U.S. oil production remains near record high
U.S. crude production remained close to a record level in June but growth has slowed significantly since the end of last year in response to lower oil prices and the slowdown is set to extend into 2020.Crude output averaged 12.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, essentially unchanged from record levels in May and April, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published on Thursday.Nevertheless…
Battered U.S. Oil Producers Soar on Saudi Attacks
Shares of U.S. oil and gas companies surged on Monday, as a jump in oil prices in the wake of attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities drove a relief rally in one of the S&P 500's worst performing sectors this year.Shares in major energy conglomerates including Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp jumped nearly 3%, while some of this year's weakest performers saw huge gains: Chesapeake Energy Corp was up 17%, Denbury Resources up 26% and California Resources up 15%.Oil prices at one point surged nearly 20%…
US Rig Count Slides
U.S. energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs operating for a fourth week in a row as producers cut spending, leading to slower growth in crude output.Drillers cut five oil rigs in the week to Sept. 13, bringing the total count down to 733, the lowest since November 2017, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday.In the same week a year ago, there were 867 active rigs.The oil rig count…
Saudi Minister Commits to Output Cuts
Oil prices rose more than 2% on Monday after the new Saudi energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, confirmed expectations that he would stick with his country's policy of limiting crude output to support prices.Prince Abdulaziz, son of Saudi King Salman and a long-time member of the Saudi delegation to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), replaced Khalid al-Falih on Sunday."The move is bullish for oil prices," Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago, said in a note.
Toshiba Completes Sale of U.S. LNG Biz
The Japanese multinational Toshiba Corp said that it has completed the sale of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) operation in the United States to French oil giant Total SA, letting go of an asset it deems risky as it continues to restructure. Toshiba, which announced the deal in June, sold Toshiba America LNG Corp. (TAL) for $15 million Friday after judging that the plan to procure U.S.-made LNG for Japanese utilities was unlikely to achieve profitability as LNG prices have sunk.At the same time…
China, Philippines: 'Bigger Step' Possible Offshore
Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the Philippines could take a "bigger step" in the joint development of oil and gas resources in the South China Sea if they can "properly" handle their dispute over sovereignty.Xi made the remarks on Thursday in a meeting in Beijing with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has positioned himself as a friend of Beijing but has come under growing pressure at home to push back against China's maritime assertiveness.The visit comes amid a recent rise in tension on multiple fronts
BP Exits Alaska in $5.6 Bln Sale
British oil major BP Plc on Tuesday agreed to sell all its Alaskan properties for $5.6 billion to privately held Hilcorp Energy Co, exiting a region where it operated for 60 years.The deal, which includes interests in the most prolific oil field in U.S. history at Prudhoe Bay, and the 800-mile (1,300-km) Trans Alaska Pipeline, is part of BP's plan to raise $10 billion over the next two years through asset sales to further strengthen its balance sheet…
GATE Energy Moves into Singapore
GATE Energy, a player in oil and gas engineering, commissioning and specialty field services, announced the opening of its new Singapore office."This marks the first permanent location for the GATE Energy family of companies outside of the United States," said a press release.Since GATE Energy first opened its office in North America in 2000, it has continued to forge partnerships and attract customers from multiple sectors…
U.S. To “Drown The World” In Oil
A staggering 61% of the world’s new oil and gas production over the next decade is set to come from one country alone: the United States.According to a report by Global Witness, the sheer scale of this new production dwarfs that of every other country in the world and would spell disaster for the world’s ambitions to curb climate change – the effects of which we’re already witnessing through massive heat waves, flooding, and extreme weather.Earlier this year…
Brent Oil Prices Rise Above $60
Brent crude oil futures rose above $60 a barrel on Wednesday after industry data showed a larger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude inventories, but lingering worries about a possible global recession capped gains.Brent crude had gained 26 cents, or 0.43%, to $60.29 a barrel by 0900 GMT, after settling 0.5% higher on Tuesday, while U.S. crude was up 3 cents, or 0.05%, at $56.16 a barrel.U.S. crude oil stocks fell by 3.5 million barrels in the week to Aug.
