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Sunday, May 3, 2026

Oil And Gas News

29 Apr 2026

Japan-Linked Tanker Carrying Saudi Oil Passes Strait of Hormuz


© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Panama-flagged tanker Idemitsu Maru, carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil, crossed the Strait of Hormuz, LSEG shipping data showed on Tuesday, becoming the first Japan-linked crude tanker to do so since the Iran war began.Before the U.S.-Iran conflict broke out on February 28 and disrupted Middle East crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, Japan relied on the region for 95% of its oil imports, much of it coming via the Strait of Hormuz.The move comes as Japan's recent diplomatic efforts to safeguard energy supplies were disrupted by the war.Earlier in April…

28 Apr 2026

Petrodec’s OBANA Resumes Decom Work with Perenco in North Sea

(Credit: Petrodec)

Petrodec, a specialist in integrated solutions for decommissioning and part of the Dixstone group, has started its second decommissioning project for Perenco UK with its OBANA jack-up platform, moving to the Pickerill field in the UK Southern North Sea.The platform has mobilized from its yard in Vlissingen-Oost in the Netherlands and is now on location to remove the jackets from Pickerill A and Pickerill B.Following this work, OBANA is scheduled to return to the Amethyst field to remove the jacket of Amethyst A1D…

28 Apr 2026

US Government Scraps Two Offshore Wind Leases for Fossil Fuel Investment Pledge

© Adobe Stock/Peter Adams

President Donald Trump's administration said on Monday that it had reached a deal to end two more U.S. offshore wind leases in exchange for $885 million in pledged investments in domestic fossil fuels.The projects, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific, are managed by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between France's ENGIE and Portugal's EDP Renewables.The announcement comes a month after French energy giant TotalEnergies reached a similar agreement with the Interior Department to redirect $1 billion from offshore wind leases to U.S. oil and gas production.

24 Apr 2026

Helix, Hornbeck Merger to Form ‘Premier’ Offshore Services Company

(Credit: Helix Energy Solutions)

Helix Energy Solutions and Hornbeck Offshore Services have agreed to combine in an all-stock transaction to create an integrated offshore services company.Under the agreement, Hornbeck shareholders will own about 55% of the combined company, while Helix shareholders will hold around 45%.The combined company will operate under the Hornbeck Offshore Services name and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ‘HOS’.The companies said the combination will bring together fleets of specialty vessels and capabilities including subsea robotics and well intervention services…

23 Apr 2026

Golden Pass LNG Ships First Export Cargo from Texas Terminal

(Credit: Golden Pass LNG)

Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, has loaded and shipped its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from its export terminal in Sabine Pass in Texas, marking a step toward full commercial operations.Golden Pass LNG expects to export about 18 million tonnes of LNG per year once the terminal is fully operational.Construction and commissioning of additional liquefaction trains are ongoing, with Trains 2 and 3 expected to come online following stable operation of Train 1.“Today’s first LNG export cargo is a defining moment for Golden Pass…

22 Apr 2026

NOIA Releases Offshore Energy Excellence Report

Source: NOIA

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) has released its sixth annual Offshore Energy Industry's Innovation & Workforce Excellence Report, a comprehensive publication showcasing how offshore energy companies are leading on environmental performance, workforce development, safety, and corporate responsibility.The 2026 report features case studies and highlights from NOIA member companies and partners, including Danos, Energy Education Foundation, Fugro, Medical Bridges…

22 Apr 2026

Bureau Veritas Expands Offshore Services with New Asia Hub

(Credit: Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore)

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore has launched an Offshore Center of Excellence in Asia Pacific to support offshore energy projects.The center will combine regional teams in Singapore, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur with the company’s global technical network to support oil and gas and offshore renewable energy developments.The initiative comes as offshore projects increase in scale and complexity, requiring coordinated expertise across multiple disciplines and supply chains.Bureau Veritas said the center will provide a single hub for services including classification…

22 Apr 2026

Oil Prices Jump as Ships Come Under Fire in Strait of Hormuz

© pattozher / Adobe Stock

Oil prices jumped on Wednesday with Brent trading above $100 a barrel, erasing earlier losses following reports of gunfire attacks on at least three container ships in the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up $1.59, or 1.6%, at $100.07 a barrel at 0842 GMT. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 rose $1.51, or 1.7%, to $91.18. Both benchmark contracts rose about 3% on Tuesday.At least three container ships were hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, maritime…

21 Apr 2026

US-Israel War on Iran Creates Biggest Energy Crisis in History


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The conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel is creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the world, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday."This is indeed the biggest crisis in history," Birol told France Inter radio in an interview broadcast on Tuesday."The crisis is already huge, if you combine the effects of the petrol crisis and the gas crisis with Russia," he added.The war in the Middle East has choked up maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.It has also come on

20 Apr 2026

Iraq Reopens Rabia Border Crossing with Syria to Support Fuel Exports

© Adobe Stock/Peter Hermes Furian

Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross‑border trade amid disruption to Gulf shipping following the Iran war, Iraqi border officials said on Monday.The crossing, located in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, will allow fuel oil shipments to be trucked through Syria while also reopening the route to commercial trade traffic that has been halted since the conflict that followed Syria’s civil war, officials said.The head of Iraq’s Border Ports Commission, Omar al-Waeli, said reopening Rabia would ease

20 Apr 2026

Oil Flows to Lag Even if Hormuz Strait Reopens

© Yellow Boat / Adobe Stock

The stop-start shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz underscores the profound uncertainty hanging over the world’s most critical oil and gas chokepoint. But one thing is already clear: even if the guns fall silent, flows through the narrow waterway will take months – and possibly years – to recover to pre-war levels.Iran said on Saturday that it was tightening control over the strait in response to a U.S. blockade on Iranian tankers, firing at several vessels and warning mariners that the strait was closed.

