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…
Rising US Oil Clout on Show in Houston
A glance at the attendee list at one of the world's largest energy industry events in Houston this week left little question about the growing influence of the United States over global oil politics.Present: top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo. Absent: leading Saudi and Russian officials, and most OPEC nations.As the United States weans itself off foreign oil imports - thanks to booming domestic production - the complex web of politics and business interests that have shaped decades of Washington's…
Iran's Oil Tanker Fleet Being Squeezed as Sanctions Bite
Iran is running short of options to replace its ageing fleet of tankers and keep oil exports flowing because renewed U.S. sanctions are making potential sellers and flag registries wary of doing business with Tehran, Western and Iranian sources said.Since U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions in November, exploratory talks with South Korea for up to 10 new supertankers have stalled and Panama has also removed at least 21 Iranian tankers from its registry forcing Tehran to put the vessels under its own flag…
US to Lead Oil Supply Growth to 2024
The United States is set to drive the global oil supply growth over the next 5 years, thanks to the strength of its shale industry, triggering a rapid transformation of world oil markets, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).IEA said that oil exports from the United States will overtake Russia and close in on Saudi Arabia, bringing greater diversity of supply, by the end of the forecast.While global oil demand growth is set to ease, in particular as China slows down, it still increases an annual average of 1.2 mb/d to 2024, according to the report, Oil 2019.
Ven's Blackout Halts Oil Exports From Primary Port
Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA has been unable to resume crude exports from its primary port since last week's massive power outage, essentially crippling the OPEC nation's principal industry, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.Power remained patchy in most of the country after a blackout on Thursday that the government of President Nicolas Maduro claimed was a U.S.-backed act of "sabotage" on the country's principal hydroelectric dam.His critics insist it is the result of more…
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.
Oil Dips on U.S. Manufacturing Data
Oil prices reversed course on Friday, falling 2 percent as bearish U.S. manufacturing data stoked concerns over global energy demand growth.The ISM manufacturing activity index in February sank to the lowest since November 2016, and was below expectations.U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell $1.11 to $56.11 a barrel by 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT). The contract had earlier hit a high of $57.88.Global benchmark Brent crude futures for May fell $1.26 to $65.05 a barrel, after earlier touching a session high of $67.14."We have been the island of prosperity…
Oil Steady, Supported by OPEC Cuts
Record U.S. output, exports offset some of OPEC's cuts.Oil prices were broadly steady on Friday as surging U.S. supply and concerns of a global economic slowdown were offset by falling OPEC output.International Brent crude futures were at $66.39 per barrel at 1231 GMT, up 8 cents from Thursday's settlement.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $57.38 per barrel, up 16 cents."Oil prices are finely balanced in today's trading session," senior Interfax Energy analyst Abhishek…
China Imports First U.S. Crude since November
An oil tanker carrying U.S. crude oil is offloading its cargo at a Chinese port on Friday, marking China's first import from the United States since late November, according to trade sources and Refinitiv data.Trade tensions between the United States and China cut U.S. oil exports to Asia to a trickle in the second half of last year. No U.S. crude volumes were recording going into China October, December and January, according to China customs.The Kara Sea, an Aframax tanker capable of carrying up to 600…
U.S. Crude Stockpiles Fall Unexpectedly -EIA
U.S. crude oil stocks fell unexpectedly last week as net imports fell to record lows, despite production growing to all-time highs and abundant inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma hub, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.After five consecutive weekly builds, nationwide crude inventories fell 8.6 million barrels in the week to Feb. 22, compared with analysts' expectations for an increase of 2.8 million barrels.However, crude stocks at Cushing, the delivery hub for U.S. crude futures rose 1.6 million barrels to 46.7 million barrels…
Oil Rises on Market Rebalance, Trade Deal Hopes
Trump open to extending March 1 deadline for China trade talks.Crude prices rose nearly 2 percent on Wednesday, with Brent hitting its highest this year, on hopes that oil markets will balance later this year, helped by output cuts from top producers as well as U.S. sanctions on OPEC members Iran and Venezuela.Prices were also supported by strong equity markets after signs of progress in trade talks between the United States and China.U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations with China were going well and suggested he was open to extending the deadline to complete them beyond March 1…
