Oil Storage








Asia

North America

Oil Storage

Americans still hit the road for July 4th despite high gas prices

The Americans are preparing for the Fourth of July, despite gasoline prices that are still high and well above their historical averages. The ease of tensions between?U.S. The easing of tensions between the?U.S. Despite recent drops, this weekend motorists will pay the second highest Independence Day fuel prices in history. Last week, the price-tracking service GasBuddy predicted that the average gasoline price in the United States would be $3.75 per gallon by July 4. This is behind the record $4.80 per liter set on July 4th 2022. GasBuddy reports that the national average gasoline price was $3.772 per gallon on...

Energy Markets

Americans still hit the road on July 4th despite high gas prices

The Fourth of July holiday is fast approaching and Americans are not deterred by the high gasoline prices. They remain well above historical levels. Fuel prices have been lowered by the easing of tensions in the U.S.-Iran relationship. This is due to fears of disruptions of oil shipments across Strait of Hormuz. The price of gasoline is expected to be the second highest ever for Independence Day this weekend, despite recent drops. GasBuddy, a price-tracking service, predicted last week that the average gasoline price in the United States would be $3.75 per gallons on July 4. This is behind only...

Fossil Fuels

Oil prices are little changed, but they will suffer the steepest quarterly and monthly losses since 2020

The oil prices were little altered on Tuesday, but they were heading for their largest monthly and 'quarterly' losses since the COVID-19 Pandemic early in '2020. Investors were looking at potential U.S. - Iran talks in Doha amid the strained -interim ceasefire of the four-month long war. Brent futures dropped 13 cents or 0.2% to $73.02 per barrel at 12:34 pm EDT (1634 GMT), whereas U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell 89 cents or 1.3% to $69.86 per barrel. The two crude benchmarks are close to the levels they reached on February 27, just before the U.S. and Israel...

Heating Oil

US diesel refining economics remain firm despite Iran war truce

The?U.S. The?U.S. The crack spread, which is calculated as the difference in price between U.S. ultra low sulfur diesel futures compared to U.S. crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate Futures, reached $62.84 a bar on Thursday. This was the highest level since June 3. The resilient diesel?refining economy reflects a cautious approach by traders who are wary about being caught out if tensions erupt again in the Middle East. The blockade of Strait of Hormuz has had a major impact on diesel markets, as it is critical for global supplies of fuel and Middle Eastern crude grades that are well-suited to...

Oil Storage

Oil prices drop as tankers leave Strait of Hormuz

The oil prices continued to decline on Thursday as stranded tanks left the Strait of Hormuz 'following an initial agreement to end the U.S. Israel war with Iran. This eased?supply worries. Brent crude?futures?for August delivery fell by 40?cents or 0.54% to $73.34 a barrel as of 0004 GMT. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped 27 cents or 0.38% to $70.07 a barrel. Brent for August was cheaper than September at $73.59, indicating ample supply in the short term. In a recent note, IG analyst Tony Sycamore stated that "the speed of this drop has caught many off guard" as the...

Crude Oil

Oil prices continue to fall on the back of expectations for smoother crude flow via Hormuz

On Wednesday, oil prices dropped more than 1%, continuing this week's losses and trading at near four-month highs. This is on signs that more oil tanks stranded in the Gulf will be moving out of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures were down 78 cents or 1.0% at $76.30 per barrel as of 3:50 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate fell 78 cents or 1.1% to $72.43 a barrel. On Tuesday, both benchmarks fell by around 1% and reached their lowest levels since March. Positive signals from the Persian Gulf are fueling optimism regarding oil flow through the Strait of...

Fossil Fuels

Phillips 66 CEO: Hormuz shipping disruptions could last a while

Mark Lashier, CEO of Phillips 66 in the U.S., said 'on Tuesday that it will take some time for crude supplies to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.' This is because there remains uncertainty about a return to normal shipping activity. The Strait of Hormuz continues to be used on a limited scale, which eases immediate concerns about supply and lowers crude prices. Energy companies monitor how quickly crude flow, inventories, and shipping activity returns to normal. Lashier, speaking at a JPMorgan Conference, said that between 90 and 100 million barrels of crude oil remain trapped in this strait. They...

