Empty Tankers Depart Venezuela; Sanctions Cancel Cargo
Three large crude carriers (VLCCs) chartered by units of Russian oil major Rosneft to transport Venezuelan oil left Caribbean waters empty on Saturday after the cargoes were canceled due to sanctions, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and a document from Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA.The vessels - which would jointly export some 5.7 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude to Asia - had waited for weeks near Venezuelan waters to load…
Coronavirus-related Inspections Delay Venezuelan Oil Exports
At least two cargoes of Venezuelan crude have been delayed due to health inspections aboard tankers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to an internal document from state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela seen by Reuters.The delays add to a growing glut of tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude that preceded the coronavirus crisis as U.S. sanctions spooked potential customers. With domestic onshore oil inventories approaching capacity…
US Sanctions on Rosneft Trading Shifting Crude Flows
U.S. sanctions on Russian Rosneft's trading arm will disrupt a slice of global crude flows and may prompt refineries in Europe, India and the United States to shift purchases to other crude suppliers, traders said.The United States on Tuesday redoubled efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by barring U.S. dealings with Rosneft Trading S.A., a subsidiary of Russia's state oil major Rosneft, which Washington said provides him a financial lifeline.
India to Buy Russian Crude Oil
Russian oil and gas giant Rosneft has signed a contract with India’s largest fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for supply of 2 million tonne (MT) crude oil to India by end 2020.The Moscow-headquartered integrated energy company said in a press release that the oil will be shipped to the refiner via the port of Novorossiysk.The signing took place during the visit of the Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft Igor Sechin to New Delhi.
Russia Leads E&P Race in Arctic Region
Russian and Norwegian exploration and production (E&P) operators have been expanding their operations in the Arctic continental shelf, which is estimated to hold vast deposits of hydrocarbons and rare earth minerals.Warming temperatures in the Barents Sea and northern coastline of Russia are giving an added impetus to resource development in this region, according to GlobalData.GlobalData's report, ‘Arctic Exploitation’, discusses…
Dalian Refinery Plans 45-day Overhaul
PetroChina's subsidiary refinery, Dalian Petrochemical Corp, plans to have a major turnaround in April-May of 2020, four industry sources told Reuters.The maintenance is scheduled to start from late March or early April and will last for around one and a half months, the sources said.The 410,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) plant in the northeast Chinese port city of Dalian, PetroChina's biggest refinery, is linked to Russia's East Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and is China's largest processor of the pipeline ESPO blend crude.Pe
Equinor, Rosneft to develop Arctic oilfield
Russia's Rosneft and Norway's Equinor have agreed details on how to develop an Arctic Siberian onshore oilfield, they said on Monday, their first joint investment since agreeing a strategic partnership in 2012.The firms expect to extract about 250 million barrels of oil and 23 billion cubic metres of gas in the first stage of developing the Severo-Komsomolskoye oilfield, Equinor said, without giving a value for the investment.Rosneft has a 66.67% stake and Equinor holds the remaining shares in SevKomNeftegaz…
Petrobras to be World's Largest Oil Producer
Brazil’s Petrobras is on track to become the world’s largest oil producer among publicly listed companies by 2030, based on Rystad Energy’s latest data and forecasts.Brazil’s biggest-ever oil auctions in November were generally deemed to be disappointing, receiving muted interest from international exploration and production companies.However, national oil company Petrobras could not have asked for a better outcome. The world’s…
India to Invite Foreign Investment in State-owned Oil Companies
International energy firms will be invited to participate in India's privatization of state-owned oil companies, the country's Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said late on Monday.Pradhan said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently met with the chief executives of energy firms in Houston, including those from Exxon Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell, Rosneft Oil Co, Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc).This…
Venezuela's Oil Exports top 800,000 bpd Again
Venezuela's oil exports eased in October, but surpassed 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) for second month in a row, helping to drain an inventory buildup that had forced the OPEC country to cut output, according to documents and data.Since the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA in January to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro, the OPEC-member country has struggled to find customers and tankers…
Russian Oil Output Down in October
Russia lowered its oil output to 11.23 million barrels per day (bpd) last month from 11.25 million bpd in September, missing again its obligations under a global pact to curb production, energy ministry data showed on Saturday.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other producers - a group known as OPEC+ - have since January implemented a deal to cut oil output by 1.2 million barrels per day to support the market.According to Reuters calculations…
BP Profits Fall 40%
BP's profits fell sharply in the third quarter, hurt by lower oil prices, but strong refining operations helped the company beat expectations even after taking a one-off $2.6 billion charge linked to asset sales.BP, like other big energy companies, has been hit by a sharp drop in oil prices as trade tensions between the United States and China have impacted global oil demand.The British oil company made its first net loss in more than three years in the quarter due to the one-off charge…
Oil Steady as Russia Commits to Output Cuts
Oil prices were steady on Monday, holding on to strong gains last week, after Russia affirmed its commitment to a deal with OPEC producers to keep production in check and support prices.Brent crude was down 1 cent at $62.01 a barrel by 0055 GMT, having logged a weekly gain of more than 4% last week, its best weekly gain since Sept. 20.West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 4 cents at $56.62 a barrel, having risen more than 5% last week, also the biggest weekly increase since Sept.
