“And so what is going to happen is that Oman is not going to allow for a unilateral decision to just close that end completely again, like I pointed out, the Chinese had a lot of interest in terms of movements of goods and other services, or, eh, movements of goods more or less to the Chinese and other South Asian countries. And so they also have an interest in ensuring that the passage is not closed,” he said during a discussion on TV3 on Monday, June 23.
That’s what Bjarne Schieldrop, Chief Commodities Analyst at Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB), said in an oil report sent to Rigzone by the SEB team on Monday. In the report, Schieldrop highlighted that Brent crossed the $80 per barrel line this morning but noted that it “quickly fell back, assigning limited probability for Iran choosing to close the Strait of Hormuz”.
Cheiron Petroleum Corporation was awarded the North Sitra and East Sidi Barani blocks and will drill four exploration wells. Apache Corporation received West Kanayis-K to support ongoing developments in the Western Desert. Pharos Energy secured South Abu Sennan, committing to three wells. IPR Energy Group will drill three wells at South Wadi El Rayan. A consortium of NPC and GHP will target mature fields G and HNW, planning seven wells to boost production.
Shell Plc Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan warned Thursday of a “huge impact” on global trade if the conflict were to result in a blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Shell has contingency plans in place in the event that the situation deteriorates, Sawan said at the Japan Energy Summit & Exhibition in Tokyo.
FTSE 100 oil heavyweights are back in analysts favour after oil prices surged from the intensifying Middle Eastern conflict.
BP and Shell shares have jumped around three per cent in the last week and climbed further as President Donald Trump weighed in on the attacks in Israel and Iran.
Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale play posted significant first-quarter gains in 2025, building on last year’s strong performance, with oil output surging 26% and gas production rising 16% year-on-year, according to Rystad Energy estimates. This growth is shifting Argentina away from its historical dependence on gas imports, pushing the nation closer to energy self-sufficiency.
Singapore’s Seatrium has signed a letter of intent with specialist LPG and petrochemicals shipping company Solvang ASA for the installation and retrofitting of full-scale CCS systems on its VLGC fleet, Seatrium announced on Thursday.
Australia’s Santos Ltd. said the BW Opal floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel arrived at the Barossa gas field. This is a critical milestone on the path to first gas in the third quarter of 2025, Santos said in a media release, adding that the FPSO has been hooked up with final commissioning already in progress.
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has recently imposed over $1.4 million in penalties on oil and gas operators for violations. These penalties were assessed during the June 2025 Commissioners’ Conference, with a total of $1,423,831.00 levied across various enforcement dockets according to The Railroad Commission of Texas.
Oil swung in a turbulent session amid speculation the U.S. may join the Middle East conflict, with traders focused on flows through the region’s vital shipping chokepoint.