Refined Products

Investors focus on Hormuz after peace talks to reduce oil prices

Investors were looking for more clear signs of progress regarding the restoration of crude flow through the Strait of Hormuz following the U.S. Iran peace talks. Brent crude 'futures' fell 20 cents or 0.3% to $77.70 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped to $73.74 per barrel, down by 12 cents or 0.2% as of 0323 GMT. Prices dropped more than 3% after the United States granted Iran 60-days of sanctions waiver following the initial peace talks. Officials also reported a lull between hostilities and the wider agreement in Lebanon. The gradual increase in oil flow through the Strait of...

Crude Oil

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has seen its lowest oil stocks since 1983

The?stocks of crude oil in the United States have fallen to their lowest level since June 1983. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve dropped to 331.2 million 'barrels' last week. This is the lowest level since June 1983, according data from the Department of Energy. Supplies continued to tighten as a result of the U.S. - Iran war. The government's emergency stock fell by 9.05?barrels. This is the third-largest draw ever recorded. The drawdowns were a part of an agreement between the U.S. and Canada to release 172 millions barrels from the facility in order to lower fuel prices. U.S. crude oil...

Oil Refineries

U.S. gasoline drops below $4 per gallon for the first time since April

U.S. retail gasoline prices fell below $4 per gallon for a first time since mid-April. This was due to optimism that a preliminary deal between the U.S., Iran, and other countries would lead to the reopening of Strait of Hormuz – a vital passageway for oil supplies around the world. Crude oil prices fell by more than $4 per barrel after U.S. president Donald Trump announced the U.S.-Iran had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to end the near four-month conflict. However, it is still unclear whether this agreement will last. The drop in fuel prices may provide some relief for...

Energy Markets

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has its lowest oil stock since 1983

According to Department of 'Energy data released on Monday, crude oil stocks in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve have fallen to 340.3m barrels. This is the lowest level since 1983. It signals a?shortage of supplies at a time when?the u.s. Iran and the United States agree to a deal that will end the war in the Middle East and open up the Strait of Hormuz. The government's emergency stock fell by 8.9m barrels. This is the third-largest draw in history. The U.S. agreed to "loan" 172 million barrels to the facility in order to lower fuel prices which have risen...

Energy Markets

Oil losses continue as Trump cancels planned strike on Iran

After U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled plans to strike Iran, fears of an escalation in 'hostilities' following tit-fortat attacks earlier this week were reduced. Brent futures increased $1.21, or 1.3%, to $89.17 per barrel at 0042 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however, rose $1.23 or 1.4% to $86.48. Brent crude was 4.2% less than WTI on a weekly basis. Trump, who threatened to hit Iran'very hard,' called off planned strikes Thursday, saying that discussions with Iran have progressed. Fars, Iran's semiofficial news agency, reported that Tehran has not approved the text of any agreement. Tony Sycamore, IG's market...

Europe

Crude Oil

After the US-Iran talks in Doha concluded, oil prices fell for a third day.

Oil prices fell about 1% on Thursday, for the third day in a row, after Qatar announced that Iran and the U.S. made progress during 'indirect talks' focused on the Strait of Hormuz. This area handled a fifth of global oil supplies before the war. In a blog post, a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that the discussions had produced "positive progress" in relation to the memorandum which ended the war in the month of June. However, there was no indication that both sides had made any progress towards a lasting peaceful. Brent futures fell by 77 cents, or 1.1%,...

