Singapore

On Monday, the leaders of Singapore signed an agreement with New Zealand to keep their supply chains open in times of crisis. They said they hoped that 'the agreement' would serve as a'model for other countries who want to build a trusted network. On his recent visit to Singapore, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saw the signing between his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong and himself. This is at a time when global energy supplies have been 'disrupted' by the Middle East war. Singapore refines a third of the fuel used in New Zealand. The Agreement on Trade of Essential Supplies was...

Contemporary?Amperex Tech Co (CATL), the world's biggest EV battery manufacturer, launched a $5 billion share sale on Monday in Hong Kong. The company is looking to capitalize on its shares which are nearing record highs. According to a termsheet seen by, CATL will be?offering HK$628.20 - HK$651.80 for new H shares, a discount ranging from 3.5% - 7.0% on Monday's closing price HK$675.50. The fundraising is part of CATL's efforts to lock in capital as its share price continues to rise. It also faces an EV market in China that is fiercely competitive and where it has been difficult for...

A term sheet showed that a unit of Sinopec had sold 8.5 millions Hong -Kong listed shares of CATL on Wednesday for $770 million. The company was able to cash in on the soaring stock performance of the Chinese electric vehicle -battery manufacturer. The term sheet examined by revealed that Sinopec (Hong Kong), in an accelerated stockbuild, sold shares at HK$708 (US$90.41), a discount of approximately 3.8% from the closing price on Tuesday for Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL). According to the term sheet, Sinopec also agreed to a 90 day lock-up period on its remaining CATL stake. According...

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with his counterpart Lawrence Wong in Singapore on Friday. They vowed to work together more closely in order to maintain energy security in the face disruptions brought about by the Middle East conflict. Singapore, the oil trading hub in Asia, is the world's largest petrol supplier and also a major diesel and jet fuel supplier to Australia. In Australia, the shortage of diesel has impacted the mining and farming sectors. The leaders agreed to "maximize efforts" to increase their energy security, including ensuring the flow of diesel and LNG. In a joint press...

Trafigura has not ceased its contracts with Bolivia's oil and gas state company YPFB, a spokesperson for the company said on Thursday. The company was rejecting a claim made by Bolivian Energy Minister Mauricio Medinaceli. Medinaceli announced on Tuesday that Bolivia will suspend its gasoline contracts Trafigura, and with rival trading house Vitol, until the investigation into the alleged smuggling of poor-quality fuel from Chile is completed. Later, on Thursday, YPFB confirmed its main supply contracts are still in effect, ensuring a?continuity of supply. The state-owned company has announced that it has signed an addition to its existing contract with...

PetroChina supplied a rare shipment of nearly?2million barrels of crude from its storage facility in China to the refinery it owns half of, located in Singapore. The?firm is attempting to fill'shortfalls caused by the iran war. According to tanker trackers Vortexa & Kpler the tanker New Merit delivered 1.8 million barrels in crude oil to Dalian, northeast China, in mid-March. It then transported it to Singapore Jurong Island, where PetroChina & U.S. giant Chevron run a joint venture refinery. Sources declined to name themselves as they were not authorized to speak to the media. China exports crude oil very rarely....

Trafigura, a global energy trading company, has a plan to restore African woodlands. It has selected its first four projects for carbon removal and plans to invest at least $1 billion in each project over. The projects are part of the Miombo Restoration Alliance - a public-private partnership with 11 governments in central and southern Africa. They cover over 675,000 acres and aim to restore forests that will remove more than 50 million tons climate-damaging gasses. The alliance, which will be launched at New York Climate week?2024, aims to restore Miombo Woodlands, an eco-system that supports more than 300 million...

Trafigura, a trading house, sold a 'cargo' of Venezuelan oil, to a Spanish refiner. Vitol, a rival, was preparing to export Venezuelan fuel as shipments from the OPEC nation accelerated, according to oil industry sources. U.S. officials reported that Vitol, Trafigura and other companies obtained their first U.S. licensing to load and export Venezuelan crude oil earlier this month. Initial sales reached $500 million or approximately 11 million barrels last week, they said. U.S. officials said that other companies, such as U.S. giant Chevron, were waiting for Washington's exemptions from U.S. sanctions against Venezuela before expanding exports. According to industry...

