delayed
The commercial start-up of Turkey's new $6.3 billion oil refinery has been delayed until early next year and the plant is not expected to reach full capacity until mid-2019, three sources familiar with the matter said, as tests revealed minor faults.The 200,000-barrel-per-day STAR refinery, built by Azerbaijan's state oil firm SOCAR, is set to be a game changer for Mediterranean oil…
ADNOC to Invest $1.4 Bln at Bu Hasa
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said on Wednesday it would invest 5.1 billion dirhams ($1.4 billion) to upgrade and expand its onshore Bu Hasa field.The upgrade will increase crude oil production capacity to 650,000 barrels per day, from 550,000 bpd, by the end of 2020, ADNOC said in a statement.(Reporting by Asma Alsharif Writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Teekay Expects Recovery in Tankers Market
Crude tanker rates have continued to strengthen during the early part of the fourth quarter of 2018, particularly in the Atlantic Basin with Aframax tanker rates in this region attaining levels not seen since December 2016 and Suezmax tanker rates averaging the highest since March 2017, says Teekay Tankers.The conventional tanker fleet operator said that crude tanker spot rates firmed counter-seasonally during the third quarter of 2018…
Hedge Funds Enforce Correction to Oil Market's Course
Hedge funds have sold the equivalent of almost half a billion barrels of crude oil and refined products in the last six weeks, as worries about slowing demand replaced earlier concern over sanctions on Iran.Hedge funds and other money managers cut their combined net long position in the six major petroleum futures and options contracts by another 108 million barrels in the week to Nov.
Ca Tam Field to Start Production January 15
Vietsovpetro, a Vietnam-Russia oil joint venture, will start crude oil production at the Ca Tam field offshore southern Vietnam from Jan. 15, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.Ca Tam is the first new field to be brought into production in Vietnam in years after a 2014 plunge in oil prices slashed exploration. The start-up is significant as declining production…
Oil Gains Despite Potential Supply Glut on the Horizon
Oil rose on Thursday, steadying after losing nearly 7 percent over the previous three days, though concern about the prospect of an oversupplied market next year continued to weigh on prices despite OPEC's message that it may cut crude output.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, is considering a cut of up to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd)…
Oil Markets Rattled by New Demand/Supply Imbalance
Fear of a new oil demand/supply imbalance has rattled the oil market.Market sentiment has suddenly shifted. Fear that Iran sanctions will cause oil prices to spike to $100+ has been superseded by concern that prices are heading south with no bottom in sight.Iran sanctions were expected to take a substantial volume of supply from the market. Anticipating this, the Saudis and Russians increased production to offset (take advantage of) the expected loss of Iranian supply.
IFM, Vitol and VIP Take Joint Ownership of Vitol Tank Terminals International
Vitol Investment Partnership(VIP), an investment vehicle sponsored and managed by Vitol, and IFM Investors, a global provider of investment services to institutional investors, have agreed to acquire Buckeye Partners LP’s 50% equity interest in Vitol Tank Terminals International (VTTI), a leading global independent provider of energy storage.On completion, VTTI will be owned 50% by IFM and 50% by Vitol and VIP.
Norwegian Oil, Gas Plants Restart after Ship Collision
An oil tanker and a Norwegian navy frigate collided off Norway's west coast on Thursday, injuring eight people and triggering the temporary shutdown of a North Sea crude export terminal, Norway's top gas processing plant and several offshore fields.The frigate, which recently took part in a major NATO military exercise, was aground and tilting on one side, live television pictures showed.
Petronas Raises Crude Price Factor
Malaysian state oil firm Petronas has set the price factor for Malaysian Crude Oil (MCO) for November at $5.00 per barrel, up $0.65 from the previous month, the company said on Monday.The monthly price factor is added to the average of Platts' dated Brent prices published in the month to derive the Malaysian crude official selling price (OSP).Petronas changed its OSP mechanism effective January 2017…
Oil Markets Face Unprecedented Uncertainty
Oil markets are entering an unprecedented period of uncertainty due to geopolitical instability and a fragile global economy, the head of the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.Concerned about an emerging production overhang similar to the one that led to a price slump in 2014, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is pushing for a supply cut of 1 million to…
US Crude Oil Exports to China Stalled
The development that saw no U.S. seaborne exports of crude oil to China in August has continued into September, according to BIMCO. This is despite crude oil not being a part of the ‘official trade war’.“The trade war between the U.S. and China is now impacting trade in both tariffed and some un-tariffed goods with both countries looking elsewhere for alternative buyers and sellers,” said Peter Sand, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst.“Ton mile demand generated by total U.S.
Rosneft Nearly Triples Net Profit
Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft almost tripled third-quarter net profit to 142 billion roubles ($2.15 billion), citing higher crude output and prices, despite taking a heavy hit on downstream operations.The company took a 133 billion rouble ($2 billion) impairment in refining and distribution, with domestic fuel prices lagging behind surging crude oil prices. Russian oil companies…
Oil Drops as Rising Global Supply Forces Price U-Turn
Oil neared three-month lows on Thursday, surrendering early gains as investors focused on global crude supply, which is increasing more quickly than many had expected.Chinese data earlier in the day that showed record oil imports offered some temporary respite to bearishness that has developed in the past couple of weeks over the expected crude market balance in 2019.Record U.S. crude production and signals from Iraq…
Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi Meets Angola's president
Eni president Claudio Descalzi has met Angola's president Joao Goncalves Lourenco in Luanda to discuss the Italian energy giant's operations in the country.During the meeting with President João Lourenço, Claudio Descalzi said that they discussed the participation of the Italian multinational in the studies and exploration of crude oil and in other sector-related projects.ENI plans to spend billions of dollars in exploration and development of new offshore areas next year…
OMV Forms JV with Sapura
Austria's OMV has agreed to establish a joint venture with Malaysia's Sapura Energy Bhd , paying $540 million for a 50 percent stake in its exploration assets in line with its strategy to expand in Southeast Asia.Sapura Energy will transfer $350 million of its debt into the new firm, called SEB Upstream Sdn Bhd (SUP), of which OMV has agreed to refinance half, an OMV spokesman said.OMV also agreed to pay up to an extra $85 million, dependent on whether exploration in Mexico i
US Judge Halts Keystone XL Oil Pipeline
A U.S. judge in Montana has halted construction of the Keystone XL pipeline designed to carry heavy crude oil from Canada to the United States, drawing a sharp rebuke on Friday from President Donald Trump.The ruling of a U.S. Court in Montana late on Thursday dealt a major setback to TransCanada Corp, whose stock dropped 2 percent in Toronto. Shares of companies that would ship oil…
U.S. Pipeline Operators Reap Hefty Profits from Bottlenecks in Texas
Some of the biggest pipeline operators in the United States have supercharged earnings this year by buying deeply discounted shale in West Texas oilfields and selling it at a premium at Gulf Coast ports.These companies are taking advantage of extraordinary markdowns in West Texas where surging production and a lack of pipeline space sent the regional price for oil in late August $23…
Sinochem raises 2019 term oil supply from Saudi Aramco, Kuwait
China's Sinochem Group agreed to annual crude oil supply deals for 2019 with Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) with volumes from both suppliers more than 20 percent higher than in 2018, a senior Sinochem executive said on Friday.The Saudi volumes will be processed at Sinochem's wholly-owned Quanzhou refinery in southeast China's Fujian province, as well as at the Hongrun refinery in Shandong province and the West Pacific Petrochemical Corp (WEPEC) plant in Dalian…
