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Louisiana, Mississippi ports still closed as Ida passes

  • Market: Agriculture, Coal, Coking coal, Crude oil, LPG, Metals, Oil products, Petroleum coke
  • 30/08/21

Ports in Louisiana and Mississippi remained closed this morning as the remnants of Hurricane Ida move inland after coming ashore near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, yesterday.

New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Plaquemines, South Louisiana, St Bernard and the Venice Port Complex in Louisiana all remain closed to traffic as of 10am ET. The Mississippi ports of Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula and Port Bienville, also remain closed according to the US Coast Guard.

The port of Mobile, Alabama, remained closed to inbound traffic, and the Florida ports of Panama City, Pensacola and St Joe remained in storm conditions but were open to all vessel traffic.

The Louisiana ports of Lake Charles and Cameron were last night set to recovery conditions, with 38ft draft restrictions implemented in both ports, after closing to inbound traffic late 28 August.


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18/02/25

Shell starts construction of base oil unit at Wesseling

Shell starts construction of base oil unit at Wesseling

London, 18 February (Argus) — Shell's has started construction of a Group III base oil production plant at its Wesseling oil refinery in western Germany, with commissioning scheduled by 2028, the company told Argus today. Two columns of 54 and 37 meters for the base oil conversion unit have been delivered and assembled at the site, Shell said. It announced plans to convert its Wesseling hydrocracker into a Group III base oil production unit at end of January 2024. The unit is anticipated to have a production capacity of 300,000 t/yr. Shell will cease crude distillation by March 2025 at the 147,000 b/d Wesseling refinery, as the company looks to reduce CO2 emissions. The base oil plant will receive vacuum gasoil (VGO) feedstocks from Shell's neighbouring 187,000 b/d Godorf refinery. European Group III prices have dropped on a persistent supply overhang. Argus -assessed prices for fca northwest Europe Group III 4cst with partial or no approvals fell by 23pc on the year to $1,020/t on 7 February. Suppliers in the Mideast Gulf target European buyers with ample spot supplies to capitalise on higher margins. Europe is the most attractive export outlet as it remains dependent on imports of Group III material owing to its smaller Group III production capacity in comparison to other regions. By Christian Hotten Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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EU rapeseed crush rose in Jan with Australian canola


18/02/25
News
18/02/25

EU rapeseed crush rose in Jan with Australian canola

London, 18 February (Argus) — European rapeseed crush volumes increased by 114,000t on the month in January. Soybean and sunflower seed crushing fell by 73,000t and 80,000t respectively, as EU and UK crushers took advantage of steady Australian canola imports. Rapeseed crushing rose by 7pc, mostly due to a strong start in Australia's canola export season, with much of the supply heading to Europe. Higher-than-average exports can be attributed to a large harvest, strong European demand and increased port capacity. High soybean oil prices helped make rapeseed oil more attractive in January. Soybean crushing fell by 5pc on the month, with high prices after the US issued guidance on the 45Z production tax credit to allow US low-carbon fuel producers to immediately start claiming credits, supporting demand for US soybeans and soybean oil. Month 1 CBOT soybeans futures reached a six-month high on 21 January, and month 1 CBOT soybean oil reached a two month high on January 17. Sunflower seeds made up just 13pc of total crushed oilseeds in the EU and the UK, down from a 2024 average of 16pc and a six-month low. Crush volumes fell significantly on the month and the year, by 16pc and 26pc respectively. Many Ukrainian sunflower crushing plants remained idle or operated at reduced rates in January, with lower demand for sunflower oil pressuring crush margins. By Madeleine Jenkins EU-27 + UK crushing volumes 1,000t January December % m-o-m change Jan-24 % y-o-y change Soybean 1,270 1,343 -5.4% 1,170 8.5% Sunflower seed 434 514 -15.6% 589 -26.3% Rapeseed 1,656 1,544 7.3% 1,680 -1.4% Semi-refined 335 332 0.9% 356 -5.9% Fully-refined 580 547 6.0% 613 -5.4% Total Total oilseed 3,360 3,401 -1.2% 3,439 -2.3% Total refined 914 878 4.1% 969 -5.7% Fediol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Nigeria cuts oil theft, upbeat on output growth plan