Commodities trading houses Trafigura &?Vitol agreed to provide marketing and logistical services for the sale of Venezuelan oil, at the request of?U.S. A Trafigura spokesperson confirmed this via email. First reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions, that both companies were in negotiations with the U.S. Government for such deals. They were in competition with U.S. producers of oil and other commodities traders for lucrative deals to export Venezuelan oil. U.S. officials have said that they want to control Venezuelan Oil Sales Indefinitely After the U.S. captured South American country's president Nicolas Maduro Saturday. Richard Holtum, the Chief...

Ampol, Australia's largest fuel retailer, recorded a lower third-quarter sales volume due to softer performance in its domestic convenience retailing business as a result of challenging weather conditions during August. The company's shares fell by as much as 3,1% Thursday, their lowest intraday performance since June. Stocks fell to their lowest level since October 23, 2009. The Australian convenience retail segment performed poorly compared to the previous year when it had enjoyed favorable market conditions due to the decline in fuel input costs. In August, New South Wales, Queensland, and other states experienced prolonged bad weather, which negatively affected sales....

Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, will make his first official trip to Asia this Friday. He is hoping to strengthen trade and security links at a moment when North America struggles to reduce its dependence on the U.S. Canadian officials have said that Carney's trip could include a meeting between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to restore a relationship previously strained by a trade war. Donald Trump, President of the United States Termination of trade talks Canada responded to a political ad in Ontario that featured Ronald Reagan, the Republican icon who said tariffs caused economic...

In late June, Indonesian soldiers wearing fatigues entered a palm oil plantation in Borneo and displayed a sign declaring that the estate was under government control. The Melati Hanjalipan Plantation is a perfect example of a military-backed takeover which has shocked the 16 million-strong workforce and the world's largest palm oil producer. Agrinas Palma Nusantara is the new state-owned palm oil firm that has a land area of 9.1 million acres. Nearly half was transferred to it, making it the largest palm oil company in terms of size. This crackdown, ordered by the President Prabowo Subianto, is the largest structural...

Australia's export credit agency will underwrite spot market purchases by Ampol and Via?Energy through its largest suppliers. This was announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday. The new laws were passed by the parliament last week to allow Export Finance Australia (EFA) to finance fuel imports as a response to shortages caused by the Iran War. Since the U.S. and Israel war against Iran began late in February, Australia has been experiencing localised shortages. Albanese said at a press conference that "Export Finance Australia has agreed to terms with two of our largest suppliers...to enable them to?bring more petrol...

Shipping data shows that India's diesel exports into Southeast Asia soared in March to the highest level in over seven years. This was due to traders adjusting supply to cover their short positions, and refiners taking advantage of higher profits in Asia as a result of the U.S./Israeli war against Iran. The increase in exports may boost the spot sales margins of Indian refiners, who have bought large volumes Russian crude oil to replace Middle East supplies disrupted by war. According to Kpler, three trade sources and data from the analytics firm, Kpler, around 1 million metric tonnes (7.45 millions...

The U.S./Israel war on Iran caused a disruption in crude and feedstock imports from the Middle East, forcing several Asian refineries and companies to declare force majeure and cut back production. Asian steam crackers have declared force majeure on petrochemical deliveries to customers, despite sourcing more than 60% of their feedstock for naphtha from the Middle East. Three operators said they were reducing run rates in order to carry over some of the feedstock they have into next month. This will allow them to keep their plants operating and avoid shutting down even if they don't get enough imports. Two...

Saudi Aramco, the state energy company, has sold several cargoes of ultra-light crude oil from Jafurah's $100 billion gas plant to U.S. refiners and an Indian refining company as it prepares to ship its first cargo this month. The Jafurah Project, which is estimated to contain approximately 229 trillion standard cubic feet of gas and 75 billion barrels condensate in total, is at the heart of Aramco’s ambitions to increase its gas production to become a global player and expand its offering of light crude grades. Sources said that U.S. giant Chevron purchased two Jafurah Condensate cargoes, which will be...

