Oil & Gas Refining

Santos, Australia’s No.2 oil &?gas producer said on Monday that it had?reached first oil in its Pikka project, located in Alaska, U.S.A. Shares of the Adelaide-headquartered company rose as much as 3.1% to A$8.12, their highest ?since April 13, while the broader S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index ?was down 1.4% by 0450 GMT. Stocks of the Adelaide-based company rose as much as 3.1% to A$8.12, their highest level?since April 13, while the broader S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index?was down 1.4% by 0450 GMT. Craig Sidney is a senior investment advisor at Shaw and Partners. He said, "This announcement is positive in light...

The Cuban government released a statement saying that a U.S. delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe had met his counterpart in Cuba's Interior Ministry on Thursday. Tensions are rising over a U.S. blockade of fuel, which has deprived the island of power and fuel. Since returning to office in the United States, Donald Trump has put pressure on Cuba. He said a few days ago that both long-time enemies were "going to talk." Cuban representatives at the meeting stressed that Cuba did not pose a danger to the national security of the United States, according to the Cuban government....

Cuba's electrical system suffered a partial failure early 'on Thursday morning', according to the grid operator UNE. This'snuffed out power in eastern Cuba,' and tested the patience of Cubans who were already tired from'seemingly endless blackouts' amid a 'U.S. fuel blockade. Grid operator reported that by mid-morning, officials had restored some essential services to the region. However, much of Cuba east from Camaguey including the second largest city of the island, Santiago de Cuba remained without electricity. This month, the Caribbean island with its 10 million people reached a tipping-point as the summer heat set in. The vast majority of...

Lawyers for Venezuela have told a U.S. court this week that Citgo Petroleum, the Venezuelan-owned U.S. refining company, has seen its value 'increase since the sale of their 'parent company was ordered last year. This should prevent the execution process. Amber Energy, a hedge fund affiliate, and a Delaware judge approved in November a $5.9billion bid from Elliott Investment Management for Citgo Holding, the parent company of Citgo. This was after a court-organized share auction to pay creditors. The sale has yet to be approved by the U.S. Treasury Department and a U.S. Venezuela and rival bidders have asked an...

G.O.I., a Cypriot private equity fund, has agreed to purchase the Sicilian oil refiner ISAB. The Italian group Energy said Wednesday that the Iran War has revealed Europe's dependence on the Gulf to supply jet fuel and refined products. Ludoil is the jet fuel supplier to Rome's Fiumicino airport. The Morattis family of Italy and the Brachetti Perettis family in Azerbaijan sold their oil refineries recently to Vitol, a commodity trader. Ludoil had already begun discussions with G.O.I. When the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28, they used ISAB to generate energy. Ludoil was founded in 1954...

The Ministry of Finance and Prices announced on Tuesday that Cuba would introduce variable fuel prices at the pump starting May 15, to reflect "actual" import costs of gas and diesel in the face of an ongoing U.S. blockade. Fuel has been scarce for two weeks straight in state-run stations in Havana due to the U.S. fuel blockade, which has led to strict rationing. Cubans are forced to park their few gas-powered cars after the shortages. This comes four months after U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on nations exporting fuel to Cuba. Cuba's government stated that some...

U.S. refiner HF Sinclair announced on Tuesday that former 'CEO Timothy Go' departed the firm effective May 11, under a?? mutually agreed??? separation??? agreement after being on voluntary?? leave for almost three months. Go, the former chief executive of the company, was on leave from February 17 to March 1 as part of a review after Atanas Atanasov, the finance chief, raised concerns over Go's actions affecting the tone at the top regarding the 2025 disclosure process. Since then, Board Chair Franklin Myers has served as interim CEO and President. During the review, the board raised a number of concerns...

The U.S. Energy shares had a good year, largely due to rising oil prices as a result of the Iran 'war. But the gains came with a great deal of volatility, and charts now flash a warning which could indicate a major drop. The S&P 500 Energy Index, which tracks the performance of energy stocks in S&P 500 is currently forming what technical analysts refer to as a head-and shoulders top. This pattern is often used to indicate a change from a bullish to a negative trend. This pattern has three peaks, with the highest peak in the middle. Two...

