Latest News
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Fuel oil from Malaysia PRefChem Refinery is headed to the US for the first time since 2023
Shipping data shows that a fuel oil cargo is heading to the United States from Malaysian company PRefChem for the first time since?2023. This is due to the?disruptions caused by the Iran War?, which are limiting the global supply of refinery feedstocks. The low-sulphur straight-run cargo (LSSR) can be fed to a refinery unit for production of higher-margin products such as gasoline or diesel. According to LSEG and?Kpler data, the last fuel oil shipment from PRefChem was shipped to the U.S. in May 2023. Kpler data shows that the Solomon Sea departed the Vopak Dialog 'Pengerang terminal in August loaded with more than 540,000 barrels LSSR fuel. It is scheduled to arrive in the United States early in September. A source familiar with the matter said that the cargo was headed?to an refinery on the U.S. West Coast. Petronas (owned by the state) did not reply to a comment request. The refinery, PRefChem, in Pengerang produces 300,000 barrels per day. The U.S./Iran conflict has caused a shortage of feedstocks, but margins for refining are strong. U.S. refiners typically import fuel oil from closer regions, such as Mexico or Venezuela. Trade sources say that PRefChem sold fuel oil via recent 'tenders' for the August loading of three cargoes each of 540,000 'barrels? of LSSR atmospheric residual. Ship-tracking data revealed that one cargo was loaded between August 12-13, and the other two were offered for loading on August 21-22 and August 30 and 31, respectively. According to IIR's data, the refinery's atmospheric distillation unit was down from June 21 to July 10. PRefChem produces fuel oil and gasoline sporadically. (Reporting and editing by Tony Munroe, Subhranshu Sahu and Jeslyn Lerh)
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Four people are killed in record-breaking rain at Japan's Narita Airport
Record?rainfall? left thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding in the area disrupted transportation and knocked out electricity to homes. At least four people died. In Chiba Prefecture, which is adjacent to?the capital Tokyo and flooded roads and trains during the busiest week of the year, more than 360 millimetres fell in just 24 hours. Four?deaths? have been confirmed by authorities, one of whom is trapped in a submerged car, and another is missing. Soldiers were dispatched in the area to assist with relief efforts. Toshihito kumagai, Chiba governor, told reporters Friday morning that the case presented was "extremely unusual." "I've responded to many disasters in the past, but i've never seen a situation like this." Tokyo Electric Power reported that more than 22,000 homes were still without electricity at 11:00 am (0200 GMT) on Friday. In Chiba, one of Japan's worst-hit areas, hundreds of residents slept under foil blankets in government buildings that served as temporary evacuation centers. A spokesperson for the airport said that the disruption in transport left approximately 7,000 people stranded. All flights are expected to operate normally Friday. Japan Airlines has said that some flights could experience delays, but there are no cancellations expected at this time. According to highway operator NEXCO East, some?major roads in?Chiba are closed, forcing drivers on alternate routes and causing heavy congestion. On Friday morning, several rail services were also suspended, although some trains linking Narita to Tokyo resumed service, helping ease congestion at the international transportation hub. NHK footage showed that hundreds of passengers waited overnight to receive blankets, snacks, and water bottles from airport staff before sleeping in the terminal. NHK reported that an American passenger stranded at the airport with his family said, "We will never forget this trip." (Reporting and editing by Stephen Coates, Hina Suzuki, Mariko Katsumura)
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Brazilian airline Azul cuts capacity in the third quarter, but expects growth thereafter
John Rodgerson, the Chief Executive Officer of Azul Airlines, said that the airline expects to reduce capacity again in the third quarter following recent major cuts. Then it will return to growth for the final three months of the year. Azul reduced its capacity in the second quarter by an unprecedented 10.6% compared to the same period last year, with a reduction of 24.9% in international operations. This was due to the disruptions caused by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, which pushed up jet fuel prices. Rodgerson said, "The fuel crisis peaked in the second quarter and it is also the weakest quarter for the year." "We cut capacity because we believed it was the right thing to do." The Brazilian carrier is the largest in terms of number cities served. It expects to reduce its capacity by around 4% during the third quarter, before returning to growth by 'the fourth quarter, as it completes its transition to a widebody aircraft. Rodgerson said that he remains optimistic about Brazil's airline market. He cited the resilient demand. He said, "The fundamentals are good in Brazil at the moment and we think we're well-positioned." "Wars and crisis don't last forever." Azul reported a record operating revenue for the second quarter of 4,98 billion reais (960 million dollars), up 0.7% on a year ago. However, core earnings fell 55.4% to 5010.1 million reais as fuel costs per liter soared by 61.8%. The company said that higher fares offset a part of the cost increase. Was it the final result that we desired? "Of course not. Fuel costs rose?by almost 700 million reais?during the third quarter, and we reduced?capacity. This was always going be a quarter of transition," Rodgerson stated, highlighting higher unit revenues and operational improvements.
