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Unions withdraw their threat to strike New York Rail Agency
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Monday that the unions have backed down from their threat to strike at Long Island Rail Road later this week, which serves more than 300,000 daily passengers. At a press event, a group of unions announced that they had requested President Donald Trump appoint a board to act as a mediator after threatening to strike the commuter railroad in New York. This action does not mean that a strike will never happen. Gil Lang, the general chairman of BLET's LIRR Engineers, said that it is unlikely to happen in the near future. The union leaders stated that the White House Board would be appointed and a 120-day period would begin during which it would make its recommendation. During this time, no work stoppages could take place. The White House can name a second panel with a cooling off period up to May 2026 if no agreement is reached. The LIRR is the largest commuter railway in the United States. Jim Louis, vice president of national affairs for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said that the five unions had decided to act like adults and ask President Trump to create a presidential board of emergency. The MTA criticised the unions. If these unions were truly interested in putting riders first, then they would have settled or agreed to binding arbitration. This cynical delaying serves no one. The White House didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. New York Governor Kathy Hochul asked the White House to mediate directly. She said, "There's a fair deal on the table and I've told the MTA that they should be prepared to negotiate anywhere, anytime." Both sides must continue to negotiate and work around the clock to resolve this." (Reporting and editing by Chris Reese, Edmund Klamann, and David Shepardson)
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Woodside Energy anticipates that demand for LNG will grow by 50% in the next decade
Woodside is bullish about LNG demand, despite TotalEnergies’ market glut warning Louisiana LNG is the largest foreign investment ever made in a state. Starting in 2029, exports will target Europe and Asia. Arathy S. Somasekhar, Curtis Williams HOUSTON, September 15 - Woodside Energy CEO Meg O'Neill announced on Monday that the global demand for LNG will grow by 50% in the next decade. She was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Australian company's Louisiana export facility. This dispelled concerns about the rapid expansion of U.S. LNG supply. The complex was the largest foreign investment ever made in Louisiana and the first U.S. gas project to receive financial approval after President Donald Trump took office in January. He had promised to unleash U.S. power on the world. The exports will begin in 2029, and they will be aimed at Europe and Asia. The market is already there. However, many nations are unable to take part in the market because of their price-sensitive nature. O'Neill, who spoke at an event in Calcasieu Parish Parish, Louisiana, said that she was "very bullish" on LNG demand over the long-term. O'Neill told reporters that she took the recent comments of TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne who warned about a possible market glut as a result of the new capacity being built in the U.S. with "a pinch of salt." Woodside has a large amount of experience in Australia. However, the Louisiana facility marks its first venture into owning and running a U.S. LNG Export facility. The first phase will cost approximately $17.5 billion, and is expected to produce 16,5 million metric tonnes of supercooled gas per year. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said that the U.S. Energy Policy was aimed at stabilizing world markets. Markus Hatzelmann was also present and stated that the European nation will receive a significant share of the gas produced by the facility. He said: "It is a tangible expression of the strong energy transatlantic partnership between Germany, the United States and Canada."
