Offshore Oil Wells, Ports Shut as Hurricane Sally Advances on U.S. Gulf
Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans closed on Monday.The U.S.
US Energy Exports Severely Disrupted by Hurricane Laura
Oil and gas exports from the United States have been severely disrupted by Hurricane Laura, with nearly a million barrels per day (bpd) of crude exports likely reduced this week by closures of U.S. Gulf Coast terminals and disruptions at ports.The hurricane also temporarily suspended operations at several liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the world’s third largest exporter of the super-cooled gas…
China Ramps up US Oil Purchases Ahead of Trade Deal Review
U.S. crude oil shipments to China will rise sharply in coming weeks, U.S. traders and shipbrokers and Chinese importers said, as the world’s top economies gear up to review a January deal after a prolonged trade war.Chinese state-owned oil firms have tentatively booked tankers to carry at least 20 million barrels of U.S. crude for August and September, the people said, moves that may ease U.S.
Saudi Aramco's Profit Plunges, Sees Signs of Recovery
State oil giant Saudi Aramco's profit plunged 73% in the second quarter of the year, as a slump in energy demand and prices due to the coronavirus crisis hit sales at the world's biggest oil exporter.But the company stuck with plans to pay $75 billion in dividends this year and CEO Amin Nasser said global oil demand was recovering.All major oil companies have taken a hit in the second quarter as lockdowns to contain the coronavirus limited travel…
Oil Market Stalls as Absence of Signals Compounds Summer Slowdown
Hedge funds' oil trading largely dried up last week as the normal summer holiday slowdown was compounded by an absence of price or fundamental signals about the future direction of the market.Hedge funds and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 13 million barrels in the six major petroleum futures and options contracts in the week to Aug. 4, after selling 40 million the…
US-China Cold War Would Redirect Energy Flows
Worsening diplomatic relations between the United States and China are putting a spotlight on their economic inter-dependency in the context of global supply chains for both technology and energy.Top policymakers in the United States and some of its closest allies, including Australia and Britain, have recently hardened the language in which they describe relations with China.China…
S.Korean Refiners Post Record H1 Losses
Two refiners in South Korea, the world's fifth largest crude oil importer, posted their biggest losses ever in the first half when oil prices slumped as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged fuel demand.SK Innovation Co Ltd, owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, reported on Wednesday a second-quarter operating loss of 440 billion won ($367 million), taking its first-half losses to 2.2 trillion won.
Gazprom Neft Sells Its First Arctic Oil Cargo to China
Russia's Gazprom Neft has sold its first ever Arctic oil cargo to China to ChemChina, two sources familiar with the deal told Reuters on Thursday.This week, Gazprom Neft said it had sent 144,000 tonnes of light Novy Port oil grade to the Chinese port of Yantai on the Bohai Sea from Russia's north-western city of Murmansk, using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) through Russia's Arctic waters.The Delta Hellas vessel used part of the NSR, a route requiring icebreakers and ice-class
Indonesia's Pertamina Expects up to 180,000 bpd from Rokan Block when It Takes Over from Chevron
Indonesian state oil company PT Pertamina expects to produce 170,000-180,000 barrels per day (bpd) at the Rokan block when it takes over in August next year, the chief executive of Pertamina Hulu Energi, Budiman Parhusip, said on Wednesday.The government decided in 2018 that the operation of Rokan, Indonesia's second-biggest crude oil producing block, would be transferred to Pertamina…
Wave of N. American Oil and Gas Bankruptcies to Continue at $40 Oil
A wave of oil and gas bankruptcies in North America is likely to continue this year as oil prices remain depressed and a new surge of COVID-19 cases threaten to stall any recovery in fuel demand, law firm Haynes and Boone said in a report released this week.Bankruptcies surged in the second quarter, including from major shale independents Chesapeake Energy and Whiting Petroleum, as oil prices collapsed due to the pandemic and a brief…
Iran's Oil Storage Almost Full as Sanctions and Pandemic Weigh
