Europe

Three traders reported that Caspian CPC blend oil exports were 'planned at 1.5m barrels per day for September. This is a steady decrease from the 1.6m bpd of?August due to maintenance?at?the Karachaganak Oilfield. Weather-related disruptions, and drone strikes in Black Sea could affect actual CPC Blend oil loads next month. About 2% of global oil is supplied by the CPC pipeline, which transports Kazakhstani crude to a terminal near the Black Sea port in Russia, Novorossiysk. Shipowners prefer the CPC terminal to the Novorossiysk Sheskharis Terminal, according to traders, following Ukraine's pledge to stop?strikes against non-Russian ships leaving Black Sea...

Traders and analysts said that up to 70 vessels were waiting for access to Ukrainian ports in order to load grain for export. This is due to the lack of pilots, and other cargoes being given priority. After Russian attacks blocked Ukraine's Black Sea port, which handled 90% of its grain exports before, some shipments have been rerouted to Danube riverports which have a much smaller capacity. Exports are slowed by the fact that grain cargoes compete for access to ports with other shipments of a higher priority, such as fuel. Air raid alerts that force all port operations to...

The 'company' said on Wednesday that the repair work at NKHP, a?of three grain export terminals in Russia's?Black Sea main port of Novorossiysk could take as long as?four months after a Ukrainian attack. In the past few months, attacks have stopped almost all grain exports through ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Previously, 70% of Russian grain exports were shipped via these ports. On August 12, Ukraine launched a massive drone strike on Novorossiysk that took out all three grain terminals. The third terminal, which belongs to Delo Group and is owned by Demetra, was not damaged...

Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, said that the German government will soon reveal who is responsible for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport earlier this month. Merz, speaking at a summit of the coalition, said that his government "works closely with security authorities to this end, and will soon set out this issue?and make a comment about it." Local?media cite security sources that suspect Russian intelligence of involvement in the attempted attack. Berlin, however, has not made direct accusations. A drone with explosives was discovered on August 4 near an Antonov cargo plane used for military supplies. Investigators suspect...

Erlan Akkenzhenov, Energy Minister of Kazakhstan, said that the country has reduced its oil production target for 2026 to 96 million metric tons from 98 millions due to Ukrainian drone strikes on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. CPC transports around 80% Kazakhstan's oil via the Russian Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk. In recent months, tankers that serve the outlet were targeted by Ukrainian drones. This drew criticism from Kazakhstan. Akkenzhenov, speaking to journalists in Astana said: "The oil-production plan will be adjusted because of the attacks against the CPC... Due to the 'attacks in January, and the ongoing attacks throughout June...

German investigators have discovered a third drone and suspected explosives linked to the attempted attack on the Leipzig/Halle Airport this month, according to the NDR and WDR radio stations and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Media reports stated that the drone was discovered on August 14, 10 day after the incident. It was located?towards the west of airport where investigators also?found about 50 grams (1.8oz) of what they suspected as the military explosive hexogen. The office of the?prosecutor general?didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The reports cite security sources who suspect Russian intelligence involvement. This accusation has been denied by...

Three sources said that a train owned by Russian aluminium producer?Rusal, derailed over the weekend in Guinea's Dubreka Prefecture, halting exports of alumina and slowing production. Two company officials reported that the train carrying alumina fell off the track near Kagbelen, on Saturday evening. The incident injured four people and forced the suspension of rail traffic. Senior Friguia refinery officials said that alumina production continued at a slower pace after the accident but they could not quantify its impact. Exports are at a standstill. "A team has been dispatched on the site to assess and repair the situation," said the...

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin 'granted the Russian state authority to seize control of critical infrastructure that is not adequately protected against Ukrainian drone attacks or other threats. A presidential decree outlines the special powers that will allow Ukraine to temporarily take over management of these facilities. This is at a time where drone attacks on oil refineries, retail warehouses and other critical infrastructure have increased. According to the decree, the state can take control of assets such as physical or financial and formal ownership rights when entities in charge of these?facilities fail to do their job to protect them....