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Sources say that Russia's Primorsk Oil Port partially resumes loading after drone attacks
Two sources familiar with this matter reported that the Baltic Sea port Primorsk - a major outlet of Russian oil exports - partially resumed its operations on Saturday after being disrupted and damaged by Ukrainian drone attacks. The sources stated that Primorsk's capacity to load 1 million barrels per day is likely to be reduced due to damage. The sources added that they expect the loading schedule to be delayed several days. Sources said that only a few vessels loaded oil on the weekend. It was unclear if all berths are operational. Transneft Pipeline Operator, which manages this port, has not responded to our request for comments. According to LSEG, the tankers Kusto, Cai Yun and other vessels that were damaged during the attack of Friday remain at anchor in the vicinity of the port. Jan Harvey (Editing and Reporting)
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Nigerian conservationists are fighting to protect sea turtles in Nigeria from pollution and poaching
Conservationists fighting to save the turtles say that plastic pollution, fishing nets left behind and coastal development have taken a toll. "We are seeing a dramatic decline," said Chinedu Mogbo. The founder of Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative has treated and released over 70 turtles in the past five years. Mogbo stated that at least five threatened or endangered sea turtle species live in Nigerian waters. However, the exact number is unknown and monitoring resources are inadequate. Mogbo's team has saved Olive Ridley turtles, Hawksbill turtles and Leatherbacks. Mogbo’s group, which is mostly self-funded and works with local fisherman to save animals, has worked with them since its inception. "Fishers are in need of income." "We offer net repair kit in exchange for turtles or nests that have been rescued," he said at the turtle sanctuary of the group in Lagos, Nigeria's capital. Mogbo, a conservationist, said that the lack of marine protected areas, and the shrinking nesting sites, have made the coast a trap for turtles. He called on state authorities to take more action to protect these animals. The Nigerian environmental agency has not responded to any requests for comments. In Nigeria, the demand for sea turtle meat, eggs, and shells is high, for both consumption and for traditional rituals. "We eat the eggs, and give them sometimes to village elders as voodoo," says Morifat Hassan who sells seafood in the coastal region of Folu near Lagos. Hassan says sea turtles can fetch as much as 90,000 Naira ($60). Rescuers rescued a large green turtle that had been injured by a fishing net in July. He was named Moruf. Mogbo, after negotiating with the fisherman who discovered Moruf was able to deter people from trying to purchase the injured turtle. Mogbo, who was standing on the shore, said, "Normally, a turtle like this would be butchered, or sold. But we intervened, and will make sure it's returned to the sea safely."
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US natgas at Waha hub, Texas, falls into negative territory
The U.S. Natural Gas Prices for Monday in West Texas' Permian Shale Basin turned negative due to the fall pipeline maintenance. The financial company LSEG reported that the average gas production in the Lower 48 States has fallen to 107.6 bcfd so far in September. This is down from a monthly record of 108.3 bcfd set in August. The Waha Hub spot gas price has been boosted by traders who have noticed that the Permian Basin is flooded with gas due to the maintenance of the pipeline. The price of British thermal units (mmBtu), which was 6 cents on Friday, fell by 2,350% to a 17 week low of minus 1,26 dollars on Monday. This was the sixth time that Waha prices averaged less than zero in 2025. The previous averages were $1.66/mmBtu for 2025, 77c in 2024, and $2.91 in the five years prior (2019-2023). In 2019, the Waha price average was first below zero. This happened 17 times between 2019 and 2020, six times each in 2021, once in 2023, and 49 times on record in 2024. Analysts said that low prices are a sign that the Permian needs more gas pipelines. Some pipes are under construction including Kinder Morgan's Gulf Coast Express, Blackcomb, and Energy Transfer's Hugh Brinson. However, they will not be in service before 2026. The Permian Basin in West Texas, and Eastern New Mexico, is the largest and fastest growing oil producing shale region of the United States. With the oil, a lot of gas is also released. Energy companies are willing to accept some gas losses, even though U.S. Crude Futures have fallen about 12% in 2025. They can still compensate for the oil profits. Some energy companies are planning to cut back on the capital they spend this year on new oil drilling, as oil prices are expected to fall for a third consecutive year in 2025. This could eventually lead to less oil and gas coming out of the Permian. According to the federal outlook, U.S. oil production is expected to hit record levels in 2025, before declining in 2026. Scott DiSavino (Reporting) and David Goodman (Editing)
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Data shows that a ship carrying Russian oil with Adani banned switches to an Indian port
