A cold snap in the U.S. and continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea have boosted bullish sentiment in oil markets, although increasing product stocks could counter that narrative.
PetroChina’s contract to develop the Nahr bin Umar gas field follows the takeover by PetroChina of ExxonMobil’s operator role in the giant West Qurna 1 field.
For China, Iraq’s gas sector is not just potentially massive but is also highly connected to its equally potentially huge oil sector.
Around 70 percent of Iraq’s gas reserves are ‘associated’ with oil fields, and the majority of these fields are located in the southeast of Iraq.
China’s oil imports reached 11.28 million bpd in the previous year, an 11% increase from
2022, driven by strong fuel demand at home and abroad.
Domestic crude oil production in China also hit a record, totaling 208 million tons for the year, averaging 4.2 million barrels per day.
China’s substantial oil storage activities and fuel exports, particularly to Europe post-Russian embargo, highlight both domestic and international demand dynamics.
Despite the recent bearishness, investors are still betting heavily on one corner of the market: offshore oil and gas.
The Clarksons Offshore Index is projected to reach all-time high in 2024.
Rig, OSV and Subsea markets are particularly robust, with oil and gas vessel rates now higher than 2014 levels in the majority of sectors/regions.
Azerbaijan plans to increase its gas exports from 8 billion cubic meters in 2021 to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027.
This expansion requires increased gas production and capacity enhancement of the Southern Gas Corridor pipelines.
Challenges include securing purchase agreements with European buyers and competing with flexible LNG exports.
Macroeconomic factors continue to weigh on oil prices this week, despite the insistence of OPEC+ members that the group’s production cuts will tighten the oil market.
When we talk of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we tend to focus on the latter’s political, social and humanitarian dimensions. But often this comes at the expense of considering an important economic dimension — one which recent events in Gaza have brought into stark relief.
SINGAPORE, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Oil prices held steady on Tuesday amid uncertainty over voluntary output cuts by OPEC+ and as continued tension in the Middle East spurred supply concern.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 edged up 13 cents to $78.16 a barrel by 0106 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 were up 18 cents at $73.22 a barrel.
Division and dissent within OPEC+ over deeper production cuts led to an unconvincing announcement last week which pushed prices lower.
Brent crude futures were down 0.9%, or 73 cents, to US$78.15 a barrel by 0735 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at US$73.43 a barrel, down 0.8%, or 64 cents