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Four people are killed in record-breaking rain at Japan's Narita Airport
On Thursday morning, thousands of passengers were stranded in Tokyo's Narita Airport due to record rainfall. Flooding in the area had disrupted travel and knocked out electricity for homes. At least four people died. In Chiba Prefecture, near the capital Tokyo, more than 360 millimetres rained in just 24 hours, flooding roads and railways, and knocking out electricity to nearly 25,000 homes during one of Japan's most busy holiday weeks. The authorities have confirmed four deaths so far, including one trapped in a submerged vehicle. Soldiers were 'dispatched to assist with relief efforts. Toshihito Kumagai, Chiba governor, told reporters Thursday morning that the situation was "extremely unusual" even compared to Japan's weather history. "I've responded to many disasters, but this is the first time I've seen a situation like this." A spokesperson for the airport said that approximately 7,000 passengers were stranded in Narita due to the transport disruption. All flights are expected to operate "normally" on Thursday. Japan Airlines has said that some flights could experience delays, but there are no cancellations expected at this time. According to NEXCO - East, major highways in Chiba remain closed. This includes routes connecting Narita Airport, one of Japan's most important international transport hubs. On Thursday morning, several rail services were still suspended. However, some trains between Narita and Tokyo resumed service. (Reporting and editing by Mariko Katsumura and Hina Suzuki)
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PJM offers plan to purchase more power for data centres
PJM Interconnection is the largest?U.S. grid operator. Grid operator proposed on Thursday to federal regulators a backstop plan to purchase more?power?generation in order to avoid outages due to the surge of electricity needs for data centers. PJM, the company that manages electricity for 67,000,000 people across a region stretching from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, has filed the proposal at the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who would need to approve any move by the grid operator. The proposal highlights the growing tension between data center expansion and the ability of the power grid to keep pace. If PJM is unable to close the supply gap, residents and businesses will face a greater number of blackouts. The cost of the new generation may be passed onto consumers with no connection to data?centers. PJM recently held a capacity auction where power prices were capped at $325 per megawatt day. PJM's reliability requirement for meeting projected demand was 6.8 gigawatts short despite the high prices meant to encourage the construction of 'new power plants. This'shortfall raises the risks of grid -blackouts. PJM would like to close this gap with its proposed procurement plan. The results of the plan will be revealed in December. Critics of PJM’s proposal claim that the grid operator has failed to attract billions of dollars for new generating sources to meet the increasing energy demand of data centers. Don Mosier is the chief executive officer of East Kentucky Power Cooperative which provides energy to 1.2 million people and businesses. Mosier's comments appear in a letter sent to the U.S. Energy Department on August 6. PJM's proposals, according to the company, are designed to prevent residential customers from being charged higher energy costs due to the expansion of data centres. PJM also proposed creating a "registry" for data centers, and other large energy consumers that would track their location and electricity usage. PJM suggests that for data centers which do not'supply' their own electricity, it should temporarily cut off the electricity at the?sites during periods of extreme grid stress to prevent rolling blackouts. PJM stated that it does not have the power to cut off the electricity to these sites and would need the cooperation of each state government. The rapid growth of data centers has become a political headache for PJM, which includes Virginia, the home of the largest data center collection in the world. Residents are becoming increasingly concerned about the costs of powering data centers they consider noisy and intrusive. (Reporting By Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
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Derailment of UK passenger train in southeast England causes 11 injuries
The British Transport Police said that the derailment?of a passenger train near Lewes station in southeast England?on?Thursday?left?two people with serious injuries and nine other persons with less severe injuries. British Transport Police reported that three carriages of the train rolled onto their side after the incident was reported at 3:44 pm local time. The police reported that a number of passengers were trapped at first but they have now been safely evacuated. At the scene, emergency services including Sussex Police, local fire, ambulance and rescue?teams and Sussex Police responded. Some of the injured were treated on site while others were transported to local hospitals. No immediate reports have been made of any injuries. In a press release, Assistant Chief Constable Ian Drummond-Smith said: "We have declared a major accident and an emergency response is ongoing at the scene. All passengers on the train are now safely evacuated from the service." He said that authorities are supporting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch's efforts to determine the cause of the derailment. In a recent post on 'X, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Minister said that the Government was 'working quickly with the rail industry to help passengers. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Heavens and David Goodman, and Aurora Ellis.)