Canadian retailer Loblaw missed Wall Street expectations for the first quarter revenue on Wednesday, as consumers become more cautious in their spending amid rising macroeconomic uncertainty. Lower-income Canadians are cutting back on non essential spending due to a squeeze on their household budgets caused by?higher prices for groceries, higher crude oil prices from Iran's war, and increased inflation. Retailers in North America are feeling the pinch. U.S. supermarket Albertsons forecasted soft sales last month, and Canadian discount retailer Dollarama projected a year-end?sales that were largely below expectations. Loblaw continues to expect that its adjusted net income will grow in the...

Marathon Petroleum beat Wall Street estimates for the first-quarter profits on Tuesday, benefiting from higher refining margins due to a 'tighter supply globally caused by 'the Middle East War. The stock has risen 55% this year, and its?shares? rose 1% in the premarket. The company has also approved a $5 billion additional share repurchase programme, bringing its total authorization up to approximately $8.6 billion. Marathon returned over $1 billion to its shareholders during the third quarter. U.S. refined products exports reached a record in March, as the Iran War and the 'near-closure of Strait of Hormuz' tightened global fuel supply,...

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit to block Minnesota's long-running lawsuit that seeks?to hold Exxon Mobil and other oil industry participants accountable?for the harms caused by climate changes. The lawsuit was the latest in a long line of lawsuits filed by President Donald Trump to stop Democratic-led state governments from enforcing climate change laws and pursuing lawsuits against fossil fuel companies. Judges have recently dismissed ?two similar lawsuits that the Justice Department filed against Michigan and Hawaii, which are among the ?numerous states and local governments that have in recent years pursued climate-change-related investigations or lawsuits against fossil...

Eni said on Monday that it would resume lifting Venezuelan crude in April as payment-in kind for gas produced?in Venezuela. The Italian energy group added?that?the move?would?allow?it to?recover?old receivables?from Caracas. Payments stem from an agreement between Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA, and Cardon IV - a joint venture owned equally by?Eni and Spain’s Repsol - that produces gas in the Perla field. The deal was signed in March. Eni stated that payments for gas are made in kind, and the first shipment from Venezuelan crude oil was lifted in April. Eni announced that the lifting of oil cargoes has resumed as U.S....

Ship-tracking data provided by LSEG on Thursday showed that a crude 'oil tanker under the flag of Panama, managed by the Japanese refinery?group Eneos, had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This is the second time a ship with Japan-related links has made it through. Japan used to rely on the Gulf for 95% of its imports of oil before the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran largely interrupted oil supplies via Strait of Hormuz. Kpler data shows that the Eneos managed tanker was loaded with 700,000 barrels Emirati Das Blend oil and 1.2 million barrels Kuwait crude in late...

According to traders, analysts, and shipping data, China increased U.S. Ethane imports in April, capitalising on the strong petrochemical margins, as other Middle East?feedstocks were disrupted by the Iran War. The U.S. and Israel war against Iran halted the majority of shipments of liquefied gas (LPG) from the Middle East via the Strait of Hormuz. This forced Chinese petrochemical manufacturers to look to the United States to get more supplies. This was despite the fact that trade tensions last year caused Beijing to temporarily impose a tariff of 125% on U.S. exports. Data from Sublime China Information and?Kpler showed that...

Trade sources said that Saudi Arabian crude oil exports to China are set to drop further in June as buyers reduce nominations due to high 'prices' linked to the U.S./Iran conflict. They said that Saudi Aramco, the state oil giant, will be shipping about 10 million barrels (333,333 barrels) of oil per day to its Chinese customers next month. This would be a "record low" according to Kpler & Co., and compares with the?average of 1.39 million bpd shipped by the Kingdom to China between?2025 and?2025. According to sources who weren't authorized to speak to the media, major Chinese refiners...

Moeve, the Spanish energy company, reported on Thursday a 7% rise in its first-quarter earnings. The company cited strong performance across its core businesses and soaring profits in its energy division due to the Iran War which caused a spike in oil and fuel prices globally. The?company that was formerly Cepsa, one of Spain's biggest refiners, booked a net profit of 147 million euros ($173million) in the third quarter. This compares to 138 million euro a year earlier. In a press release, CEO MaartenWetselaar stated that "Moeve delivered a solid quarter of results shaped by heightened geopolitical uncertainties?and volatile oil...