The Russian state was given the authority by President Vladimir Putin to take control of critical infrastructure facilities that are deemed to have been 'poorly protected' from Ukrainian drone attacks and other threats. A presidential decree outlines the special powers that will allow for temporary management of these facilities. This is at a time where?Ukraine is intensifying drone attacks against oil refineries and retail warehouses. According to the decree, the state can take over 'physical and financial assets' and formal ownership rights when the entity responsible for these 'facilities is judged to be negligent in protecting them and too slow...

Dutch police reported that a?coach? carrying high-school students from Germany crashed early Monday morning in the Netherlands, causing eight injuries. The injured were taken to hospital. In a post posted on X, the police department in Gelderland Province?stated that "some of the victims taken to hospital are seriously injured." The accident also caused minor injuries to other?people. A police spokesperson said that the coach, which was carrying more than 50 passengers, "crashed" near Wezep (about 100 km east of Amsterdam) at around 4 a.m. A collision with a delivery van, whose driver was among the injured victims, caused the accident...

On Saturday, a South Korean container vessel set sail?for Europe via arctic in the nation's first commercial trip on the route. The?nation is testing its viability and hopes to turn the southeastern port of Busan into a maritime hub. The PanStar Acro is expected to sail north hugging the eastern Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, crossing the Bering Sea and taking the Northern Sea Route. It will stop in Felixstowe, Britain, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Poland's Gdansk before returning in a trip that should take between 40 and 45 days. President Lee 'Jae Myung made Arctic shipping for South Korea a priority,...

Discover Airlines, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, said on Thursday that a temporary fuel shortage could affect its flights to Europe. The airline said that aircraft operating flights to Frankfurt and Munich out of Windhoek were being rerouted through Angola in order to refuel. A spokesperson for the Lufthansa Group said that there was a temporary and local shortage of?fuel at Windhoek International Airport. As reported in local Namibian media, Lufthansa has not responded to the question of whether its cargo freight is also affected by fuel shortages. Namibia Airports Company issued a statement stating that it was aware of fuel...

Three industry sources said that the?Ukrainian drone 'attack' on Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region caused a halt to?crude oil?processing at NORSI, Russia’s second largest?gasoline producer and fourth-largest refinery. A drone attack by Ukraine on the Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod on August 26 damaged an unspecified industrial building, according to local governor Gleb Nikitin. Lukoil - the owner of 'the refinery' - did not respond immediately to a'request for comment. Sources said that the drone attack had damaged a number of?processing units and inter-unit infrastructure, as well as general?plant equipment. The sources were unable to estimate how long it would be...

Gassco, the infrastructure operator, said that Norway's natural-gas export capacity would be reduced by 20% in a period up to the end of September. This is due to the final planned maintenance for the system to be ready for the high demand winter season across Europe. Gassco, the infrastructure operator, said that Norway's natural gas export capacity would be reduced by around 20% in a period until the end of September due to a final round of planned maintenance. This is in preparation for the high-demand winter season in Europe. Gassco data on transparency shows that the aggregated reduction in...

A spokesperson for PCK Schwedt in Germany said that the refinery is still running at around 80% of its capacity, despite the loss of Kazakh crude oil. Alternative imports through Poland's Gdansk Port have fully compensated for what was lost, according to a statement on Wednesday. Russia has stopped supplying Kazakh crude oil to Germany via the Druzhba Pipeline as of?May 1. This is a serious blow to the refinery that supplies the majority of fuel to Berlin and relies on Kazakhstan for 17%. PCK's?currently? supplied via?routes through Rostock and Gdansk allows it to maintain the operating levels reached when...

Three trade sources reported that freight rates for tanker shipments of Russia's flagship Urals oil from western ports to India - the grade's primary market - have risen in August due to a'strong demand' for vessels as well as mounting security risks relating to transporting Russian oil. Shipping costs are increasing, which is hurting the revenues of Russian oil producers who already face Western sanctions as well as a challenging geopolitical climate. Conflict in the Middle East has also impacted global shipping routes, which have boosted freight markets. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important chokepoints in...