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US revises Jones Act compliance rules and extends waiver of 90-day Jones Act.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security approved a second 90-day extension to a Jones Act waiver originally issued on March 17, 2026. This will allow certain cargoes covered by the Jones Act to continue moving between U.S. port on foreign flagged vessels under specified conditions. The waiver will begin on August 17, 2026 at 12 a.m. The CBP guidance stated that the waiver will begin on August 17, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. ET. CBP stated that any product covered must be loaded onto a vessel by 11:59 pm ET on November 15, 2026. ET, November 15, 2026. The agency also released a list of updated potentially covered products on August 17. CBP stated that "this?guidance serves as a notice of significant changes to the waiver requests process." Before a voyage starts, parties wishing to use a vessel flying a foreign flag under the waiver must submit a "vessel availabilty request" to the Department of War(DOW), Maritime Administration(MARAD) and CBP. CBP stated that the request must include information such as the vessel owner, the date of the voyage, the ports of loading and discharging, the cargo description, the frequency of shipment, the identity of the vessel, etc. MARAD will conduct a survey to determine if a U.S. vessel with coastwise qualifications is available for the transport. DOW will then decide if the waiver is applicable to the proposed trip based on the survey results. CBP said that the trade?community member initiating the request would contact the appropriate carriers to arrange transport. Carriers who operate foreign-flagged ships under the waiver must submit voyage information to CBP, and MARAD post-voyage report within 10 days after the completion of the voyage. This includes cargo details and the justification for waiver.
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UAE claims Iran attacked two ADNOC ships in Strait of Hormuz, but there were no injuries
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company reported that two of its vessels were attacked Thursday evening while they transited the Strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported. This was the second incident in which ADNOC vessels were involved in less than one week. The UAE condemned an alleged Iranian attack against a vessel associated with the state oil company on Saturday as it crossed the strait. According to WAM, the state news agency of the UAE, ADNOC has confirmed that the situation is under control. The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned a "hostile Iranian assault" on the two ADNOC ships. The UAE Foreign Ministry said that Iran's Revolutionary Guards committed "acts piracy" in targeting commercial shipping, and using the Strait of Hormuz as a means of economic pressure or extortion. This posed a threat to regional stability and global energy safety. WAM and the Foreign Ministry did not provide any details on the ships, their cargo or any possible damage. There were no reported injuries. The IRGC or Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment. Before the conflict, a fifth (or more) of the world's oil & liquefied gas was transported through the narrow waterway that connects Oman to Iran. Shipping has been disrupted repeatedly since the U.S. and Israel war against Iran began on February '28. This has increased freight rates, and raised security concerns. Iran's Revolutionary?Guards had previously threatened to take action against vessels that transited the strait if their crews were linked with Tehran's enemies or failed to?obey Iranian directives. ADNOC stated on Friday that it had been'significantly affected' by unprovoked attacks against its personnel and assets. It continued to meet customer demands in an "exceptionally difficult environment." ADNOC is Abu Dhabi's state oil company. It is the largest energy producer in the world and exports crude, natural gas, and refined products to countries around. Reporting by Enas Alashray and Eman Aboushassira, Editing by Chris Reese and Rod Nickel
As flights to the Middle East cease, governments plan to repatriate their citizens
Commercial flights have been grounded in some parts of the Middle East due to an escalating conflict after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. This has left foreigners stranded and prompted?governments' to plan repatriations.
In alphabetical order, here is what government officials and representatives have said about the repatriation plan:
AUSTRIA
Austria's Foreign Ministry said that it has assisted?117 citizens who were vulnerable to leave the UAE or Israel via neighbouring countries. It is planning a charter flight for 170 passengers from Muscat tomorrow, but warned that travellers would be leaving on their own risk.
BULGARIA
GullivAir (Bulgaria Air), State Aviation Operator and GullivAir will return Bulgarian citizens to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman - on Wednesday and Thursday. This includes a GullivAir flight with 326 seats from Dubai and a Bulgaria Air Boeing 737 via Oman. Also included is a 90 seat government aircraft that flies from Abu Dhabi.
