Oil rebounded on Friday.
Friday, May 24th, 2019
Oil rebounded on Friday but it was not enough to erase the roughly 7 percent meltdown seen on Thursday. The trade war is starting to become a top concern to global equity and commodity markets. As of mid-day, WTI was trading above $58 per barrel and Brent moved above $67, somewhat mitigating what has otherwise been a dismal week. On the upside, the plunge in prices and the renewed bearishness undercuts the rationale for OPEC+ to increase production. “It is reasonable to doubt whether Saudi Arabia will be willing to step up its output given the latest decline in prices,” analysts at Commerzbank said. “We therefore expect to see higher oil prices again in the near future.”
Chinese demand takes a hit. Demand for fuels in China is showing weakness, with teapot refineries seeing inventories building up. Gasoline inventories in Shandong province have surged to their highest level since 2011, according to Bloomberg. The refiners are losing $8 on every barrel they produce. “It’s all because of very sluggish downstream demand, especially on the gasoline side,” Gao Jian, an oil analyst at Zhao Jin Futures, told Bloomberg. Refiners are starting to cut run rates.
U.S. threatens sanctions on Venezuelan jet fuel. In a bid to tighten the screws further, the U.S. told several European trading houses to stop selling Venezuela jet fuel or else they will face sanctions.
China signals rare earths cut off to U.S. Chinese President Xi Jingping took a trip to a rare earths plant during a domestic tour this week, which analysts took as a signal that the government is considering using its rare earths export as a weapon in its trade war with the United States. China accounted for about 71 percent of mined rare earth elements last year, and an even higher ratio of processed rare earths, according to Reuters. The U.S. relies on China for 80 percent of its imports. However, any cut off would be detrimental to China as well.
U.S. manufacturing activity weak. U.S. manufacturing growth fell to its lowest reading in nearly a decade, a sign that the trade war may be impacting the economy. IHS Markit said its Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) declined to 50.6 in May, the lowest level since September 2009. Anything below 50 is an outright contraction. Separately, in a speech this week, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned about rising corporate debt.
Total looks to sell stake in Kashagan. Total SA (NYSE: TOT) is hoping to sell part of its stake in the Kashagan oil field, the massive field in Kazakhstan. Total has a 16.8 percent stake and is looking to raise $4 billion by selling a third of its position. Kashagan was the world’s most expensive oil project.
Talos Energy eyes Anadarko’s offshore assets. Talos Energy (NYSE: TALO) is interested in buying some of Anadarko Petroleum’s (NYSE: APC) deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico.
Shell starts up Appomattox platform. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) started up its Appomattox platform in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of schedule. The project is the only major platform expected to come online in the Gulf this year. It is expected to produce 175,000 bpd.
Russian oil contamination not over. Russia tried to quickly resolve the oil contamination problem through its Druzhba pipeline but hit a setback this week. French oil company Total SA (NYSE: TOT) saw its Leuna refinery damaged, and reports suggest it may have been linked to receiving contaminated oil. The largest-ever outage to hit Russia may continue.
Oil volatility set to jump. Despite the series of supply outages and the prospect of an escalating trade war, oil price volatility had been rather subdued this year. That is, until this week. A new report predicts that the oil market is in for a “bumpy ride” in the second half of the year.
BP to look at frontier exploration. After several years of pursuing more cautious tie-back projects offshore, BP (NYSE: BP) said that it was considering more ambitious frontier exploration. It’s a sign that the oil majors are willing to take on greater risk once again, after several years of stepping back.
Pipeline protestors push back. Texas became the latest state to pass draconian punishments for protestors interrupting oil and gas pipeline construction, measures intended to prevent a repeat of the Dakota Access protests. However, the laws are now facing litigation.
U.S. gearing up to sanction Nord Stream 2. Bipartisan momentum is building for sanctions on companies that help build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The U.S. views the pipeline as a geostrategic threat, hooking Europe on Russian gas. But it would also impact U.S. LNG exporters, adding an extra impetus to lawmakers to try to halt the pipeline.
Norway’s oil output falls to a three-decade low. Norway’s oil production fell to 1.38 mb/d in April, down from 1.531 mb/d a year ago.
Energy storage in U.S. to double. U.S. energy storage capacity is expected to double this year to 712 megawatts, up from 376 MW last year.
Pioneer slashes 25 percent of its workforce. Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD) announced that it was laying off 25 percent of its workforce, a move that could save it $100 million.