Refined Products

Oil prices rise $2 after Iran announces the closure of Strait of Hormuz as a result of US strikes

Oil prices rose?more than?$2 a barrel on Thursday after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz - a critical energy chokepoint - following the U.S.'s additional strikes against Iran. Brent futures rose by $2.30 or 2.47% to $95.40 per barrel. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), which is a derivative of WTI, rose by $2.60 or 2.89% to $92.63. U.S. crude futures gained over $3 in the early part of the session. Iran's top Joint Military Command announced on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to all vessels, including commercial and oil tankers, with the warning that...

Energy Markets

Oil gains after US-Iran ceasefire report

Oil lost gains on Thursday and traded lower briefly. A report by Axios claimed that U.S. officials and Iranians had reached an agreement to extend the ceasefire for 60 days and begin talks about Tehran's nuclear program. Brent crude futures rose 33 cents or 0.4% to $94.62 per barrel at 11:01 am EDT (1501 GMT). ?U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 56 cents (0.6%), to $89.24. Both benchmarks fell a little after the report, before recovering some of their lost ground. Axios, citing U.S. official?and source involved in mediation, reported that the agreement between the U.S. The oil prices have...

Western Europe

Middle East

Oil & Gas

UAE's ADNOC expands its energy partnership with South Korea

ADNOC, the state-owned oil company of the UAE, announced on Wednesday that it had entered into a long-term partnership with South Korea for energy security. The agreement aims to increase cooperation in areas such as crude supply and emergency supply coordination. The partnership extends existing agreements. This includes a pledge made by the United Arab Emirates in March that they would supply South Korea up to 24,000,000 barrels of crude oil. It was announced at a visit to South Korea by Sultan al-Jaber. ADNOC Group CEO and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. ADNOC stated that both parties would...

Energy Markets

Oil extends decline on rising Middle East supply

The oil prices continued to fall on Thursday, dipping near the levels seen just before the Iran War. This was due to a 'rising'?supply expectation from the Middle East that outweighed the demand concerns. Brent crude futures, for delivery in August, fell by $1.22 or 1.65% to $72.52 a barrel as of 0337 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped $1.02 or 1.45% to $69.32 a barrel. Both contracts have reached their lowest levels since February 27, Brent for August was cheaper than September at $73.59, indicating ample supply in the short term. In a recent note, IG analyst Tony Sycamore...

Crude Oil

Gasoline shortages in the US during summer driving season cause problems

The U.S. is rushing into the peak driving season of summer, just as gasoline prices are rising. The soaring summer demand for American automobiles hasn't stopped U.S. refining companies from prioritizing lucrative jet and diesel fuel production to backfill global shortages due to shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Since the beginning of the Iran War, the Strait of Hormuz has been closed to nearly a fifth?of global oil flows. Analysts are warning that a shortage is imminent as U.S. demand for gasoline has been strong despite the fact that U.S. gas prices have risen by 40% since the...

Energy Markets

Oil prices rise more than $1 after traders become uneasy over the escalation of US-Iran tensions

The oil prices rose on Thursday after Iran declared that the Strait of Hormuz was a 'critical energy chokepoint' and 'closed it if necessary. This came as the U.S. launched more strikes against Iran, while President Donald Trump threatened to launch even more attacks in the event of a failed peace agreement. Brent futures were up $1.48 or 1.59% to $94.58 per barrel at 0243 GMT. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), which is a blend of WTI and Brent, was up $1.71 or 1.90% to $91.74. U.S. crude oil futures rose by more than $3 in the early...

Oil & Gas Refining

China is reportedly increasing its oil imports despite a decade-low.

Analysts and industry officials say that China will continue to draw on its record crude oil inventories, as refiners reduce imports while maintaining production curbs in order to minimize losses due to weak fuel demand. The tepid demand from the world's largest crude importer is partly limiting global oil prices. They have fallen 19% since May, despite a strained truce between the U.S.A. and Iran. And the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed a third time. Beijing has taken a number of measures to protect the country against the soaring Middle East crude oil prices. These include maximizing domestic drilling...