Oil Dips After Record U.S. Shale Forecast
U.S. sanctions on Iran, Venezuela tighten markets, but soaring U.S. shale output offsets some of the disruption.Oil fell on Wednesday after the U.S. government said shale output would rise to a record next month, denting a rally that sent prices to their highest this year.Brent futures eased by 53 cents to trade at $65.92 a barrel by 1312 GMT, still within sight of Monday's high for the year of $66.83. U.S. futures were at $55.77 a barrel, down 31 cents, having touched a 2019 peak of $56.39 earlier."Brent is trading in a narrow corridor at around $66.5 per barrel…
As Traders Tussle Turkmenistan Cuts Exports
A clash between trading house Vitol and Azerbaijan's SOCAR over Caspian Sea oil shipments is forcing Turkmenistan to slash exports of crude due to a lack of tankers.Turkmenistan typically exports about 200,000 tonnes of oil per month via the Caspian to world markets, mainly from fields operated by the UAE's ENOC and Italy's Eni, but flows have halved in recent weeks, six traders involved in operations said.That happened after Turkmen producers decided to export oil via Russia with the help of Swiss trader Vitol and ditch the previous Azeri route…
Tankers with Venezuelan Oil Collect off US
A flotilla loaded with about 7 million barrels of Venezuelan oil has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, some holding cargoes bought ahead of the latest U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and others whose buyers are weighing who to pay, according to traders, shippers and Refinitiv Eikon data.The Trump administration's move to impose sanctions last week was meant to undercut support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by targeting the Latin American nation's oil exports to the United States, the source of most of its foreign revenue.The sanctions aim to block U.S.
Iran Will Not Comply with 'Illegal' US Sanctions -Oil Minister
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Thursday U.S. sanctions against his country were "fully illegal" and Tehran would not comply with them.Zanganeh, speaking at a joint news conference in Baghdad with Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer al-Ghadhban, said Iran would not discuss the volume or destination of its oil exports while it remained under U.S. sanctions.Ghadhban said Iraq had not yet reached an agreement with Iran to develop joint oilfields.
US Oil Export Boom Sparks Battle to Build Texas Ports
Booming U.S. oil exports have set off a scramble to build Gulf Coast ports to handle more than 3 million barrels per day in new supplies expected over the next five years.Of seven proposed oil-export projects, nowhere is the opportunity greater or the competition more fierce than in Corpus Christi, Texas, where three firms are vying to open the state's first deepwater port.Commodities trader Trafigura has taken an early lead with a planned offshore facility that has an easier path to regulatory…
Saudi Arabia to Trim Oil Exports Further in February
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia plans to lower its shipments further in February as it follows through on a global deal to cut output to prevent a build-up in supplies.Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told a news conference in Riyadh on Wednesday that the kingdom would export 7.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in February, down from 7.2 million bpd in January.He also said Saudi Arabia was producing 10.20 million bpd, delivering on an earlier pledge to cut output further than required by a supply…
Oil Falls Towards $53 on Economic Worries, Surging Supply
Oil fell towards $53 a barrel on Wednesday, under pressure from rising output in major OPEC and non-OPEC producers and concerns about an economic slowdown that could weaken demand.Russian production hit a post-Soviet record in 2018, figures showed on Wednesday. Other data showed U.S. output reached a record in October and Iraq boosted oil exports in December.Brent crude was 60 cents lower at $53.20 a barrel at 1422 GMT. On Dec. 26, it hit $49.93, the lowest since July 2017. U.S. crude slipped 73 cents to $44.68."The omens are far from encouraging…
Oil Gains on Talk of Supply Cut
Oil rose nearly 1 percent on Friday on expectations that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies would agree to cut output next month, though prices were set to for a weekly drop on underlying concerns that the global market was oversupplied.OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia is keen for the major producers to cut output by about 1.4 million barrels per day, around 1.5 percent of global supply, to support the market, sources told Reuters this week. But other producers, including Russia, have been reluctant to agree to a cut.Brent was up 60 cents a barrel at $67.22 by 11:30 a.m. EDT [1630 GMT].
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, which is typically the weakest quarter of the year, as higher OPEC and Russian oil production, coupled with strong crude oil exports out of the U.S.