Three industry sources have confirmed that Russia will extend its diesel export ban until September due to the?fuel shortages on the domestic market. Three industry sources told us that the extension of the ban to the end of this year was also being discussed. The Russian Energy Ministry did not reply to a comment request. The ban was introduced by Russia from July 8 until July 31, as part of a package of measures designed to support the domestic market. It was later extended to fuel producers up to August 31. Russia has also banned the export of motor gasoline...

The CEO of TotalEnergies, a French oil company, said that the company will continue to invest in the Middle East in spite of the Iran conflict. This was revealed at a conference on energy in Norway. Patrick Pouyanne previously said that it was important to fund alternate pipelines in order for oil to leave Middle East, given the paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Pouyanne stated at the ONS Conference that "we are today the largest traders of oil from Iraq or Qatar... it is clear to me that a certain amount equity needs...

Uniper, a German company, has filled 70% its?natural-gas storage capacity reserved over the summer despite the wholesale prices being low. The war in Iran is making the market more challenging. Michael Lewis said that an?inverted winter-summer spread', where the summer wholesale prices are higher than those of the winter, means there is no incentive to store gas. He made this statement after signing a deal for gas supplies with Norway's Equinor. "Now, that doesn't imply we haven't stocked any gas." Lewis stated that we've filled about 70% of the contracted gas storage. He added that the price spread had moved...

Uniper, a German company, has signed an 'agreement' to import from Equinor more than 30 Terawatt Hours of gas per year starting in 2027. The companies announced the agreement on Monday. This deal reinforces Norway's role as Europe's largest economy's main supplier. The agreement, which is equivalent to approximately 2.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year, will run until 2041 and represents nearly 3% of Germany's annual imports of gas. According to the network regulator Bundesnetzagentur Norway supplied 44% Germany's imports of gas. This is a significant increase from Russia, which had been the leading supplier before Moscow...

Investigators of rail accidents said that on Wednesday, a track 'irregularity' was visible in?CCTV pictures taken just before a passenger train derailment that occurred last week in England that resulted in two serious injuries. Rail Accident Investigation Branch stated that "a track geometry irregularity was present on the immediate approach to the derailment point, before the accident occurred." There was evidence of previous track maintenance in this area. The accident near Lewes, in southern England, occurred during a sustained period of high temperatures in Britain. The investigation will include factors such as the effectiveness of hot weather mitigation, and the...

German prosecutors announced Wednesday that a second suspect?accused? of participating in the '2022 Nord Stream blasts?has been arrested in Croatia & will be 'extradited?to Germany. The federal prosecutor's office in its statement identified the Ukrainian as Vladimir Z. and added that local police officers who were acting on an European arrest warrant arrested him at the Croatian seaside city of Pula. In July, prosecutors had filed criminal charges against a second Ukrainian, Serhii, who was a former army officer, for his involvement in the explosions. They accused him of acting on behalf of Ukrainian government entities. Prosecutors alleged in their?statement...

Oil market behavior is becoming more and more like a permanent reality. It's not just a temporary shock. The hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough are fading nearly six months after the war broke out between the U.S. The interim ceasefire that was agreed upon on June 17 is now effectively over, the 60 day negotiating period is finished, and neither Washington or Tehran appear willing to compromise about the future of Strait of Hormuz. Both sides have instead dug in. Iran warned that tensions would escalate if Washington did not fully implement the interim peace agreement within weeks. An Iranian...

According to Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthis'?Iran-aligned group in Yemen on Telegram Monday, the Houthis fired missiles at what they 'described' as a Saudi military ship and its four escorting vessels in the Red Sea. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the report. Mocha is a Red Sea Port near the 'Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This strategic chokepoint connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and it is an important international shipping line. The Houthis reportedly attacked a ship on Tuesday in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the southern 'entrance to the Red Sea. According to...