Saudi Arabia to buy U.S. LNG. Saudi Aramco agreed to buy LNG from Sempra Energy’s (NYSE: SRE) Port Arthur LNG project. Aramco may also take a 25 percent stake in the project. The deal is a dramatic role reversal, with the U.S. sending energy to Saudi Arabia, rather than the other way around.
Texas ranch sells for $450 million. Bloomberg reports on how a remote Texas ranch is set to be sold for $450 million, all because of the land’s water resources. Permian drillers are desperate for water, and industry spending on water is set to jump from $11 billion last year to $18 billion by 2021.
Middle East oil suffers discount from IMO rules. Looming IMO rules on sulfur fuels could push Middle East oil to a heavy discount. Dubai crude could fall to an $8-per-barrel discount to Brent, deeper than the current $4 discount, according to Citi. High-sulfur fuels will fall out of favor when the shipping rules take effect at the start of 2020.
Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next week.
Oil rebounded on Friday but it was not enough to erase the roughly 7 percent meltdown seen on Thursday. The trade war is starting to become a top concern to global equity and commodity markets. As of mid-day, WTI was trading above $58 per barrel and Brent moved above $67, somewhat mitigating what has otherwise been a dismal week. On the upside, the plunge in prices and the renewed bearishness undercuts the rationale for OPEC+ to increase production. “It is reasonable to doubt whether Saudi Arabia will be willing to step up its output given the latest decline in prices,” analysts at Commerzbank said. “We therefore expect to see higher oil prices again in the near future.”
Chinese demand takes a hit. Demand for fuels in China is showing weakness, with teapot refineries seeing inventories building up. Gasoline inventories in Shandong province have surged to their highest level since 2011, according to Bloomberg. The refiners are losing $8 on every barrel they produce. “It’s all because of very sluggish downstream demand, especially on the gasoline side,” Gao Jian, an oil analyst at Zhao Jin Futures, told Bloomberg. Refiners are starting to cut run rates.
U.S. threatens sanctions on Venezuelan jet fuel. In a bid to tighten the screws further, the U.S. told several European trading houses to stop selling Venezuela jet fuel or else they will face sanctions.
China signals rare earths cut off to U.S. Chinese President Xi Jingping took a trip to a rare earths plant during a domestic tour this week, which analysts took as a signal that the government is considering using its rare earths export as a weapon in its trade war with the United States. China accounted for about 71 percent of mined rare earth elements last year, and an even higher ratio of processed rare earths, according to Reuters. The U.S. relies on China for 80 percent of its imports. However, any cut off would be detrimental to China as well.
U.S. manufacturing activity weak. U.S. manufacturing growth fell to its lowest reading in nearly a decade, a sign that the trade war may be impacting the economy. IHS Markit said its Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) declined to 50.6 in May, the lowest level since September 2009. Anything below 50 is an outright contraction. Separately, in a speech this week, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned about rising corporate debt.
Total looks to sell stake in Kashagan. Total SA (NYSE: TOT) is hoping to sell part of its stake in the Kashagan oil field, the massive field in Kazakhstan. Total has a 16.8 percent stake and is looking to raise $4 billion by selling a third of its position. Kashagan was the world’s most expensive oil project.
Talos Energy eyes Anadarko’s offshore assets. Talos Energy (NYSE: TALO) is interested in buying some of Anadarko Petroleum’s (NYSE: APC) deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico.
Shell starts up Appomattox platform. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) started up its Appomattox platform in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of schedule. The project is the only major platform expected to come online in the Gulf this year. It is expected to produce 175,000 bpd.
Russian oil contamination not over. Russia tried to quickly resolve the oil contamination problem through its Druzhba pipeline but hit a setback this week. French oil company Total SA (NYSE: TOT) saw its Leuna refinery damaged, and reports suggest it may have been linked to receiving contaminated oil. The largest-ever outage to hit Russia may continue.
Oil volatility set to jump. Despite the series of supply outages and the prospect of an escalating trade war, oil price volatility had been rather subdued this year. That is, until this week. A new report predicts that the oil market is in for a “bumpy ride” in the second half of the year.
BP to look at frontier exploration. After several years of pursuing more cautious tie-back projects offshore, BP (NYSE: BP) said that it was considering more ambitious frontier exploration. It’s a sign that the oil majors are willing to take on greater risk once again, after several years of stepping back.
Pipeline protestors push back. Texas became the latest state to pass draconian punishments for protestors interrupting oil and gas pipeline construction, measures intended to prevent a repeat of the Dakota Access protests. However, the laws are now facing litigation.
