Oil Refineries

ADNOC, Abu 'Dhabi's state-owned oil company, has closed its Ruwais refinery. A fire broke out in a facility inside the complex after a drone attack. This is the latest disruption of energy infrastructure caused by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The emirate’s government media office reported on Tuesday that authorities in Abu Dhabi?were responding a fire at a facility after a drone attack. The emirate's government media office said on Tuesday that authorities?were responding to a fire at the facility following a drone attack, adding there were no injuries. The complex houses Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's (ADNOC)...

Share markets are down on concerns that a U.S. - Israeli war against Iran is escalating and will lead to a squeeze on energy supplies around the world. Here are some?actions? that governments have taken?or? plan to take in order to lessen the impact the war has on their economies. SOUTH KOREAN PLANS FUEL CAPITAL South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Monday that the government would be capping domestic fuel prices for nearly 30 years. The country will also look for sources ?of energy beyond supplies shipped via the Strait of Hormuz, and a 100 trillion won ($67...

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Monday that the government would cap domestic gasoline prices for the first time in nearly 30 years to contain a price spike after the Middle East conflict sent global crude oil prices sharply higher. At an emergency meeting to discuss the Middle East Crisis, Lee stated that the government would "boldly and swiftly" implement a maximum pricing system on petroleum products which have seen recent price increases. In his opening remarks, Lee stated that the current crisis is "a significant burden" on our economy which is heavily dependent on global trade as...

Citgo Petroleum, a U.S. refiner, reported an increase of 48% in its net profit last year to $452 millions. This was due to improved refining margins as well as a record-breaking crude processing rate of 760,000 barrels / day. If the U.S. Treasury Department approves the transaction, the seventh largest U.S. refining company, owned by Venezuelan, will be 'taken over by an Elliott Investment Management affiliate following a court ordered auction last year to pay creditors. Citgo's annual total throughput increased from 811,000 to 833,000 barrels per day (bpd) with a crude usage rate of 92% in 2018. This is...

The United States issued on Thursday a 'general licence' exempting transactions that involve the 'German unit of Russia’s Rosneft’ from?U.S. sanctions. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that sanctions would be imposed on the Russian company Rosneft. This will provide Berlin with much-needed clarity about the future of the business. The license, which has no expiration date, replaces the one that was set to expire April 29. The extension of the existing U.S. sanction waiver reduces the risks of disruptions to German refining operations, at a moment when the conflict in the Middle East escalates and is unsettling the global energy...

Analysts say that the average U.S. gasoline price surpassed $3 per gallon on Monday for the first time since November as the conflict in the Middle East intensified. This is a major test of public support for President Donald Trump's decision against?Iran. Tehran's response to U.S.-Israeli strikes on oil production in neighboring nations and ships in Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the global supply of oil. Brent crude has risen by more than 5%, to almost $77 a barrel. Fuel prices are also rising in line with feedstock costs. As Trump and the Republicans prepare for the November midterm elections,...

The OPEC+'s decision to increase crude oil production by 206,000 barrels a day (bpd), starting in April, is the least significant decision that the group has taken during its nearly decade-long existence. Addition of 0.2% to global oil demand in a month is a mere symbolic gesture, given the escalating conflict in 'the Middle East' that is already causing serious disruptions in supply. The eight OPEC+ members who are voluntarily reducing their production could not have done much at the meeting held on Sunday to assure market participants of supply security. Analysts had predicted that the increase in barrels would...

HF Sinclair revealed in a filing that Atanas Atanasov has taken a 'voluntary leave from duty.' This comes just a week following a similar request by top boss Tim Go. In premarket trading, shares of the company dropped 4%. The company announced last week that it had begun an internal review of their disclosure processes. The company said on Friday that the review started on January 26 after Atanasov expressed concerns about certain actions taken by Go creating an "unfavorable" "tone at top" with respect to the 2025 disclosure process. At a later stage of the review the board expressed...

