US LNG Exports Dip in September
U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas fell slightly in September as plant maintenance trimmed output, while Europe remained the leading destination, data from financial firm LSEG showed.Gulf Coast plants escaped any major impact from hurricanes last month, helping the U.S. to retain its status as the world's largest LNG exporter.Exports of the superchilled gas fell to 7.26 million metric tons in September, just down from August, when the U.S. sold 7.48 MT, LSEG data showed.U.S.
Antigua-flagged Vessel Damaged in Russian Attack
A Russian missile strike has damaged infrastructure and an Antigua-flagged civilian vessel in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, the regional governor said on Friday.Four people were wounded in the airstrike, Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app."Debris from, according to preliminary assessment, an Iskander-M missile, damaged port and civilian infrastructure, as well as a civilian ship flying the flag of Antigua," Kiper said.The Iskander-M is a ballistic missile which flies at several times the speed of sound and has a stated range of up to 500 km (310 miles).A market source, speak
Loadings Picking up at Russia's Arctic LNG 2
The fifth cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 has been picked up by a vessel managed by a company under U.S. sanctions, according to ship tracking data.The Arctic LNG 2 project by Russia's Novatek is also subject to Western sanctions over Russia's war with Ukraine. Novatek has said media allegations the company was involved in establishing and managing a "shadow fleet" for the Arctic LNG 2 project were untrue.On Sept. 14, the Asya Energy vessel berthed at the plant, and departed fully loaded on Sept. 15, according to data from Kpler and LSEG.
US LNG Exporters Expected to Escape Brunt of Hurricane Francine
U.S. liquefied natural gas export terminals on the Louisiana coast may have escaped the brunt of Hurricane Francine and put off a major test of their ability to withstand a direct storm hit to another day.Francine was on track on Wednesday to lash south-central Louisiana, east of Cameron Parish that is home to several of the newly operating projects, with 90 mile-per-hour (145 kph) winds. Three of the four largest U.S. LNG export facilities are in Louisiana."This hurricane seems to be avoiding the majority of the LNG facility corridor…
LNG Carriers Line Up At Malaysia's Bintulu Complex After Maintenance
A backlog of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers is waiting to load at Malaysia's Bintulu terminal this week after outages and maintenance work disrupted production, according to industry sources and shiptracking data.The Bintulu facility in Sarawak, controlled by state-owned Petronas, consists of nine LNG production trains run by four different operators with total capacity of nearly 30 million metric tons per year, making it the largest LNG-exporting complex in Asia.Petronas' MLNG joint venture completed planned maintenance on its train 7 in August…
Jet Fuel Was Stored on Ships During July's Global IT Outage
Last month's CrowdStrike IT outage that grounded scores of flights created new problems for California's fuel market, forcing U.S. traders to store jet fuel destined for the state on waterborne tankers, storage broker The Tank Tiger told Reuters this week.The outage exacerbated existing constraints on petroleum storage in California, where policies aimed at ending fossil fuel usage have made it harder to setup new oil and gas infrastructure."When it comes to petroleum products storage in California, there has been no room at the inn for several years," Ernie Barsamian, founder of U.S.
Iran Shipping Oil to New Destinations as Tehran Pushes Exports
Iran has sent small shipments of crude oil to new destinations such as Bangladesh and Oman, according to shipping sources and data, the latest sign of Tehran pushing to sustain output at close to its highest in five years.Oil sales are Iran's major revenue source and the country has been looking for ways to sidestep U.S. sanctions on its crude exports that former president Donald Trump re-imposed in 2018 over Tehran's nuclear program.Iran, which is exempt from output quotas set by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)…
Oil Tanker that Fled Collision Site is Detained in Malaysia
A tanker that fled the scene of a fiery Friday collision off Singapore entered the area of Malaysia's Bertam floating oil terminal on Monday after being tracked down and intercepted by Malaysian authorities, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged supertanker Ceres I had left the scene of the collision with the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca without explanation.The Ceres I…
Malaysia Coast Guard Locates Tanker Involved in Collision
A tanker that was involved in a collision near Singapore last week entered the area of Malaysia's Bertam floating oil terminal on Monday morning after it was intercepted by local authorities on Sunday, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged supertanker Ceres I left the scene of a fiery collision with another tanker, the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, on Friday.The Ceres I was found in Malaysian waters with two tugboats towing it, the coast guard…
Oil Tankers on Fire After Colliding Close to Singapore, Crew Rescued
Two large oil tankers were on fire on Friday after colliding near Singapore, the world's biggest refuelling port, with two crew members airlifted to hospital and others rescued from life rafts, authorities and one of the tanker operators said.Singapore is Asia's biggest oil-trading hub and the world's largest bunkering port. Its surrounding waters are vital trade waterways between Asia and Europe and the Middle East and among the busiest global sea lanes.The Singapore-flagged…
Oil Tanker Seized by Iran in 2023 Anchors Near UAE Coast
A Chevron-chartered oil tanker seized by Iran more than a year ago has dropped anchor near the United Arab Emirates port of Khor Fakkan, ship tracking data showed on Monday.The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet was boarded by Iran's military in the Gulf of Oman in April 2023 after an alleged collision with an Iranian boat.After sailing away from Iran last week, its latest position was located close to the UAE, LSEG data showed on Monday.A Chevron spokesperson said on Saturday it was aware of reports that the tanker was released on July 10."We are pleased to see the safe release of the v
LNG Exports from Russia's Yamal LNG Slowing
Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Yamal LNG plant have slowed slightly in July so far compared with the same period a year due to a longer wait for vessels to offload the fuel in Europe, ship-tracking data from LSEG showed on Thursday.The exports have slowed down amid maintenance at the French terminal of Montoir-de-Bretagne, which receives cargoes from Yamal LNG.According to LSEG, eight tankers departed from the port of Sabetta in the Arctic Yamal peninsular in July 1-12, compared with nine tankers in the same periods of June and July 2023.LNG exports from the plant for the
Oil Tanker Seized by Iran Moving to International Waters
A Chevron-chartered oil tanker that was seized by Iran more than a year ago was heading for international waters on Thursday, LSEG ship tracking data showed.The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet was boarded by Iran's military in the Gulf of Oman in April 2023 after an alleged collision with an Iranian boat.There was no immediate comment from Chevron or Iranian officials on Thursday on whether the vessel had been released or what discussions may have been involved.The movement…
Spire Wins Canadian Government Contract for Ship Tracking Data
Spire Global, a provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, announced it has been awarded a CA $1.41 million contract by the Government of Canada for the provision of global automatic identification system (AIS) ship tracking data.The one-year contract includes options for two additional years, extending the total potential contract value to nearly CA $4.23 million, Spire said.Under the contract, Spire will share its real-time global ship tracking data, providing visibility in both open oceans and high-traffic zones.