U.S. gearing up to sanction Nord Stream 2. Bipartisan momentum is building for sanctions on companies that help build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The U.S. views the pipeline as a geostrategic threat, hooking Europe on Russian gas. But it would also impact U.S. LNG exporters, adding an extra impetus to lawmakers to try to halt the pipeline.
Norway’s oil output falls to a three-decade low. Norway’s oil production fell to 1.38 mb/d in April, down from 1.531 mb/d a year ago.
Energy storage in U.S. to double. U.S. energy storage capacity is expected to double this year to 712 megawatts, up from 376 MW last year.
Pioneer slashes 25 percent of its workforce. Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD) announced that it was laying off 25 percent of its workforce, a move that could save it $100 million.
Saudi Arabia to buy U.S. LNG. Saudi Aramco agreed to buy LNG from Sempra Energy’s (NYSE: SRE) Port Arthur LNG project. Aramco may also take a 25 percent stake in the project. The deal is a dramatic role reversal, with the U.S. sending energy to Saudi Arabia, rather than the other way around.
Texas ranch sells for $450 million. Bloomberg reports on how a remote Texas ranch is set to be sold for $450 million, all because of the land’s water resources. Permian drillers are desperate for water, and industry spending on water is set to jump from $11 billion last year to $18 billion by 2021.
Middle East oil suffers discount from IMO rules. Looming IMO rules on sulfur fuels could push Middle East oil to a heavy discount. Dubai crude could fall to an $8-per-barrel discount to Brent, deeper than the current $4 discount, according to Citi. High-sulfur fuels will fall out of favor when the shipping rules take effect at the start of 2020.
Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next week.
Volf
25.05.2019 kl 09:33
968
Libyan Oil Industry Stable Despite ISIS Return
Libya’s estimate for its April oil revenues came in as one of its best in a long time, suggesting that the stalemate between the GNA and LNA is yet to impact oil production. It’s not all good news for Libya though, as ISIS is now taking advantage of the security vacuum that has been created by Haftar’s forces focusing on Tripoli.
Regarding oil revenues, the NOC reported $1.87 billion for April due to a rise in global crude oil prices and a busy loading scheduled at the end of March. This loading schedule resulted in cargo receipts both arriving and clearing in April’s revenue statement. The NOC reported a monthly increase of approximately $340 million (+22%).
Our team on the ground has obtained the official NOC documents:
Regarding security, the market should be concerned about ISIS, which launched an attack on Saturday at a checkpoint manned by Haftar’s LNA forces near a major oilfield in the south of the country. The oilfield – Zellah - is only 20 kilometers from the checkpoint in question, and is a clear signal of an intended move on the field. In the attack, our sources on the ground say that two LNA checkpoint guards were beheaded, and six others kidnapped.
The oilfield is owned by the Zueitina oil company.
In terms of the conflict for Tripoli, there are indications that it will be a lengthy one given external meddling. Most recently, that appears to have resulted in a shipment of weapons from Turkey for the GNA to fight back Haftar’s forces. This has led to a significant escalation in fighting as of Tuesday.
But let’s put this into perspective in terms of who controls what: Even if this is a protracted battle, it is still in Haftar’s favor:
Investors Should Be Monitoring Argentina’s Upcoming Elections
Argentina is preparing to export its first LNG cargo for a new floating facility and to become the kingpin of a global lithium cartel, but elections are coming up in October and the pro-market Macri - the Western investor’s poster child for Latin America - may or may not survive politically.
The specter of Cristina Fernandez Kirchner is still haunting the political corridors of Buenos Aires, and despite the fact that she faces trial for corruption and embezzlement (a trial that started on Tuesday), she’s still gunning for the presidency. Over the weekend, Kirchner announced her candidacy as vice-president, running with presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez, who is a former Kirchner-era politician.
Our high-level sources on the ground - with access across the political sphere - say Kirchner’s move was entirely unexpected given the high-level of negative sentiment against her. Becoming the vice-president for Fernandez would be her way of controlling the presidency without directly running, and she may even have offered Fernandez a deal that would see him resign if he won and step down for her in return for another lucrative post elsewhere. That would give her the presidency without winning it, and also give her significantly more power against prosecutors who are aiming to take her down.
What happens next depends on the outcome of a series of events, beginning with Wednesday’s meeting of the Alternativa Federal, the Peronist opposition to Kirchner. At this meeting, they will decide on their candidate list, and what will make or break Kirchner is whether they field more candidates against her, or whether they consider her Fernandez puppet as a consensus candidate. The Peronists want to beat Macri, but some of them want to beat Kirchner more.