Energy Markets

IMF, World Bank and others warn that Middle East war strains energy supplies

The heads of the International Energy Agency, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization warned on Friday that the war in the Middle East is straining the global energy supply and affecting vulnerable economies the most. The U.S. and Israel war against Iran has disrupted the trade, rattled the financial markets, and raised 'concerns about global energy supply, especially through Strait of Hormuz. This is a major route for oil and natural gas shipments. Global?institutions stated that the world's economy was resilient. However, the conflict disproportionately affected poorer countries by increasing fuel and fertilizer...

Fossil Fuels

China's oil imports cut and US exports increase wrongfoot the market bulls

Analysts and traders alike predicted a market Armageddon if U.S. - Iran war continued and the Strait of Hormuz remained closed. Five weeks after the peace talks stalled and the strait remained largely closed, oil prices did not rise but instead fell to between $100-$110 per barrel. This fall was caused by several factors: Chinese refiners reduced refining and imports, and used crude oil from their tanks instead. The United States' refiners, traders and producers exported more fuel and oil to the global market to fill the supply gap from the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz was the route...

Crude Oil

Oil prices rebound on the uncertainty surrounding the Iran peace agreement and inventory reductions

The oil prices recovered on Thursday, after two days of losses. This was due to supply concerns arising from the uncertainty surrounding the end of the Iran War and the U.S. inventory withdrawal which raised fears about the depletion of global stocks. Brent crude futures grew 81 cents or 0.77% to $105.83 a barrel by 0055 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate futures rose 97 cents or 0.99% at $99.23. Both benchmarks fell more than 5.6% after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that negotiations with Iran are in their final stages. He also threatened to launch further attacks against Iran if...

Energy Markets

Singapore's oil products stocks fall to a nine-month-low as US-Iran conflict cuts supply

Official data showed that oil product stocks in Asia’s?oil-hub Singapore have fallen to their lowest levels in nine months, after the U.S./Iran war curtailed Middle East crude and fuel imports. Enterprise Singapore's data shows that combined onshore oil products stocks totaled?44.83 millions barrels during the week ending May 6, which is the lowest level since late July 2025. Last week, stocks of light and middle distillates (gasoline, diesel and jet-fuel) fell while remaining fuel inventories remained at a low level for the past year as Middle East imports remained close to zero. The amount of residual fuel in Singapore storage...

Energy Markets

Hormuz still disrupts shipping, despite lack of progress in US-Iran negotiations

The oil prices continued to rise 'on Thursday, despite the fact that 'peace talks' between Iran and the United States had stalled and both countries maintained their restrictions on trade flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures were up $1.37 or 1.3% to $103.28 per barrel at 0410 GMT after Wednesday's settlement above $100 was the first in over two weeks. West Texas Intermediate futures also rose $1.52 or 1.6% to $94.48. The benchmarks for both closed Wednesday more than $3 higher after larger-than expected?gasoline stock withdrawals in the U.S. and the failure of the Iran peace talks....

Oil Storage

South Korea claims to have secured 273 million barrels of crude oil via routes outside Strait of Hormuz

South Korea has purchased 273 million barrels of crude oil from the Middle East and Kazakhstan by the end of this year. Supplies are being routed outside of the Strait of Hormuz. Kang, who was visiting as a presidential special envoy in Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia over the last week, said that Asia's fourth largest economy had also acquired 2.1 million tons of naphtha during the same time period. Kang stated that "in particular, the crude and naphtha obtained this time would be sourced via alternative supply routes, unrelated to the closure of the Strait?Hormuz. This will make a...

Oil & Gas

Japan releases oil stocks after US orders to buy American

Japan will'start releasing oil from their stockpiles? on Monday in order to ease the shock of the?U.S. - Israeli?war against Iran. This is a stark reminder to the oil crisis that occurred half a century earlier, which prompted Tokyo to build reserves. Tokyo announced that it would release 80 million barrels of crude oil to Japan, which is enough to last the nation for 45 days. The war in the Gulf has disrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The Japanese government has instructed the country's refineries to use the crude oil released, which will reduce national reserves by 17%...