Iran has slashed crude oil production to its lowest level in four decades as storage tanks and vessels are almost completely full due to a fall in exports and refinery run cuts caused by the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed.Total onshore crude stocks surged to 54 million barrels in April from 15 million barrels in January, and swelled further to 63 million barrels in June…
China's Sinopec Starts Hiring for New Risk Management Unit
China Petrochemical Corp, or Sinopec Group, has started hiring for six top management positions for a new commodities risk management unit, according to a statement posted on the state energy company's official wechat account on Sunday.Formally known as Sinopec Chaoyang Risk Management Co and with a registered capital of 300 million yuan ($42.40 million), the new firm will provide financial services for the oil and chemical sector including hedging and inventory management…
China's Saudi Oil Imports Surge to All-time High
China's crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia nearly doubled in May from a year earlier to all-time high as refineries snapped up cheap fuel, while the kingdom retained its position as the top supplier to the world's biggest oil buyer.Arrivals from Saudi last month reached 9.165 million tonnes, or 2.16 million barrels per day (bpd), up about 95% from 1.11 million bpd in May 2019 and up 71% from 1.26 million bpd in April…
Norway's May Oil Output Down, But Still Above Forecast
Norway's oil production fell in May from the previous month but still exceeded official forecasts by 0.9%, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said on Friday.The country's crude oil output fell by 2.1% month-on-month from April to 1.74 million barrels per day. The output year-on-year was up by 38.1%, thanks among other things to a ramp-up of Equinor's giant Johan Sverdrup oilfield.Daily natural gas output fell by 12.4% month-on-month…
Philippines: Shell's Hydrogen Project Resumes as Covid-19 Restrictions Eased
Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp said on Wednesday it has resumed construction of an integrated hydrogen manufacturing facility at its Tabangao refinery in the Philippines, after being hampered by the coronavirus lockdown.Restrictions on movement have been eased in Philippine provinces and cities with low coronavirus cases to help restore business activity in the Southeast Asian economy.The…
Sinopec Starts Up $6B Zhanjiang Refinery Complex
Top Chinese state refiner Sinopec Corp said on Tuesday it had started up a $6 billion new refinery and petrochemical plant in south China, making it the country's third integrated complex to start operations in the past 18 months or so.The Sinopec venture, situated in coastal city of Zhanjiang, comprises a 200,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude oil refinery and an 800,000 tonne-per-year ethylene facility, built at a cost of 44 billion yuan ($6.2 billion), Sinopec said in a statem
Oil Extends Slump as Prospect of Second Viral Wave in U.S. Ends Rally
Oil prices fell on Friday, extending heavy overnight losses as a surge in U.S. coronavirus cases this week raised the prospect of a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak hitting demand in the world's biggest consumer of crude and fuel.West Texas Intermediate was down 65 cents, or nearly 2%, at $35.69 a barrel by 0358 GMT, after slumping more than 8% on Thursday. Brent crude was down 58 cents…
Saudi Oil Price Hike Throws Asian Lifeline to U.S. Shale
Saudi Arabia's decision to jack up the price of its July exports to Asia may have opened the door for U.S. crude oil producers to boost sales to the region that consumes more oil than anywhere else in the world.State-controlled producer Saudi Aramco hoisted its official selling prices (OSPs) to all regions for July-loading cargoes, but the biggest hikes were for the key Asian region…
Sinopec Adds More Oil Storage at Baishawan
China's Sinopec has started operating the second phase of its Baishawan commercial crude oil storage project in eastern province Zhejiang, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.The project had added four storage tanks with combined capacity of 450,000 cubic metres to its existing 950,000 cubic metres storage capacity, which was put in use in 2009.Baishawan commercial crude storage base is managed and operated by Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co, a subsidiary of the st
Oil Gains, with Brent above $40
Oil rose on Wednesday, with Brent above $40 for the first time since March, as optimism mounted that major producers will extend output cuts and a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will spur fuel demand.Brent crude futures for August were up 78 cents, or 2%, at $40.35 a barrel, by 0636 GMT. The contract climbed to as high as $40.53, the highest since March 6, after gaining 3.3% on Tuesday.U.S.