Investors want Marci, of course, and Kirchner’s populism would be devastating, but a few other candidates are closely aligned in theory with Macri’s pro-market ideas. Roberto Lavagna has just announced his candidacy, and he is a former minister of economy who may attempt to portray himself as “socialist-leaning” and slightly populist, but who is at heart an economist and very much against “Cristinismo”. We do not feel that investors have a great deal to fear from Lavanga. There is also Sergio Massa, who is a bigger threat because presently he is the only one of the anti-Kirchner faction of Peronists who might be willing to cut a deal with her. We will learn more on Wednesday, when the Peronists meet. Primaries will be held in August, for October elections.
US Warmongering on Iran Showing Cracks
Exxon was forced to withdraw some 80 staff from Iraq’s oil-rich Basra over ostensible Iranian threats to US interests in the fallout from Washington’s attempt to provoke Tehran. Now the acting US Defense Secretary is saying, vaguely, that the threat of attacks by Iran has been “put on hold” thanks to US counter-measures, while Trump has wavered back and forth about his intentions here, based on criticism coming from the Democratic camp. The Saudis continue to lobby for a war, and Yemen’s Houthis are happy to oblige, claiming to have launched an armed drone at the Najran airport in Saudi Arabia. It’s not the first time the Houthis have targeted this airport, which is right on the Saudi-Yemen border and is an easy target.
In the meantime, Iraqi is livid that Exxon has evacuated staff, calling it “unacceptable and unwarranted”, and noting that the south of Iraq is peaceful and secure and other oil companies (Lukoil, BP, Eni) have made no similar move and do not intend to. Reasonably, Iraq is worried about the false message this sends to investors and the market in general. On May 19th, a rocket attack in Iraq’s Green Zone has served to ratchet up tensions further. The attack was being headlined in the media as “near the US Embassy in Baghdad”, but we caution against this headline-grabbing ploy because the attack occurred (as readers learn further down in stories) a mile from the embassy, suggesting that the embassy was clearly not the target. The significance of the “attack” was that it was the first in the Green Zone in some 8 months, but there were no casualties, and authorities know little about the nature of the attack, other than that the rocket was fired from an open field and may have been fired from Eastern Baghdad, where there are known Iranian militias.
Global Oil & Gas Playbook
- Remember that contaminated Russian crude oil that traders were trying to sell to Europe? Now, according to shipping data (Reuters is paying attention), that same oil (700,000 tonnes) is being passed off to Asian buyers by traders Vitoland Unipec. This was a major upset for Russian oil because it resulted in a significant export reduction through its Druzhba pipeline to Europe. If the Europeans don’t want it, though, traders think they can fob it off on small Chinese refineries, for one. It’s a bit of a risk for the Chinese refiners, who are well aware the oil is contaminated with organic chloride, which can undermine refining equipment if not carefully and arduously diluted. If they can successfully dilute it, they will expect a major discount, of course. In the meantime, the contaminated Urals crude is still creating blowback in Europe, where French Total SA and Italian Eni have halted payments for oil purchased through Druzhba over the incident. The move is significant because based on Russian law (which is not in line with typical Western procedures) buyers have to pay regardless of whether the crude meets standards and then make a claim against it later for reimbursement, so Eni and Total are playing outside the normal Russian rules here. Total has temporarily closed a German refinery Mitteldeutschland due to the contaminated crude. Operations are expected to resume after the weekend using crude supplied via the Polish port of Gdansk.
- After drilling 18 holes off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan is calling it quits after making zero discoveries in the Arabian Sea area.
- Another five oil workers have been kidnapped in Nigeria’s Rivers state this week from an oil production site. Kidnappings again appear to have picked up momentum, and this recent case is the third in as many weeks. In April, four oil workers, including two Shell executives, were kidnapped (but later released under unknown conditions) in the Niger Delta region.
- Brazil’s Petrobras says its total oil production this year will contain 60% of pre-salt production (currently it is 49%). The state-run Brazilian giant was eyeing 2.8 million bpd this year, and already hit that target at the beginning of this month. It’s bound to increase, as well, with 7 newly operational FPSOs in less than a year and another 11 slated to become operational by 2023.
- Zimbabwe's energy regulator has increased diesel and petrol prices by 47%, effectively and suddenly scrapping subsidies. The move comes after the Central Bank got rid of the 1:1 dollar parity oil companies used to purchase dollars. We expect significant blowback in the form of violent protests from this. In January, another 150% hike in fuel prices led to such violent street protests, as well. Inflation is out of control in Zimbabwe, having hit 76% in April. The authorities are hoping to appease the public with subsidies for public transport.