US Crude Imports Touch Two-year High Despite Lukewarm Demand
U.S. crude oil imports last month rose to a nearly two-year high as refiners scooped up heavy crudes from Canada and Latin America to process into fuels for summer driving season.Imports of crude oil rose to 3.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in May, the highest since July 2022, data from ship tracking service Kpler showed. Imports so far this month have remained strong, at around 2.9 million bpd to date.Fuel demand has remained tepid with product supplied for gasoline at 9.1 million bpd in the week to June 14, slightly below the 10-year seasonal average, data from the U.S.
Rare LNG Carrier Sails Through Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker since January is sailing through the Red Sea, just days after Yemen-based Houthi militants sank their second vessel in attacks begun last November.The vessel, Asya Energy, passed Yemen, travelling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, shiptracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed, the same week that the second ship believed to have been hit by the militants sank."Asya Energy is the first LNG tanker to sail through the Strait since January…
Port Constraints for Canada's Trans Mountain Pipeline May Crimp Oil Exports
Logistical constraints at the Port of Vancouver mean waterborne oil exports from the highly anticipated Trans Mountain pipeline expansion due to start up on Wednesday may only be around half what the Canadian government-owned corporation has forecast, traders and shipping sources said.The C$34 billion ($24.82 billion) project to nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast to 890,000 barrels per day is scheduled to start operating on May 1 after years of regulatory delays and construction setbacks.The extra 590…
Russia Boosts Oil Revenues as Shipping and Trading Network Grows
Russian oil exporters are charging more for their oil in major market India than at any time since the war in Ukraine started as a growing number of shippers and intermediaries take part in the trade, weakening the impact of Western sanctions on Moscow.The exporters have had to offer deep discounts to encourage shipping companies and traders to move their crude and brave the risk of sanctions since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Among the restrictions…
Red Sea Ships Attacks Push 47% More Crude Oil, Fuels Around Africa
Global crude oil and oil products shipments taking the long route between Asia, the Middle East and the West is up 47% since attacks began on vessels using the shorter Red Sea route, the Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday.The longer route around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthis has pushed up shipping costs, as about 12% of world total shipping traffic historically sailed through the Red Sea and Egypt's Suez Canal.About 8.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and refined products took the Southern Africa route in the first five months of 2024…
Russia Steps in After India Drops Safety Cover for Sanctioned Vessels
India's ship certification agency has withdrawn safety cover issued to Russian oil tankers that have been placed under U.S. sanctions, according to its website, with the vessels instead turning to a domestic provider.Major insurers and ship engine makers have already withdrawn cover for Russia's tanker fleet, which Moscow is relying on to maintain the country's oil trade after Washington and its allies including the European Union imposed a raft of sanctions for its invasion…
North Sea Floating Oil Storage Jumps to Highest Since Early 2022
Trader Gunvor and French major TotalEnergies have stored North Sea crude in at least four tankers in the past month as on-water stockpiling of the grades hits a 2-1/2 year high, a fresh sign of weak appetite for oil from refiners.At least 2.6 million barrels of North Sea crude grades Forties and Gullfaks have been put in floating storage in Europe, the highest volume since January 2022, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa.Physical oil markets have weakened globally in recent weeks…
Dali Incident Could Be Largest Ever Single Marine Insurance Loss
Britannia, the insurer of container ship the Dali, is working with the vessel's owner and U.S. authorities on the investigation into the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, the insurer said on Thursday.The bridge collapsed on Tuesday after the Dali suffered a power outage and struck a pylon, causing huge disruption in the port."We are working closely with the vessel's owner and manager and the relevant U.S. authorities as part of the investigation into the casualty…
Estonia Says China Has Not Responded to Subsea Cables Probe Request
Estonia's state prosecutor said China has not responded to a six-month-old request for help with an investigation into a Chinese ship which Estonia suspects cut two of its subsea telecoms cables.The two cables connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden were damaged on Oct 7-8, and an Estonia-Finland gas pipeline was broken the same night, hurting energy security and raising alarm bells in the wider region.Both Estonia, which is investigating the cables damage, and Finland, which is looking into the Balticconnector gas pipeline…