Sign up
Log in Sign up
This is a legacy page. Please click here to view the latest version.
Thu 17 May 2018, 07:23 GMT

Oil at three-and-a-half-year high on inventory deviations, geopolitical uncertainty


By A/S Global Risk Management.

Michael Poulson, Global Risk Management.
Image credit: Global Risk Management
The weekly oil inventory report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) yesterday showed a larger-than-expected draw in crude and gasoline inventories and completely in the opposite direction of the weekly oil stocks data from the American Petroleum Institute (API), and this supported oil prices. Brent increased by $1 following the EIA release. Markets are increasingly focusing on potential shortage of supplies as global inventories are shrinking.

EIA crude oil inventories: -1.1404M barrels (-0.763M expected) API crude oil inventories: 4.854M barrels (-1.850M previous)

In its monthly oil market report, published yesterday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) lowered its global oil demand growth forecast for this year by 0.1 mio. barrels per day (bpd) to 99.2 mio. bpd. Supplies are currently 98 mio. bpd, but according to the IEA: "non-OPEC growth... will grow by 1.87 mio. bpd in 2018". The reason for the revision of demand growth could be the increasing oil prices, which could dampen consumption. According to the agency, global inventories have dropped below the 5-year average - which was a goal for the current oil production cut agreement - for the first time since 2014.

Turning to economic data, today's main potential market mover is the U.S. Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index along with a couple of Fed member speeches. Other than that, no major releases.

BP  
Flex Commodities logo. Flex Commodities seeks operator for bunker trading operations  

Candidates should have three to five years of relevant bunker or commodity trading operations experience
Glander International Bunkering logo. Glander International Bunkering seeks bunker trader for Valencia office  

Role open to sales professionals regardless of prior oil industry experience.
Frankie Russ vessel. TB Marine takes over technical management of methanol-ready tanker  

Newbuild MT Frankie Russ is first tanker in Ernst Russ's fleet.
AiP award ceremony for ecoAPEX cargo-handling technology. Lloyd’s Register grants approval in principle to Babcock LGE’s ecoAPEX cargo-handling technology  

New integrated system for gas carriers targets lower emissions and reduced reliquefaction energy consumption, with LR approval confirming its potential.
Lloyd's Register (LR) and K Shipbuilding MoU signing. K Shipbuilding and Lloyd’s Register to jointly develop ethanol-fuelled tanker design  

The pair will assess an ethanol-fuelled 50,000 dwt MR tanker, targeting Approval in Principle from LR.
AiP award ceremony for methanol-fuelled catamaran concept. Bureau Veritas grants approval in principle for methanol-fuelled catamaran concept  

Classification society backs O.S. Energy and Chartwell Marine’s fuel-system design for an aluminium vessel developed under a UK decarbonisation programme.
LNG carrier render. Wind propulsion offers 'no fundamental barriers' for LNG carriers, study finds  

Bound4blue’s research with Cryosafe Services concludes that wind-assisted propulsion can be integrated into LNG carrier operations without major obstacles.
Bureau Veritas grants AiP to Hudong-Zhonghua. Bureau Veritas grants AiP to Hudong-Zhonghua for new LNG carrier and VLGC designs  

Classification society approves two gas carrier designs featuring next-generation containment systems and dual-fuel propulsion capabilities.
Guanabara Bay FSRU. Petrobras signs 20-year LNG supply deal with Sempra Infrastructure  

Brazilian state oil company will purchase 0.8 mtpa of LNG from a Texas liquefaction terminal for two decades.
Launching ceremony of Amor. LNG dual-fuel crude oil tankers launched for Maran and Capital Ship  

Two 155,500-DWT vessels launched by New Times Shipbuilding in China.

↑  Back to Top


 Recommended