Investors are still worried about the possibility of a military conflict between Iran and the U.S., which could disrupt the supply. Talks between the two parties will take place on Thursday. Brent futures traded at $71.22 a barrel at 0140 GMT, an increase of 45 cents or 0.64%. WTI futures rose by 0.64% or 42 cents to $65. Brent prices hit their highest level since July 31st on Friday while WTI reached its highest level since August 4th on Monday. Both contracts are holding near that mark as the U.S. positions military forces in the Middle East, to force?Iran into...

According to sources familiar with these efforts, U.S. refiners 'Phillips 66' and 'Citgo Petroleum" are looking to purchase heavy crude from Venezuelan oil company PDVSA directly starting in April, to maximize profits. They do not want to buy through trading houses or U.S. oil giant Chevron. Trafigura, Vitol and other trading houses secured the first U.S. licenses for exporting Venezuelan oil in January as part of an agreement between Washington and Caracas worth $2 billion. Chevron holds an authorization to ship and operate in Venezuela since last year. Refiners have purchased cargoes of oil from these three companies in the...

According to sources who are familiar with these efforts, Phillips 66, Citgo Petroleum, and other U.S. refiners want to purchase heavy crude oil directly from Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA in order to maximize their profits. They do not plan to use trading houses or the U.S. oil giant Chevron. Trafigura Trading and Vitol secured the first U.S. export licenses for Venezuelan oil in January as part of a $2 Billion deal between Caracas & Washington. Chevron holds an authorization to ship and operate in Venezuela since last year. Refiners have purchased cargos from these three companies in the U.S. as...

People familiar with the operations of the refinery reported that three contractors were injured when a'release' of steam condensate occurred while reworking the CDU at Exxon Mobil Beaumont, Texas, which produces 612,000 barrels per day. In a Friday statement, Exxon confirmed that there were?injuries? at its Beaumont complex. This includes a?chemical plant, lubricant plant, and refinery. Exxon spokesperson Kelly Davita stated in an email that "Safety has always been a top priority and we are thinking of the individuals and their families." "A comprehensive inquiry has been launched to determine the cause." Sources said that the three contractors were working...

Crude oil futures prices'reflect a view of the market that it can successfully navigate through the Iran War, while the prices for physical cargoes or refined products signal an imminent crisis. One of these signals is not the case in the paper oil market. Brent crude futures for the global benchmark ended Wednesday at $91.98 per barrel, an increase of 4.8% over the previous close, but down from the brief spike that occurred on March 9, when they reached $119.50 - the highest price in almost four years. On the physical market, on Wednesday the premium of a physical cargo...

China's independent smaller refiners maintain output to cash in on the surge in domestic fuel price, but may be forced into trimming runs as of late April, when cheap feedstocks from inventories are running out and new deliveries will cost more in this war-induced rally, industry and trade sources reported. The plants in Shandong Province, China, the hub of smaller refineries, known as teapots, that account for roughly a quarter or more of the country's output, keep their run rates constant to maximize fuel sales, which are 20%-30% higher than before Israel and U.S. launched an attack on Iran on...

The first and most immediate impact of the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran is a spike in diesel prices. This will increase costs for Brazilian farmers harvesting record soybean crops?and planting corn that they can't afford to delay. Brazil imports around 30% of its diesel needs. This leaves farmers vulnerable as fuel prices rise along with global oil costs, said representatives from major agricultural groups. The conflict occurs at a time when the demand for diesel in Brazil is at an all-time high. Farmers are harvesting the remaining fields, hauling soybeans for market and finishing the planting of 'the second corn...

Share markets fell on concerns that the escalating U.S. - Israeli war 'on Iran would squeeze energy supplies around the globe and hamstring industry. Here are some?actions governments are taking or plan to take in order to lessen the?impact on their economies of war. SOUTH KOREAN PLANS FUEL CAPITAL South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Monday that the government would cap domestic fuel costs for the first time since nearly 30 years. He said that the country would also seek other sources of energy than those shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. A 100 trillion won ($67 billion),...

