Crude oil
EU imposes new Iran sanctions, but no oil embargo
European Union foreign ministers agreed Thursday to impose new sanctions on additional Iranian entities, but a French proposal for a blanket embargo on Iranian oil exports met significant resistance. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said an oil embargo was still "being debated" and diplomats said some restrictions on Iran oil imports were likely to be imposed in the coming months.
Neste Oil, Bapco start up base oil plant in Bahrain
Neste Oil, The Bahrain Petroleum Co. (Bapco), and nogaholding have officially opened their new joint base oil plant in Bahrain. The plant has a capacity of 400,000 tpy and is located at Bapco's refinery on Bahrain's east coast.
Norway agency sees "very serious shortcomings" in BP safety
BP’s efforts to monitor and respond to sudden pollution releases such as oil spills in the Norwegian Sea suffer from "very serious shortcomings" that demand immediate improvement, Norwegian regulators said. The report is the latest indication of health and safety issues at BP, which was plagued by a massive oil spill in the US Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and by numerous other accidents in recent years.
ConocoPhillips looking to sell Alliance refinery in Louisiana - report
ConocoPhillips is seeking buyers for its Alliance refinery in Belle Chasse, La., Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the company's plans. The refinery has 247,000 bpd of capacity, making it the 20th largest in the US, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
GTL base oil shipments from Shell Qatar venture begin reaching Americas
Shell Lubricants says its first shipment of gas-to-liquid (GTL) base oil has reached the Port of Houston. The high-quality product, the first from the Qatar-based Pearl GTL plant to reach the Americas, will be stored at a hub in Houston and routed to Shell Lubricants' GTL-enabled blending facilities throughout the US, the company said.
France to stop buying Iranian oil
France will stop buying Iranian oil on a "national basis" as part of its campaign to raise pressure on Iran over its contested nuclear program, the foreign ministry said. France has said it will work with its European Union partners towards broader sanctions against Iran.
Flint Hills celebrates 30 years in Corpus Christi
Since 1981, the year that Flint Hills Resources began operating in Corpus Christi, Texas, more than $3.1 billion in projects have been completed.
Lukoil boosts fuel quality with new coker
Russia's second-biggest oil firm, Lukoil, recently installed a coking unit at its Volgograd refinery to increase the quality of its fuels.
US Gulf needs more oil pipeline projects following Seaway reversal - report
The acquisition by Canada's Enbridge of a 50% stake in the Seaway oil pipeline and the reversal of crude oil flows at the Cushing terminal will not end the need for additional investment in similar Gulf coast projects. Fitch Ratings believes that over the long term, TransCanada's Keystone XL project, while still subject to regulatory risk, is likely to proceed once State Department approval is received.
US October oil demand up 2.5% from 2010 - API
Total US petroleum deliveries (a measure of demand) rose 2.5% in October compared with October a year ago, according to new data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) trade group. "Our economy is growing modestly, and the overall demand numbers support that," the API said.
- Chiyoda, AVEVA forge strategic partnership to power plantOS with AVEVA CONNECT 6/27
- SABIC announces closure of Olefins 6 facility in Teesside, UK 6/27
- LyondellBasell's polyolefin technologies selected by SHCCIG Yulin for petrochemicals complex in China 6/27
- Damaged unit of Iran's South Pars refinery back operating 6/27
- hte conducts research for JGC to advance decarbonization by identifying suitable catalysts for ammonia cracking 6/26
- TES and CPC Finland to develop 500-MW e-NG project in Finland 6/26