Empyrean Energy to Spud Well in Indonesia
Australia's Empyrean Energy provided an operational update in relation to the upcoming drilling campaign in the Duyung PSC in the West Natuna basin, offshore Indonesia, in which Empyrean holds an 8.5% interest.The oil and gas development company with interests in China, Indonesia and the United States, said that campaign will comprise of two wells, an exploration well designed to test the Tambak prospect beneath the central area of the Mako gas field…
US Drillers Add Oil Rigs
U.S. energy firms this week increased the number of oil rigs operating for the first time in seven weeks despite plans by most producers to cut spending on new drilling this year.Companies added six oil rigs in the week to Aug. 16, the biggest increase since April, bringing the total count to 770, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday.In the same week a year ago…
US Patent Approval for Wave Energy
AW-Energy Oy, a Finnish wave energy technology developer, received an “approval” for AW-Energy’s patent application from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).The patent [PCT/050485] provides AW-Energy with broad IP protection of its latest generation WaveRoller device including a range of operating improvements made to the device’s system and infrastructure, particularly on fail safe operating improvements…
Chinese Ship Returns to Vietnam's EEZ
A Chinese survey ship returned to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone off its coast on Tuesday, ship tracking data showed, less than a week after it left the area where vessels from the two countries were locked in a month-long standoff.The Haiyang Dizhi 8 first entered the zone under Chinese coast guard escort in July and appeared to conduct a seismic survey of waters that are a potential global flashpoint as the United States challenges China's maritime claims.The survey ship, which according to Vietnam left the area on Aug.
China Fixes First U.S. Crude Cargo Since Latest Tariff Threat
Chinese oil trader Unipec chartered a supertanker to ship U.S. crude to China in September, trading sources said, the first such cargo since U.S. President Donald Trump announced additional tariffs on Chinese import, ending a monthlong trade truce.Unipec, the trading arm of state refiner Sinopec , has fixed the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Anne to load U.S. crude in mid-September, according to a shipbroker and Refinitiv Eikon data.
Anadarko Shareholders Go for Cash in Oxy Buyout
Shareholders of Anadarko Petroleum Corp on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to sell the company for $38 billion to rival Occidental Petroleum Corp, ending a short-lived contest that pitted two of the most storied names in the oil industry against one another.Occidental in May beat out Chevron Corp to grab a major oil industry prize: Anadarko's nearly quarter million acres in the Permian Basin, the top U.S. shale field, where…
Cheniere Working on Sabine Pass Trains 3, 4
Cheniere Energy Inc said on Monday it is conducting previously scheduled turnarounds on Trains 3 and 4 at the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Louisiana as part of its maintenance plan for the facility.The company did not say when the units would likely return to service but noted "a good general guide for timing" was work on Sabine Trains 1 and 2 earlier this year that lasted about three weeks.Cheniere…
Exxon Mobil Profit Sinks
Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday reported a 21% drop in quarterly profit, its third period in a row of weaker year-over-year results, as sharply higher oil production was offset by weaker refining and chemicals business.Shares slipped 1.6 percent to $71.34 in early trading even though its 73 cents a share profit topped analysts' recently-lowered estimates. Analysts had reduced estimates to 66 cents per share after Exxon last month…
Baker Hughes: U.S. Cuts Rigs for Fifth Straight Week
U.S. energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs operating for a fifth week in a row as most independent producers cut spending even though majors were still pushing ahead with investments in new drilling.Drillers cut six oil rigs in the week to Aug. 2, bringing the total count down to 770, the lowest since February 2018, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday.
U.S. Crude Exports Reach a Record of 3.16 mln bpd
U.S. crude oil exports surged 260,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June to a monthly record of 3.16 million bpd as South Korea bought record volumes and China resumed purchases, data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed on Friday.South Korea surpassed Canada to become the biggest purchaser of U.S. crude at about 605,000 bpd. China purchased about 292,000 bpd, the most since June last year and was the third-largest buyer of U.S. crude in June, the data showed.China, once the top buyer of U.S.