Ship tracking data revealed that the blacklisted vessel Noble Walker, carrying Russian oil, has changed its course and is now heading to India's Vadinar Port after Adani Group in India banned entry into Mundra port for ships on the sanctions list. According to data and shipping reports from LSEG, the Noble Walker was headed for Mundra until Friday, with about a half-million barrels of Russian crude oil bound for Indian refiner HPCL Mittal Energy Ltd. The European Union and Britain have blacklisted the vessel for violating sanctions by transporting Russian oil. HMEL didn't respond to an email seeking a comment. According to LSEG, Mancera Shipping, which owns Noble Walker has no contact information. Adani has issued an order to bar vessels sanctioned by Britain, the EU and the United States from entering its 14 ports, including Mundra, in western India. The port is used by Indian refiners HMEL, Indian Oil Corp and others to import oil from Russia. After the Western sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, India is now the largest buyer of Russian oil by sea. India has tightened its surveillance on vessels and transactions that involve Russian supplies. The majority of Russian oil is shipped by the so-called "shadow fleet" after the United States and EU imposed sanctions on vessels, traders, and companies to reduce Moscow's oil revenues, which are its lifeline. Spartan, another sanctioned tanker carrying 1,000,000 barrels of Russian crude oil, was anchored Monday near Mundra port. Kpler data indicated that the vessel was to discharge its crude oil at the port Monday. Reporting by Nidhi verma. Beijing Bureau contributed additional reporting. Editing by Florence Tan, Mark Potter and Mark Potter
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Alaska Air's third-quarter profits are expected to be at the low end of forecasts on fuel costs
Alaska Air said that it expects to earn a profit at the lower end of its forecast due to high fuel prices and operational challenges. Fuel prices have risen due to refinery shutdowns on the U.S. West Coast. Alaska expects to spend up to $2.55 a gallon, compared to its previous projections of around $2.45. Alaska also highlighted weather and air traffic management issues that are driving costs up, such as compensation for passengers and crew overtime expenses. Storms and an overstretched air traffic control system have led to costly disruptions in the U.S. aviation industry this year. Alaska also suffered a major IT failure in July, which disrupted hundreds and thousands of flights during the busy summer travel season. Later, the airline attributed the outage to an erroneous software update. Alaska expects to achieve its adjusted third-quarter profit per share between $1 and $1.40, which was the previous forecast. However, the airline pointed out that revenue trends were improving due to a strong premium demand as well as a rebound of corporate bookings. It said that unit revenue, which is a key indicator of pricing power was moving toward the upper limit of its previous forecast. (Reporting and editing by Sahal Muhammad in Bengaluru, with Shivansh Tiwary from Bengaluru)
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US and Europe trade billions of dollars with Russia despite sanctions
U.S. president Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he was willing to impose new energy sanctions against Russia, provided all NATO countries stopped purchasing Russian oil. The U.S., and the European Union, import Russian energy and commodities worth billions of Euros, from liquefied gas to enriched Uranium. The main commercial ties between the EU and U.S. with Russia and their evolution in the last four-years are listed below: EU TRADE WITH RUSSIA According to Eurostat's latest data, the EU has placed various import and export restrictions upon several products. This resulted in a 61% drop in exports to Russia, and an 89% decline in imports into Russia, between the first and second quarters of 2025. In the second quarter 2025, EU imports from Russia decreased while exports increased. This resulted in a trade surplus of 0.8 billion euro. The EU continues to buy oil, nickel and natural gas from Russia, as well as fertilizer, iron, steel, and iron ore. The EU ban on the maritime import of Russian crude oil has reduced the share of Russia to just 2.01% by 2025, down from 28.74% at the end of 2021. The share of oil imports from Russia dropped from 29% in 2021's first quarter to only 2% in 2025's second quarter. NATURAL GAS The share of Russian natural gas imported by the EU in 2025 dropped from 48 percent in 2021 to 12 percent in 2025's second quarter. Algeria (+2%), the EU's biggest partner, now accounts for 27%, of its natural gas imports. TurkStream, a Turkish-built undersea pipeline that supplies gas to Russia, still reaches some EU countries like Hungary and Bulgaria. As prices rose sharply, the value of EU imports from Russia of liquefied gas increased significantly between the first and second quarters of 2022. The share of LNG imported by the EU from Russia has decreased to just 14%, down from 22% during the first quarter 2021. In the second quarter of 2010, the United States had a share of 54% of the frozen gas that was shipped to Europe. IRON AND STAINLESS STEEL In the second quarter 2025, Russia's share of non-EU imports of iron and steel dropped to 6% from 18% in 2004. FERTILIZERS As of the second quarter 2025, Russia was still the largest fertilizer exporter to the EU of 27 nations, and the share of its market increased from 28% in the previous four years to 34%. The European Parliament voted to impose prohibitive duties on Russian fertilizer exports in May. However, these tariffs will be implemented in phases. It is still too early to determine their impact on the market. U.S. Imports FROM RUSSIA According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. imports of Russian goods fell from $14.14 to $2.50 billion during the first half of 2025. Since January 2022 the United States imported $24.51billion of Russian goods. FERTILIZERS In 2017, the U.S. imported approximately $1.27 billion worth of Russian fertilizers. This is up from $1.14 in 2021. URANIUM, PLUTONIUM In 2024, the U.S. will import enriched uranium (plutonium) and uranium from Russia for around $624 millions. This is down from $646 in 2021. PALLADIUM In 2024, Russia will export palladium worth $878 million to the United States. This is down from $1.59 Billion in 2021.