CZECH REPUBLIC
According to the CTK news agency, government officials and Czech government officials, three flights have been organised so far from Oman, Jordan, and Egypt in order to evacuate 175 people who were stranded.
ESTONIA
The Estonian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had booked a flight from Muscat to Oman or the United Arab Emirates for Thursday. Each passenger would pay 400 euros.
FINLAND
The Finnish foreign ministry announced that Finland would organize a single flight to bring home the approximately 3,000 Finns currently living in the United Arab Emirates. The flight is scheduled to depart Muscat, Oman this weekend. The tickets will cost 2300 euros each, plus any travel expenses to Muscat.
FRANCE
On Wednesday, the French Foreign Minister announced that several flights were scheduled to bring home French nationals who are currently in the area. Around 400,000 French citizens live in this region.
France has deployed consular teams to Israel's border with Egypt and Jordan in order to facilitate the land exits of people so they can continue their journey by air. A similar mechanism has been implemented in the UAE, at the borders with Oman, Saudi Arabia and Oman, where there has been no restriction on airspace.
GERMANY
Berlin plans to charter two Lufthansa?flights from Riyadh, and one from Muscat to bring back particularly vulnerable citizens, such as children and pregnant women, and people with disabilities.
Emirates Airline flight departures to Dusseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt were scheduled for Wednesday. Lufthansa will fly a plane from Muscat to Germany at noon local time. The plane should arrive in Frankfurt early on Thursday.
GREECE
Aegean Flight carrying Greek Nationals from Oman requested by the Foreign Ministry will land in Athens Wednesday afternoon. Prime Minister KyriakosMitsotakis stated that Greece had a plan for repatriating thousands of its citizens stranded across the Middle East.
HUNGARY
The Hungarian Foreign Minister said that repatriation flights would be operated from Amman and Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday and Friday, each aircraft carrying 90 passengers.
The Italian foreign ministry reported that about 2,500 Italians had returned from Abu Dhabi and Riyadh on commercial flights supported by the ministry. It added that additional departures will be made from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Muscat and Riyadh in the next few days, as well as Male and Colombo.
Netherlands
On Wednesday, the Dutch government announced that it would be organising several repatriation flight with Dutch tour operators in the next few days. On Wednesday, a first KLM flight was used to bring back 85 Dutch citizens who had been in Oman.
POLAND
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that a plane dispatched for the pick-up of Poles in need of medical assistance was expected to land on Oman at the same time.
ROMANIA
The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that FlyDubai had scheduled two flights from Dubai to Bucharest on both Wednesday and Thursday. The ministry has received over 3,000 requests for repatriation and around 16,000 Romanians are registered in the area.
SERBIA
Air Serbia's flight from Sharm el-Sheikh landed at Belgrade early Wednesday morning with 67 passengers evacuated from Israel.
SLOVAKIA
The Slovak Foreign Ministry announced that two evacuation flights from Jordan, organised by Slovakia, landed in the country on Tuesday. They carried 127 people, mainly Slovaks. There are more flights planned.
SLOVENIA
The Prime Minister's Office announced in a statement that on Tuesday four buses were organized by Slovenia to transport Slovenians and families with young children from Dubai airport to Muscat Airport in Oman.
Two more flights are scheduled for late afternoon or evening on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's Foreign Minister, announced that the country had begun to evacuate its citizens. On Tuesday night, more than 175 Spanish citizens arrived in Abu Dhabi via Istanbul. Further flights are expected to arrive from the UAE.
Albares said that Spain would also reinforce its embassies located in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to support and facilitate future repatriations.
THAILAND
Thailand will evacuate its citizens from Iran by land into Turkey between March 7 and 10 while those stranded are either returning to their home countries or will do so once the airspace is reopened.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
State news agency WAM reports that the UAE Civil Aviation Authority will start operating "special flight" across all of the country's international airports in order to assist some of the tens and thousands of passengers stranded within the region.
UNITED KINGDOM
The British Foreign Office announced that British chartered flights would leave Oman Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning. Priority will be given to vulnerable UK citizens who wish to "leave" the region.
Announced: Limited or no government evacuations
Australia has said it will not evacuate its citizens as long as regional airspace is closed. With 115,000 Australians currently in the Middle East the government plans to focus on commercial flights when normal services resume.
Switzerland announced that it will not organize evacuations for 4,400 travellers and 35, 000 residents of the region.
The U.S. State Department advised Americans to immediately leave more than 12 Middle Eastern countries using commercial options.
(source: Reuters)