Dominican Republic Kicks Off Licensing Round
The Dominican Republic's first oil licensing round will be a success if it awards more than two of the 14 blocks on offer this year, a government official said at an event disclosing the Caribbean nation's fiscal terms.The licensing round, which began on Wednesday with disclosure of contract terms, comes after Brazil, Guyana and Mexico attracted billions of dollars in oil investment. Cuba and Panama also have taken steps to attract producers with new contract terms…
Venezuela Sells Oil to Tiny Turkish Firm
With U.S. sanctions blocking Venezuela from selling oil to the United States, state-owned energy firm PDVSA has turned to several little-known buyers that include a tiny Turkish company with no refineries but ties to President Nicolas Maduro's government, according to internal documents and a PDVSA source.Until recently, some of the world's largest petroleum and refining firms, including U.S. companies Chevron and Valero Energy…
OPEC+ Extends Output Cuts
OPEC and its allies led by Russia agreed to extend oil output cuts until March 2020 on Tuesday, seeking to prop up the price of crude as the global economy weakens and U.S. production soars.The alliance, known as OPEC+, has been reducing oil supply since 2017 to prevent prices from sliding amid increasing competition from the United States, which has overtaken Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world's top producer.Asked by reporters whether agreement had been reached…
U.S. Court to Decide Who Will Control Citgo
A U.S. court will decide whether a board of directors appointed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or one backed by his rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido, runs the eighth-largest U.S. refiner, Citgo Petroleum Corp.A lawsuit filed by Maduro's representatives on Tuesday in Delaware Chancery Court seeks to reassert control over Citgo , along with other U.S. subsidiaries of PDVSA , the Venezuelan state-run oil company.Citgo…
Oil Prices Mixed Ahead of US Crude Sstock Data
Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday ahead of data expected to show U.S. crude stocks declining, outweighing investors' concerns that U.S.-China trade tensions could dampen fuel demand.Benchmark Brent crude futures settled up 19 cents, or 0.3%, at $65.05 a barrel.U.S. crude futures fell 7 cents, or about 0.1%, at $57.83 a barrel.Investors shrugged off U.S. President Donald Trump's comments on Tuesday that…
US Leads World Oil Reserves
The United States has a world-leading 293 billion barrels of recoverable oil resources, which is 20Bbbl more than Saudi Arabia and 100Bbbl more than Russia, with the Permian Basin leading that charge.Rystad Energy’s estimate of US recoverable oil is also five times more than officially reported proven reserves as published in the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019.Tight oil plays in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico now hold 100 billion barrels of recoverable oil resources…
US Oil Output Heads for More Records in 2019
U.S. total oil production, which is already off to an amazing start in 2019, is on track to set another record for this year.New records are expected both when the final numbers for May emerge and at the end of the year, said Rystad Energy.The energy research and business intelligence company is raising its forecast for US crude output to 13.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by December 2019. For May 2019, our research and calculations point to crude oil production averaging 12.5 million bpd.
Record Number of VLCC Liftings at LOOP
Medium-sour crudes from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico are being snapped up by overseas buyers, paving way for a record six supertankers to load at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) in a matter of weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.The six scheduled loadings in late May and early June would double the record of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) reached in December. An unusual influx of Gulf of Mexico crudes to the U.S.