The Mainichi?daily?reported?on?Saturday, citing Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. After the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, Japan has stopped buying oil from Russia. A?U.S. The Sakhalin-2 Project, which produces?mostly liquefied gas, is exempt from U.S. Tokyo is looking for alternative oil sources after the U.S. Israel war against Iran has largely cut off imports from the Gulf. The Gulf was Tokyo's primary oil source until the Middle East conflict began in late February. Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas company, is the controlling shareholder of?Sakhalin-2 Oil and Gas Project. Mitsui & Mitsubishi are also shareholders. Mainichi, citing an...

Chevron's first-quarter earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations on Friday as higher oil prices related to the U.S./Israeli war against Iran helped boost its results in its upstream business. LSEG data show that the company's adjusted earnings per share were $1.41, which is well above the consensus estimate. Despite the big beat, overall profits were at their lowest levels in five years. This was partly due to timing effects related to financial derivatives. Chevron’s largest business unit upstream generated $3.9 billion, an increase of 4% on the previous year, as oil prices rose. In a press release, CEO Mike Wirth stated...

Exxon Mobil beat expectations for the first quarter adjusted earnings on a Friday. However, unadjusted 'profit' dropped to its lowest in five years because of disrupted shipments due to the U.S./Israeli war against?Iran. Also, a negative impact was caused by?timing issues related to financial derivatives. The adjusted earnings for the first 'three months' of the year came in at $1.16, which was above the consensus estimate by LSEG of $1.00. The adjusted figure excludes a $700m loss due to cargoes which were not delivered because of the war. Earnings per share were $2.09, excluding financial derivatives. Net income was $4.2...

Chevron's first-quarter earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations on Friday as higher oil prices related to the U.S./Israeli war against Iran helped boost its upstream business. According to LSEG data, the company reported adjusted 'earnings' of $1.41 per a share, which is well above the consensus 'estimate' of 95 cents. Despite the impressive beat, total profit was at its lowest in five years due partly to timing effects related to financial derivatives. Chevron’s largest business unit, the upstream segment, has generated $3.9 billion, an increase of 4% on a year-over-year basis as higher oil prices have led to increased revenues. Mike...

The Trump administration wants to lend up to 92.5 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to energy companies to help calm down oil markets which have risen due to the war against Iran. In March, the U.S. agreed to lend 172 million barrels of oil from the SPR. This was part of a larger agreement?with over 30 countries that are members of the International Energy Agency. The agreement also included the release?of about 400 million 'barrels? to relieve the markets. Fatih Birol is the head of IEA and he has stated that the 'war has caused the...

The first quarter profits of European oil majors were boosted by bumper trading gains, as the Iran Warupended supply chain. This highlights how shifting?barrels across the globe can sometimes be more important than pumping them from the ground. BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies spent years developing vast oil trading'machines' that are now at the core of their businesses - setting them apart from their U.S. counterparts, for better or for worse. BP announced a first-quarter profit of $3.2 billion on Tuesday. This is more than twice the figure from last year, largely due to what BP called an exceptional performance in...

Trump Administration announced on Friday that it had imposed sanctions on an independent "teapot refinery" in China for?buying billions worth of Iranian crude oil while Washington and Tehran are struggling to restart peace negotiations. Treasury Department targeted Hengli Petrochemical Refinery Co., which they said was one of Iran's biggest customers for crude oil and petroleum. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department said that it had also imposed sanctions against about 40 shipping firms and vessels operating as part of Iran’s shadow fleet. Last year, the Trump administration imposed sanctions against teapots Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group and...

Three sources with knowledge of the matter said that Mercuria sold aluminum in Europe at a price below what was assessed by the price reporting agency Fastmarkets. This suggests the global benchmark may not always reflect the prices buyers are willing to pay. The price of European aluminium has risen following the Iran War, which disrupted Middle East supplies. Fastmarkets is used widely by both producers and consumers for large-volume trades of aluminium, which is used in construction, packaging, and transport. A source said that Mercuria had failed to get bids when it attempted to sell aluminium earlier this month...