- Dana Gas announced it has commenced drilling operations at its Merak-1 well, offshore Egypt, in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. The well may contain up to 4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, based on company estimates.
- The Cypriot government is now preparing to ramp up oil and gas exploration in response to Turkey’s plans to do its own drilling off the coast of Cyprus in waters that are part of Cyprus’ EEZ. Cypriot Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis said eight drilling operations are now scheduled over the next 24 months, while initially they were expected to begin by the end of this year or early 2020. Turkey is now planning to begin actual drilling in the disputed area in September. We continue to be concerned about this move because it goes beyond Erdogan’s normal provocations and there are indications that his declining popularity at home and increased isolation ge
Libya’s estimate for its April oil revenues came in as one of its best in a long time, suggesting that the stalemate between the GNA and LNA is yet to impact oil production. It’s not all good news for Libya though, as ISIS is now taking advantage of the security vacuum that has been created by Haftar’s forces focusing on Tripoli.
Regarding oil revenues, the NOC reported $1.87 billion for April due to a rise in global crude oil prices and a busy loading scheduled at the end of March. This loading schedule resulted in cargo receipts both arriving and clearing in April’s revenue statement. The NOC reported a monthly increase of approximately $340 million (+22%).
Our team on the ground has obtained the official NOC documents:
Regarding security, the market should be concerned about ISIS, which launched an attack on Saturday at a checkpoint manned by Haftar’s LNA forces near a major oilfield in the south of the country. The oilfield – Zellah - is only 20 kilometers from the checkpoint in question, and is a clear signal of an intended move on the field. In the attack, our sources on the ground say that two LNA checkpoint guards were beheaded, and six others kidnapped.
The oilfield is owned by the Zueitina oil company.
In terms of the conflict for Tripoli, there are indications that it will be a lengthy one given external meddling. Most recently, that appears to have resulted in a shipment of weapons from Turkey for the GNA to fight back Haftar’s forces. This has led to a significant escalation in fighting as of Tuesday.
But let’s put this into perspective in terms of who controls what: Even if this is a protracted battle, it is still in Haftar’s favor:
Investors Should Be Monitoring Argentina’s Upcoming Elections
Argentina is preparing to export its first LNG cargo for a new floating facility and to become the kingpin of a global lithium cartel, but elections are coming up in October and the pro-market Macri - the Western investor’s poster child for Latin America - may or may not survive politically.
The specter of Cristina Fernandez Kirchner is still haunting the political corridors of Buenos Aires, and despite the fact that she faces trial for corruption and embezzlement (a trial that started on Tuesday), she’s still gunning for the presidency. Over the weekend, Kirchner announced her candidacy as vice-president, running with presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez, who is a former Kirchner-era politician.
Our high-level sources on the ground - with access across the political sphere - say Kirchner’s move was entirely unexpected given the high-level of negative sentiment against her. Becoming the vice-president for Fernandez would be her way of controlling the presidency without directly running, and she may even have offered Fernandez a deal that would see him resign if he won and step down for her in return for another lucrative post elsewhere. That would give her the presidency without winning it, and also give her significantly more power against prosecutors who are aiming to take her down.
What happens next depends on the outcome of a series of events, beginning with Wednesday’s meeting of the Alternativa Federal, the Peronist opposition to Kirchner. At this meeting, they will decide on their candidate list, and what will make or break Kirchner is whether they field more candidates against her, or whether they consider her Fernandez puppet as a consensus candidate. The Peronists want to beat Macri, but some of them want to beat Kirchner more.
Investors want Marci, of course, and Kirchner’s populism would be devastating, but a few other candidates are closely aligned in theory with Macri’s pro-market ideas. Roberto Lavagna has just announced his candidacy, and he is a former minister of economy who may attempt to portray himself as “socialist-leaning” and slightly populist, but who is at heart an economist and very much against “Cristinismo”. We do not feel that investors have a great deal to fear from Lavanga. There is also Sergio Massa, who is a bigger threat because presently he is the only one of the anti-Kirchner faction of Peronists who might be willing to cut a deal with her. We will learn more on Wednesday, when the Peronists meet. Primaries will be held in August, for October elections.