First ANS Cargo in One Year on Way to China
One million barrels of Alaskan crude is due in China next week, the first such shipment in almost a year, according to data from Refinitiv Eikon and vessel-tracking firm Kpler.China's imports of U.S. crude have fallen amid the two countries' trade dispute to 41,600 barrels per day (bpd) in the six months ended February, from 377,000 bpd in the first half of 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information…
North Sea Oil Production May Go Down
On top of production declines in Iran and Venezuela, ongoing OPEC cuts, Urals contamination outages in Russia and maintenance in Kazakhstan, North Sea production is also struggling, Rystad Energy said."Currently we see unplanned outages at Oseberg and Flotta with combined impact of 160,000 bpd. Furthermore, the North Sea is heading into maintenance season," said the energy research and business intelligence…
Oil Price Risks Rise
Supply disruptions in the Middle East on top of an already tight crude market could send oil prices violently upward, said the energy research firm Rystad Energy.Two Saudi Arabian oil tankers were reportedly attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates this weekend, sending crude futures up sharply May 13.Bjørnar Tonhaugen, Head of Oil Market Research at Rystad Energy, says: “In the short term, the…
Oil Falls Near 2% as U.S.-China Trade War Intensifies
Oil prices slipped nearly 2 percent on Tuesday, on track to fall to their lowest levels in over a month as renewed doubts over U.S.-China trade talks stoked concerns over global growth and demand even though U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela tightened supply and helped stem losses.Brent futures were down $1.36, or 1.9 percent, at $69.88 a barrel by 10:39 a.m. EDT (1439 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down $1.14…
Noble Energy Posts Bigger-than-expected Loss
Noble Energy Inc reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss on Friday, as the U.S. oil and gas producer was hit by weak crude prices.U.S. crude prices averaged $54.9 per barrel in the first quarter, a 12.8 percent fall compared to the year-ago period.Noble realized $53.46 for each barrel of crude and condensate from its onshore operations in the United States, compared with $61.50 per barrel a year earlier.U.S.
Repsol's Q1 Net Profit Rises
Spanish oil and gas firm Repsol said on Tuesday first quarter adjusted net profit rose 6 percent from a year earlier, as a fall in oil and gas prices and a halt to production in Libya were offset by lower costs and a stronger U.S.
Total Profits Take a Hit
French energy major Total said its net profit for the first three months of the year fell 4 percent to $2.8 billion compared with a year ago due to volatile oil prices and debt costs, despite record oil and gas output.The firm kept its investments, and cost savings target for the year unchanged, and said production growth should exceed 9 percent during the year, thanks to the ramp-up of projects started in 2018…
Saudi Arabia Can Replace Lost Iranian Oil
The decision by the US government not to extend sanctions wavers for eight countries importing crude oil from Iran could remove around 1.1 million b/d from the market. But Saudi Arabia and several allies can replace the lost barrels, says a report.According to Rystad Energy, the production will drop to 2.27 million bpd for the second half of 2019, reaching this level by July 2019, which equates to a drop…
Oil Hits 2019 High
Oil prices jumped more than 2 percent on Monday to a near six-month high, on growing concern about tight global supplies after the United States announced a further clampdown on Iranian oil exports.Washington said it will eliminate in May all waivers allowing eight economies to buy Iranian oil without facing U.S. sanctions."The geopolitical risk premium is back in the oil market, in a big way," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.
Oil Hits 2019 High on U.S. Plan to Tighten Squeeze on Iran
Oil prices jumped more than 2 percent on Monday to a near six-month high, on growing concern about tight global supplies after the United States announced a further clampdown on Iranian oil exports.Washington said it will eliminate in May all waivers allowing eight economies to buy Iranian oil without facing U.S. sanctions."The geopolitical risk premium is back in the oil market, in a big way," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.
Oil Prices Rise on Lower U.S. Stocks, OPEC+ Supply Cuts
Oil prices rose slightly on Thursday, boosted by a decline in U.S. inventories, ongoing supply cuts from OPEC and its allies, and U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and Iran.Brent crude futures were at $71.80 a barrel at 1313 GMT, up 18 cents from their last close and near Wednesday's five-month high of $72.27 a barrel.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $63.83 per barrel, up 7 cents.Both contracts traded slightly lower earlier in the day.U.S.
Oil Edges Above $71
Oil held above $71 a barrel on Tuesday, supported by falling Venezuelan and Iranian exports and fighting in Libya that raised concerns of more supply threats, outweighing expectations of higher U.S. inventories.In Libya, fighting between Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army and the internationally-recognised government has raised the prospect of lower supplies from another OPEC member. U.S. sanctions on two others…