Panama Canal seeks LNG resurgence after 65% decline in traffic
The Panama Canal aims to restore vessel traffic bring U.S. liquefied natural gas to Asia as demand in that market rises and a brand-new appointment system allows carriers to secure slots, following a 65% decrease in the transit of its secondmost crucial sector, the Panama Canal Authority informed Reuters.
A U.S. LNG switch to Europe in the aftermath of Russia's. invasion of Ukraine, integrated with long waiting times and. costly charges to transit through Panama due to severe dry spell,. have actually kept many LNG ship of the canal.
Lots of gas exporters continue to take longer routes around. South America even after the waterway's authority raised the. limitations this year. The canal is the quickest route to Asia. for U.S. gas exporters, whose sales to Japan, China, South Korea. and India have grown considerably in the last decade.
In the case of LNG, we lost 65% (of traffic), which is the. traffic that now goes through Cape Horn, compared to what we had. in 2015, 2 years earlier, stated the Canal's administrator,. Ricaurte Vazquez, in an interview in Panama City.
Europe's big hunger for U.S. LNG and hold-ups licensing. brand-new LNG tasks in the United States have actually been the primary motorists. of the switch, he included, although the canal's drought-related. constraints likewise played an essential role, carriers said.
The obstacles of the last dry spell were extremely visible for. everybody, said Anatol Feygin, an executive vice president at. Cheniere Energy, the top U.S. LNG manufacturer.
Due To The Fact That the Panama Canal Authority charges a set fee per. passage, it can be easier for U.S. manufacturers to take. longer paths to Asia depending upon international LNG prices, shipment. terms in contracts and seasonal need.
Often individuals forget that going through the canal ... is. not a complimentary shortcut, Feygin said, describing transit charges. Financially, the option of going around the Cape is not far. from the economics of going through the canal.
But a recovery in Asian LNG need, likely to continue next. year, might require increased shipments through the canal.
We do think that development in LNG need will be driven by. Asia, Feygin included, referring to China, South Asia and. Southeast Asia. And we do believe that U.S. Gulf Coast volumes. will continue to be the single largest exporting node in the. world.
MORE PASSAGES REQUIRED
A new reservation system and lower expenses enabled the canal's. earnings to increase 9.5% to $3.45 billion in the fiscal year that. ended in September, in spite of the dry spell.
But commodities manufacturers think the canal's administration. still has space to set up more transits of LNG and liquefied. petroleum gas (LPG) vessels. The parties have been in touch. considering that in 2015 to think about propositions.
Panama now provides two transit slots each day for LNG ships,. however a long-term reservation system beginning in January will. enable manufacturers to reserve slots as much as a year ahead of time.
The first auction of this type, completed this month, raised. $ 394 million and will represent 40% of all transits through. its largest locks in 2025, administrator Vazquez stated.
Shorter waiting times and the set-aside of a minimal number. of slots for vessels getting to the canal without bookings. will allow Panama to much better manage arrivals. And some other. steps to enhance remain in conversation, including some in. anticipation of dry years, Vazquez added.
It (the canal) still has some constraints that we are. working through, like the truth that LNG carriers do not have. night-time transit capabilities through the new locks, Feygin. said.
The canal, which is monitoring the expansion of international LNG. fleets and the status of brand-new U.S. LNG projects, expects that. bigger LNG vessels, consisting of floating storage units that feed. LNG to onshore centers, will be going through Panama's. largest locks in the next 18 months.
(source: Reuters)