The trade of Russian oil for March-loading in Asia has slowed significantly as a growing gap between buyer and seller expectations in China has emerged. This disconnect comes amid rising costs for chartering non-sanctioned tankers following new U.S. sanctions, according to traders and shipping data.
Chinese and Indian refiners will source more oil from the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, boosting prices and freight costs, as new U.S. sanctions on Russian producers and ships curb supplies to Moscow's top customers, traders and analysts said.The U.S. Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas
China has allowed representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to board a Chinese bulk carrier at the centre of an investigation into Baltic Sea cable breaches, the Danish foreign minister said on Thursday.The Yi Peng 3 vessel is wanted in Sweden for questioning over a breach of two undersea fibre-optic cables in November
Danish shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Monday it had raised its full-year forecasts on the back of strong third quarter results, robust demand and the continuing disruption to shipping in the Red Sea.Maersk said it had revised its outlook for global container market volume growth in 2024 to around 6% from a range of between 4% to 6% seen previously.
Big energy merchants trading oil cargoes that form the basis of the Brent benchmark have used an obscure clause to reroute U.S. shipments from Europe, in a practice that raises doubts over whether reforms to the crude price marker have succeeded.Brent, the most significant benchmark across commodity markets, is used to price more than 60% of globally traded crude and underpins oil futures.
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
OPEC+ agreed on Sunday to extend most of its deep oil output cuts well into 2025 as the group seeks to shore up the market amid tepid demand growth, high interest rates and rising rival U.S. production.Brent crude oil prices LCOc1 have been trading near $80 per barrel in recent days, below what many OPEC+ members need to balance their budgets.
The U.S. Navy's efforts to build a fleet of unmanned vessels are faltering because the Pentagon remains wedded to big shipbuilding projects, according to some officials and company executives, exposing a weakness as sea drones reshape naval warfare.The lethal effectiveness of sea drones has been demonstrated in the Black Sea where Ukraine has deployed remote-controlled speed boats packed with
British security firm Ambrey said on Friday merchant vessels transiting the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean were advised to stay alert in case of increased uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) activity in the region.Ambrey said it had received information that indicated an "Israeli military strike" was conducted on Isfahan, Iran.
Prices of Canadian and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil to Asia jumped after shipping costs rallied on concerns that wider U.S. sanctions on the Russian fleet are tightening ship availability, trade sources said on Tuesday.Asian refiners face a margin squeeze as their costs of crude and shipping have spiked since Washington earlier this month imposed sweeping new sanctions targeting
Global oil benchmark Brent on Tuesday rose above $89 a barrel for the first time since October, albeit briefly, as oil supplies faced fresh threats from Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities and escalating conflict in the Middle East.Brent futures for June delivery were up $1.35, or 1.5%, at $88.76 a barrel by 11:40 a.m. EDT (1540 GMT) after touching a peak of $89.08.U.S.
Shipping company Maersk said on Friday it was too early to resume sailings through the Red Sea due to a continued elevated risk level, despite an initiative by the European Union to increase safety in the region.Maersk, one of the world's biggest container shipping companies, suspended Red Sea traffic on Jan. 5 and has since redirected ships via the Cape of Good Hope.