Russian-led Arctic Oil Project to Cost $157 Bln
A ambitious new Arctic oil project led by Russia's top oil producer Rosneft will require about 10 trillion roubles ($157 billion) of investment, Russia's deputy energy minister Pavel Sorokin told reporters.Vostok Oil, a joint project of Rosneft and Independent Petroleum Company (IPC), is set to include some oil fields that are already producing and others which have yet to start, including Rosneft's Vankor group and IPC's Payakhskoye field.The government has broadly agreed a new tax relief package to help develop the Arctic…
Dudley Plans to Remain on Rosneft Board
BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley on Thursday said he intends to remain on the board of Russian oil giant Rosneft despite his plans to step down at BP next year.(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by David Goodman)
Rosneft Starts Far East LSFO Bunkering
RN Bunker, the bunkering subsidiary of Russia's Rosneft Oil Company, said it has begun to refuel ships with 0.5% sulfur limit marine fuel at the Far East region.The RMLS 40, a marine fuel that has advanced environmental properties, is in full compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).The first 200 tons of the new fuel was supplied to a bulk carrier in Nakhodka waters. Low…
Tax Breaks Approved for Russia's Largest Oilfield
Russia's finance ministry has in principle approved tax breaks for developing the Priobskoye oilfield, Russia's largest, to oil giants Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, Alexei Sazanov, head of the ministry's tax department said on Thursday.He added that tax breaks for the oil companies could last for 10 years but no start date had yet been agreed.Sazanov told reporters Russia's budget should be compensated for revenue it will lose due to the tax breaks for Priobskoye and the finance ministry proposed to introduce a mineral extraction tax
Russia: Arctic Offshore Oil Feasible at $130/bbl
The head of Russia's Rosnedra subsoil agency said on Tuesday that the development of the Pobeda (Victory) offshore Arctic oilfield in the Kara Sea is feasible only at oil prices of $130 to $140 per barrel, Interfax news agency reported.Rosneft, the world's top listed oil firm by output, drilled a first exploration well in 2014 in the Kara Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean, with a rig provided by U.S. partner Exxon Mobil Corp.Exxon Mobil has pulled out from the project due to U.S.
Russia Open to Private Firms Developing Arctic
Russia's natural resources and environment minister said on Wednesday he supported allowing private oil and gas companies to work on the Arctic shelf.Speaking to reporters at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, the minister, Dmitry Kobylkin, said he supported "any decision linked to an increase in investment in projects related to hydrocarbons."The Russian economy is heavily reliant on natural resources…
Russia's Rosneft Tenders Marine Fuel Cargos in Euros
Top Russian oil producer Rosneft has put up marine fuel cargos for sale with the euro as the default currency, a tender document showed on Monday, in line with its plan to sell oil products in the single currency instead of the U.S. dollar.Rosneft said it had tendered to sell up to 70,000 tonnes of low-viscosity marine fuel with sulphur content of up to 1% from its oil refineries with delivery between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31 on a freight-on-board (FOB) Black Sea basis or FOB St Petersburg…