US Warmongering on Iran Showing Cracks
Exxon was forced to withdraw some 80 staff from Iraq’s oil-rich Basra over ostensible Iranian threats to US interests in the fallout from Washington’s attempt to provoke Tehran. Now the acting US Defense Secretary is saying, vaguely, that the threat of attacks by Iran has been “put on hold” thanks to US counter-measures, while Trump has wavered back and forth about his intentions here, based on criticism coming from the Democratic camp. The Saudis continue to lobby for a war, and Yemen’s Houthis are happy to oblige, claiming to have launched an armed drone at the Najran airport in Saudi Arabia. It’s not the first time the Houthis have targeted this airport, which is right on the Saudi-Yemen border and is an easy target.
In the meantime, Iraqi is livid that Exxon has evacuated staff, calling it “unacceptable and unwarranted”, and noting that the south of Iraq is peaceful and secure and other oil companies (Lukoil, BP, Eni) have made no similar move and do not intend to. Reasonably, Iraq is worried about the false message this sends to investors and the market in general. On May 19th, a rocket attack in Iraq’s Green Zone has served to ratchet up tensions further. The attack was being headlined in the media as “near the US Embassy in Baghdad”, but we caution against this headline-grabbing ploy because the attack occurred (as readers learn further down in stories) a mile from the embassy, suggesting that the embassy was clearly not the target. The significance of the “attack” was that it was the first in the Green Zone in some 8 months, but there were no casualties, and authorities know little about the nature of the attack, other than that the rocket was fired from an open field and may have been fired from Eastern Baghdad, where there are known Iranian militias.
Global Oil & Gas Playbook
- Remember that contaminated Russian crude oil that traders were trying to sell to Europe? Now, according to shipping data (Reuters is paying attention), that same oil (700,000 tonnes) is being passed off to Asian buyers by traders Vitoland Unipec. This was a major upset for Russian oil because it resulted in a significant export reduction through its Druzhba pipeline to Europe. If the Europeans don’t want it, though, traders think they can fob it off on small Chinese refineries, for one. It’s a bit of a risk for the Chinese refiners, who are well aware the oil is contaminated with organic chloride, which can undermine refining equipment if not carefully and arduously diluted. If they can successfully dilute it, they will expect a major discount, of course. In the meantime, the contaminated Urals crude is still creating blowback in Europe, where French Total SA and Italian Eni have halted payments for oil purchased through Druzhba over the incident. The move is significant because based on Russian law (which is not in line with typical Western procedures) buyers have to pay regardless of whether the crude meets standards and then make a claim against it later for reimbursement, so Eni and Total are playing outside the normal Russian rules here. Total has temporarily closed a German refinery Mitteldeutschland due to the contaminated crude. Operations are expected to resume after the weekend using crude supplied via the Polish port of Gdansk.
- After drilling 18 holes off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan is calling it quits after making zero discoveries in the Arabian Sea area.
- Another five oil workers have been kidnapped in Nigeria’s Rivers state this week from an oil production site. Kidnappings again appear to have picked up momentum, and this recent case is the third in as many weeks. In April, four oil workers, including two Shell executives, were kidnapped (but later released under unknown conditions) in the Niger Delta region.
- Brazil’s Petrobras says its total oil production this year will contain 60% of pre-salt production (currently it is 49%). The state-run Brazilian giant was eyeing 2.8 million bpd this year, and already hit that target at the beginning of this month. It’s bound to increase, as well, with 7 newly operational FPSOs in less than a year and another 11 slated to become operational by 2023.
- Zimbabwe's energy regulator has increased diesel and petrol prices by 47%, effectively and suddenly scrapping subsidies. The move comes after the Central Bank got rid of the 1:1 dollar parity oil companies used to purchase dollars. We expect significant blowback in the form of violent protests from this. In January, another 150% hike in fuel prices led to such violent street protests, as well. Inflation is out of control in Zimbabwe, having hit 76% in April. The authorities are hoping to appease the public with subsidies for public transport.
- Dana Gas announced it has commenced drilling operations at its Merak-1 well, offshore Egypt, in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. The well may contain up to 4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, based on company estimates.
- The Cypriot government is now preparing to ramp up oil and gas exploration in response to Turkey’s plans to do its own drilling off the coast of Cyprus in waters that are part of Cyprus’ EEZ. Cypriot Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis said eight drilling operations are now scheduled over the next 24 months, while initially they were expected to begin by the end of this year or early 2020. Turkey is now planning to begin actual drilling in the disputed area in September. We continue to be concerned about this move because it goes beyond Erdogan’s normal provocations and there are indications that his declining popularity at home and increased isolation ge