20 Apr 2026

Oil Jumps 6% on US-Iran Ceasefire Concerns

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Oil prices jumped more than 6% in early Monday trading on fears that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran could collapse after the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely halted.Brent crude futures LCOc1 advanced $5.51, or 6.1%, to $95.89 a barrel by 0752 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was up $5.46, or 6.5%, at $89.31.Both contracts tumbled by 9% on Friday, their largest daily declines since April 18, after…

16 Apr 2026

Perdana Petroleum Wins AHTS Vessel Contracts from Petronas

Illustration (Credit: Perdana)

Perdana Petroleum has secured contracts to provide two anchor handling tug and supply vessels (AHTS) to Petronas Carigali.The company said its wholly owned unit Perdana Nautika received the work orders on April 8 for the provision of the vessels to support offshore operations.The contracts cover charter periods of 303 days and 224 days respectively, each with an option to extend by a further 40 days.Perdana said the vessels will be deployed to provide 24-hour services including support for drilling rigs…

15 Apr 2026

Gazprom Delivers Second Post-Sanctions LNG Cargo to China

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

Russian energy giant Gazprom has delivered a second post-sanctions LNG cargo from the Baltic Sea's Portovaya plant to China, LSEG data showed on Wednesday.The small-scale Portovaya plant, which has a production capacity of 1.5 million tons of LNG per year, started operations in September 2022.Exports from the plant have been interrupted by additional U.S. sanctions over the Ukraine war that were imposed in January 2025 to disrupt Russia's ability to produce and export LNG and reduce its revenue from the trade.Gas carrier Valera…

15 Apr 2026

Eni Ships Venezuelan Crude to Europe After Two-Year Gap

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Oil and gas producer Eni this week finished loading a 1-million-barrel cargo of Venezuelan heavy crude bound for Spain, the first the Italian company receives in almost two years following the issuance of U.S.

14 Apr 2026

Tankers Transit Hormuz on First Day of US Blockade

© Kalyakan / Adobe Stock

A third Iran-linked tanker was entering the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday on the first full day of the U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports, shipping data showed.U.S. President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the U.S. and Iran failed to reach a deal.As the three vessels transiting the strait were not heading to Iranian ports, they are not covered by the blockade.Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker…

14 Apr 2026

Philippines Seeks US Extension to Buy Russian Oil

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The Philippines' Secretary of Energy Sharon Garin on Tuesday said the country has asked the United States to extend a waiver to purchase Russian oil and petroleum products.Garin said the government is optimistic about extending the waiver which expired on April 11, but is preparing alternative supply arrangements in case the request is declined."We are awaiting their response, but we are very positive on getting this other window," Garin said at a news briefing.The Philippines is diversifying its energy sources and supply options are not limited to Russia…

13 Apr 2026

Iran-Linked Tankers Sail Through Hormuz Before US Blockade

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Two oil tankers linked to Iran exited the Gulf on Monday via the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a planned U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and coastal areas, shipping data from Kpler and LSEG showed.The tanker Auroura is laden with Iranian oil products while the New Future tanker is carrying diesel loaded from the Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, Kpler data showed.(Reuters - Reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

13 Apr 2026

China Calls for De-Escalation as US Threatens Hormuz Blockade

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

China urged calm and restraint by all sides on Monday, following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Iran war.Before the war, most Iranian oil exports were shipped to China, the top global importer of crude.Keeping the key Strait of Hormuz waterway safe, stable and unimpeded served the interest of the international community, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference…

13 Apr 2026

UK Declines to Support US Hormuz Blockade, PM Starmer Says

(Credit: UK government)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz."We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened."It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that's where we've put all of our efforts in the last few and we'll continue to do so," Starmer said.Britain had minesweepers in the region…

13 Apr 2026

Hormuz Crisis Signals New Era of Risk for Gulf Energy

© Suryani / Adobe Stock

The Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have shattered a status quo that prevailed among Middle East oil and gas producers for decades. Even if the current, shaky ceasefire holds, the uneasy “new normal” has likely set the stage for yet another round of conflict.Tehran has now demonstrated both its ability and willingness to seal off the critical waterway and strike vital infrastructure across the region, fundamentally altering the risk calculus for its neighbours…

10 Apr 2026

Middle East Producers Gear Up for Hormuz Export Restart

© Kalyakan / Adobe Stock

Producers in the Middle East have asked Asian refiners to submit crude oil loading programmes for April and May in preparation for the eventual resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.A two-week ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran announced on Wednesday lifted hopes for a reopening of the Strait, through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies travelled before the war.But there has been no sign yet of Tehran lifting its near-total blockade of the critical waterway…

09 Apr 2026

Shippers Cautious on Hormuz Passage, Seek Clarifications

© tawatchai1990 / Adobe Stock

Shippers on Wednesday said they needed more clarity on the terms of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire before resuming transit through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran said the waterway remained closed to vessels sailing without a permit.The six‑week conflict had brought traffic through the strait - a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments - close to a standstill, pushing global energy prices sharply higher.Iran said it would offer safe passage in coordination with its armed forces…