Trafigura's Nyrstar unit has announced that it shipped its first shipment of commercial-grade Antimony from the?Port Pirie Metals Processing Facility in South Australia on Monday. This is a "milestone" for the country as they strive to improve their domestic supply chains. In a statement, the company announced that the first shipment will be delivered to a local manufacturer. The company expects to export future cargoes?to clients in Europe, Asia and America. Antimony is used in semiconductors, automotive components, and defence applications. Canberra has designated it as a 'priority critical mineral' and part of the U.S. Australia critical minerals framework to...

Trafigura, a trading house, has sold its first shipment of Venezuelan crude oil, as part of an agreement between Caracas, Venezuela, and Washington for the supply of 50 million barrels of oil. The Spanish refiner Repsol is expected to receive a shipment of this quantity. Two sources stated that the cargo should be delivered to Repsol by mid-February. Trafigura and Repsol have declined to comment. The agreement would be one of the first to sell Venezuelan oil in Europe since the United States captured Venezuela's leader at the beginning of this month, and struck an agreement with Caracas for the...

Sources in the industry said that Trafigura had sold its first shipment of Venezuelan crude oil as part of a 50 million barrel supply agreement between Caracas, Venezuela, and Washington. The Spanish refiner Repsol is expected to receive the shipment. Two sources stated that the cargo will be delivered to Repsol by February. Trafigura and Repsol have declined to comment. The deal would be one of the first oil sales from Venezuela to Europe since the United States captured Venezuela's leader in early this month. Caracas then signed agreements to export oil up to 50 million barrels. Washington tapped Trafigura...

On Monday, several sources reported that Vitol and Trafigura had begun discussions with refiners from India?and China about the sale of Venezuelan crude oil for cargoes due to arrive in March. Global commodities traders confirmed Friday that they had reached agreements with the United States. The?government will help market Venezuelan oil that is stranded, just days after the interim Venezuelan government agreed to export 50 million barrels to the U.S. Their marketing efforts are expected to accelerate the sale and purchase of Venezuelan oil through the U.S. program, allowing OPEC producers to resume their exports that have been halted ever...

Friday, the premium for high-sulfur fuel oil in Asia over the West reached its highest level in eight months as traders expect more Venezuelan crude oil and fuel oil to be shipped to the United States than to Asia in the coming months. LSEG data show that the East-West 380cst HSFO swap for the first month of 2026, a measure used to compare HSFO prices in Asia, Europe and America, has risen above $27 a barrel, a price last seen in May 2025. This value has nearly doubled since the beginning of 2026. It is more profitable for traders to...

Profit margins for Asia's gas refining The rally reached its highest level since August 20, 2023, due to unplanned outages at refineries and falling inventories in key trading hubs, despite the typical low-demand season. This quarter, the crack gained nearly 55% to $17.71 a barrel over Brent crude due to refinery outages both planned and unplanned and the strong demand of Indonesia as the region's biggest importer. An increase in margins was caused by a string of refinery shutdowns in the past two months, according to a Singaporean trader. Sinochem, a Chinese oil company, has closed one of its crude...

The CEO of the trading house Trafigura stated on Monday that traditional applications of copper will continue as the largest part of the demand for the metal in the coming decade. This is not data centres or the defence industry. Richard Holtum, speaking at the LME Week in London, noted that artificial intelligence (AI), defence spending and metal demand are "buzzwords". He said that consumer demand will "dwarf three times" the AI demand for copper this year. Holtum, in a conversation with Matt Chamberlain, CEO of the London Metal Exchange said: "The amount that copper goes into air conditioning is...

The CEO of the trading house Trafigura stated on Monday that traditional applications of copper will continue as the largest part of the demand for the metal in the coming decade. This is not data centres or the defence industry. Richard Holtum, speaking at the LME Week in London, noted that artificial intelligence (AI), defence spending and metals demand are "buzzwords". He said that consumer demand will "dwarf three times" the AI demand for copper this year. Holtum, in a conversation with Matt Chamberlain, CEO of the London Metal Exchange said: "The amount that copper goes into air conditioning is...