Crude oil
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.
Energy minister urges Canada to diversify exports beyond US, include Asia
Canadian Energy Minister Joe Oliver said Friday the country must diversify its energy exports beyond the US to include Asia and China. He said Asian markets, in particular China, are ready buyers.
Seaway pipeline reversal to ease US Midwest oil supply glut
The decision to reverse the flow of a key oil pipeline should alleviate a supply bottleneck that has trapped crude in the Central US for the better part of this year. "What you're going to see is WTI more closely aligned with your global crude prices," said Brian Milne, refined fuels editor at Telvent DTN.
- Evonik inaugurates its 100,000-tpy alkoxides plant in Singapore 8/27
- Borouge collaborates with Yokogawa on autonomous AI control room 8/27
- Vietnam to make switch to ethanol-blended fuel in move to boost U.S. imports 8/27
- Sherwin-Williams launches single-coat high-performance Acrolon 680 for industrial and marine assets 8/27
- Trump tariffs force much-needed petrochemicals contraction 8/27
- First of five pyrolysis reactors delivered to the tire recycling plant in Uddevalla 8/27
