Takeo Kumagai and Philip Vahn
Editors, oil 
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August 7, 2020 04:03 UTC 
(0)
Middle Eastern sour crude supply is expected to increase this month after OPEC+ members on July 15 agreed to pare back their production cut commitment. But Asian consumers, who under normal circumstances would have welcomed the move, have barely taken notice. It remains to be seen where all this excess oil will eventually end up as Asian buyers grapple with crippling demand and have to tweak refining strategies to minimize losses. |
Barbara Troner
Managing editor, Americas tanker markets 
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August 6, 2020 12:56 UTC
(2)
Shifting oil product trade flows have implications for the way the market assigns value to tanker routes. In a two-part series, S&P Global Platts shipping editors look at the impact of new trends in fuel demand and supply on both sides of the Atlantic. Trans-Atlantic product tradeflows are losing market share to Latin American-bound voyages amid rising Middle East refining capacity and diesel exports to Europe. Brazil is the second-largest petroleum products import market in the Americas, with importers spread across major oil companies, independents and traders. |
Herman Wang
Senior writer, oil news
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August 5, 2020 14:05 UTC
(0)
With its oil and gas production flagging even before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the market, Algeria in June appointed industry veteran Abdelmadjid Attar as energy minister to court much needed foreign investment and reform the sector. Attar, a former CEO of state oil company Sonatrach from 1997 to 1999, will be tasked with implementing a long overdue hydrocarbons law that the government hopes will attract joint venture partners to develop new projects and reinvigorate existing fields. |
Tim Bradner
Contributor
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August 4, 2020 11:15 UTC
(0)
Dwindling prospects, in its view at least, changes in corporate strategy, the failure to commercialize large stranded gas reserves and Alaska’s volatile politics and frequent changes in taxes all appear to have played a role in the company’s decision to sell its legacy North Slope holdings. BP left a long legacy in Alaska, spearheading the exploration in the early 1960s that ultimately led to the discovery of Prudhoe Bay, North America’s largest oilfield. |
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S&P Global Platts
News editors
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August 3, 2020 09:13 UTC
(3)
Shifting oil demand forecasts are in the spotlight this week as the coronavirus pandemic continues to curb economic activity in major economies. Plus, China’s crude overhang, and trends in power, gas and LNG. |
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Henrique Ribeiro, Jacqueline Holman and Ben Kilbey
Editors, metals 
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July 30, 2020 13:26 UTC
(5)
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated concerns across the lithium-ion battery industry about China’s dominance of the supply chain. The pandemic has also highlighted the need for local supply chains, in order to improve sustainability and work towards net zero targets. Despite some momentum, however, the development of regional supply chains still faces challenges that go beyond simply raising equity. |
Silvia Favasuli
Market reporter, gas pricing 
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July 29, 2020 07:00 UTC
(9)
Italy has no shortage of natural gas infrastructure, from major pipelines coming from Europe and North Africa to LNG terminals. How, then, can the country still have some of the highest wholesale gas prices in Europe, rivalling even Spain, with its notorious lack of interconnections? Solving the Italian gas market puzzle is not an easy task. But it is possible to identify factors that, taken together, create a unique and enduring ecosystem where no new big players have ever managed to emerge and to push down prices through a market share strategy. |
Surabhi Sahu
Senior editor, petroleum news
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July 28, 2020 09:51 UTC
(1)
Shipping companies in Asia and around the globe are steaming ahead with efforts to minimize their carbon footprint as the urgency to decarbonize intensifies after a fairly smooth transition to the International Maritime Organization’s low-sulfur mandate for marine fuels. The IMO in April 2018 laid out its strategy to reduce the shipping industry’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 by at least 50% from 2008 levels, and to reduce CO2 emissions per transport work by at least 40% by 2030. |
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S&P Global Platts
News editors
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July 27, 2020 10:31 UTC
(3)
The relentless rise of gold prices is in focus this week in S&P Global Platts editors’ roundup of energy and raw materials trends. Plus, freight rates react to Brent’s slight recovery, coal generation in Germany fizzles out, and more. |
Laura Huchzermeyer and Kristian Paris Tialios
Editors, Americas crude oil markets
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July 23, 2020 10:12 UTC
(1)
New and expanded infrastructure in Corpus Christi, Texas could heighten the already competitive pricing of crude exported from the port at a time when US oil exports face thin margins and tight arbitrage opportunities to major destinations. Crude cargo sellers may start seeing increased competition between Houston and Corpus Christi as some docks in the Corpus Christi area can load larger cargoes. Additionally, that market has limited refining capacity, and offers less options for incremental barrels – other factors that can contribute to more competitive pricing. |
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