The United States, China and other major countries are making miscalculations, and retreating to their narrow interests, which threaten to turn the conflict in Iran into an international crisis for the supply of refined oil products. The media focuses a lot on the price for crude oil. Brent crude futures, which are the benchmark, jumped up to 20% in the early Asian trading on Monday, reaching $111.04 per barrel. This is the highest level since July 2022. The price of refined fuels, such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, has risen even more than crude oil. These are the fuels...

Retail gasoline and diesel prices in the United States are soaring due to the U.S. and Israel war against Iran, which is limiting oil and?fuel imports. This could be a test for Donald Trump's Republican Party before November's midterm elections. Oil prices rose to $90 per barrel this week, the highest in years. This added pain at gas pumps for consumers already stressed by inflation. In an interview on Thursday, Trump dismissed higher gasoline prices, saying that "if they increase, they will rise." Trump had promised to lower energy costs and unleash U.S. drilling for oil and gas during his...

Aster Chemicals and Energy, a major Singapore refiner and petrochemical company, has declared force majeure regarding supplies. The reason given was a disruption in raw materials due to the Middle East conflict. The joint venture of trading major Glencore and Indonesia's Chandra Asri operates ?a 237,000 barrel-per-day refinery and 1.1- million-metric-ton-per-year cracker in ?Singapore's Bukom and Jurong Island. The?spokesperson said that "this step is administrative and is a result of a thorough assessment of the potential consequences on our ability to?fulfill obligations to customers." The products were not affected by any?details. The spokesperson responded to a question by saying that...

The U.S. and Israel war against Iran has caused oil exports to Asia to be disrupted, forcing Asian refineries to 'cut runs' and petrochemical firms to declare force majeure. The latest news and developments are listed below: Zhejiang ?Petrochemical Corp, a major Chinese ?refiner ?backed by Saudi Aramco, has shut a 200,000-barrel-per-day unit, bringing forward maintenance in response to the Middle East conflict's impact on crude supply. Two industry sources said that FREP (Fujian Refining and Petrochemical Co.), a Chinese refiner backed up by Aramco and operating its 80,000 bpd unit - the company's smallest – had shut down its...

Two traders said that India's Mangalore Refinery has declared force majeure for all gasoline exports due to the Middle East conflict, which has disrupted crude oil flows from the Gulf. Two traders who said they had received a notification from the company said that MRPL had invoked force majeure. This is a legal term that allows a business to invoke circumstances beyond their control in order to?not fulfill a contract' for its gasoline sales for March and April. The state-run ?refiner, which operates a 500,000-barrel-per-day refinery in the southern state of Karnataka, exports about ?40% of its refined fuel output....

OPEC+'s decision to increase crude oil production by 206,000 barrels a day (bpd), starting in April, is likely?the most unimportant decision that the group has taken during its nearly decade-long existence. Addition of 0.2% to global oil demand in a month is nothing more than a symbol in light of the escalating conflict in the Middle East that is already causing serious disruptions in supply. There was not much the 'eight members' of OPEC+ who are voluntarily cutting production could have done if they had met on Sunday in order to reassure the market that the supply would be secure....

According to trade sources, and LSEG data, the prices of liquefied petrol gas and?naphtha jumped on Thursday in Asia after Saudi Aramco halted the exports from a major terminal. This disrupted supplies to the area, and India is likely to be the worst hit. On Wednesday, Saudi?Aramco announced that it had halted LPG deliveries this week at its eastern terminal in Juaymah. This terminal is one of the largest exporters of butane and propane. It suffered structural damage to its delivery system on February 23, which was a result of a component being damaged. Fuel from the terminal near Aramco’s...

QatarEnergy, the state-owned oil company, has increased the 'term price' for al-Shaheen crude loading in April, to the highest level in the last five months, according to?several sources?. This is due in part because the Middle Eastern market was supported by a better demand in India. According to the sources, the April term price of al-Shaheen oil was set at 87c per barrel according to Dubai's quotes. This is a significant jump from the March term price, which was 33c less per barrel. It was also the highest price since November. Spot premiums on Middle?Eastern oil have risen this month...