18/02/25
News
18/02/25

Nigeria cuts oil theft, upbeat on output growth plan

Lagos, 18 February (Argus) — Nigeria's upstream regulator NUPRC said losses from oil theft have fallen to just 5,000 b/d, down from 15,000 b/d in August of last year. At its peak in 2018, theft was costing Nigeria as much as 150,000 b/d, according to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Sustained security interventions by the government have been successful in tackling the problem, said NUPRC chief executive Gbenga Komolafe. "Oil theft has significantly reduced to 5,000 b/d, leading to a steady [liquids] production increase to 1.7mn b/d," he added. State-owned oil firm NNPC said security measures have led to around 1,861 illegal connections being removed from pipelines, while 677 points of vandalism were found and fixed over the past 12 months. About 4,124 illegal refineries and 1,897 boats laden with stolen crude were also destroyed within the same period, NNPC said. NUPRC said last year that a forensic study showed 40pc of losses previously attributed to theft in 2020–22 were caused by metering inaccuracies. In July last year, the regulator launched an audit of Nigeria's 187 upstream flow stations to determine where meters are outdated or broken and which designated measurement points lack the required equipment. The audit was to have been completed by November 2024 but an NUPRC source told Argus that it is only being completed now. Komolafe also said a programme that aims to add 1.07mn b/d to Nigeria's liquids output by December 2026 is on track. The ambitious initiative aims to leverage "collaboration among operators, service providers, financiers and host communities", Komolafe said. The programme forecasts an injection of $1.45bn of capital into Nigerian oil blocks under joint venture agreements, $1.11bn into blocks under production-sharing contracts and $650mn into blocks under sole risk contracts. This investment will respectively yield additional output of 470,800 b/d, 224,700 b/d and 374,500 b/d, according to NUPRC. Nigeria has struggled with mobilising upstream investment in the past and has consistenly fallen short of less ambitious production growth targets in recent years. But an NUPRC source told Argus that easy wins are possible under the latest output growth programme, including 42,800 b/d from restarting shut-in wells, 74,900 b/d from the ramp-up of fields recently brought online, 96,300 b/d from drilling new wells and 256,800 b/d from well re-entry. The chief executive of local operator Heirs Energies, Osayande Igiehon, said his company restarted 40 shut-in wells in oil block OML 17, which the company operates with a 45pc stake in a joint venture with NNPC, between the third quarter of last year and 11 February this year. Production has risen to 55,000 b/d, up from 35,000 b/d in January of last year, he said. Nigeria has "the infrastructure in place to deliver up to 2mn b/d, more than 2mn b/d, but a lot of it is shut in, is closed in or is poorly worked," Igiehon said. "Beyond 2mn b/d, we need to do a lot of greenfield investments onshore, in shallow water and in the deep water, investments that will take a longer gestation period," he said. NUPRC data show Nigeria's liquids production rose by 4pc on the month to 1.74mn b/d in January, of which 1.54mn b/d was crude, leaving the country 2.6pc above its Opec+ quota. Argus estimates put Nigeria's January crude production lower, at 1.51mn b/d . Nigeria's junior oil minister Heineken Lokpobiri said the government expects a significant portion of the country's targeted oil output growth will be condensate. The government is considering infrastructure interventions to reduce the co-mingling of crude and condensate, further separation of condensate streams from crude streams in transportation and storage, and to increase marketing of Nigerian output as condensate. By Adebiyi Olusolape Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Anglo to sell Brazilian nickel business to MMG


18/02/25
News
18/02/25

Anglo to sell Brazilian nickel business to MMG

Singapore, 18 February (Argus) — UK-South African mining firm Anglo American has agreed to sell its nickel assets in Brazil to Chinese firm MMG for up to $500mn as it looks to focus on copper, iron ore and crop nutrients. The sale to the Chinese company's MMG Singapore Resources arm is expected to close by September. Anglo will receive an upfront cash payment of $350mn when the deal is completed, up to $100mn in a price-linked earnout and a contingent cash payment of $50mn for the development projects, it said today. The Brazilian nickel assets covered by the deal include the Barro Alto and Codemin ferronickel operations and the Jacaré and Morro Sem Boné greenfield projects. Anglo produced 39,400t in nickel metal equivalent in 2024, down by 1.5pc on the year. It expects to produce 37,000-39,000t in 2025. Brazilian multi-metals mining group Vale is also reviewing options for its nickel mining assets, including a potential sale, as it aims to optimise its mining portfolio and increase the competitiveness of its vertically integrated nickel business. China imported 40,048t of ferronickel from Brazil in 2024, down by 36.3pc from a year earlier as Indonesian nickel pig iron (NPI) gained ground in the stainless steel sector. MMG is a subsidiary of Chinese diversified metals company Minmetals. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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India's domestic coal supply to utilities rises in Jan


18/02/25
News
18/02/25

India's domestic coal supply to utilities rises in Jan

Singapore, 18 February (Argus) — Domestic thermal coal supplies to Indian utilities rose in January as power plants continued to boost inventories. Combined coal supplies to utilities from domestic sources such as state-controlled Coal India (CIL), Singareni Collieries (SCCL) and captive blocks stood at 76.41mn t, up by 5.8pc from a year earlier, provisional data from India's coal ministry show. Supply was also up from 76.04mn t in December. Indian utilities continued to restock, although coal consumption at utilities was weaker than initially anticipated, as temperatures in most parts of the country were higher last month compared to historical averages, curbing power demand. India's coal-fired generation — which meets most of its power requirements — stood at 109.68TWh during January, down from 111.72TWh a year earlier, but up from 104.30TWh in December, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) data show. Higher domestic coal supplies and weaker coal burn supported stock positions at utilities. Combined coal inventories at Indian power plants stood at around 50.5mn t on 31 January, up from 45.2mn t on 31 December and higher from 38.59mn t as of 31 January 2024, according to CEA data. The inventory as of the end of January would last for over 17 days at the current daily coal consumption rate at utilities. Higher stocks and a steady uptick in domestic supplies might have pressured utility demand for imported coal and India's overall seaborne receipts last month. India imported 11.63mn t of thermal coal last month, down from 13.34mn t a year earlier, according to data from analytics firm Kpler. Imports reached 163mn t in 2024, down from 168.2mn t in 2023, Kpler data show. Indian power sector imports, which account for more than 40pc of the country's overall imports, dropped on the year for the fourth straight month in December , and might have eased in January. Combined thermal coal imports by Indian utilities, excluding captive power plants, stood at 3.25mn t in December, down by 2.17mn t or 49pc from a year earlier, CEA data show. Imports could come under pressure if the government does not extend its directive to imported coal-fired plants, which have a combined capacity of 17.7GW, to boost generation under Section 11 of the Indian electricity law, which also gives some flexibility to such generators to sell excess production in the power market. The directive is due to expire on 28 February. Production, supply mix The increased supplies to utilities were supported by higher overall thermal production. India's coal output rose by 4.4pc in January from a year earlier to 104.49mn t. The country's supplies to all sectors stood at 93.21mn t last month, up by 6.7pc on the year. CIL produced 77.79mn t in January, down from around 78.41mn t a year earlier, while it supplied 69.26mn t, rising from 67.52mn t last year, ministry data show. Of this, 55.01mn t of coal was supplied to the power sector in January, easing from 55.15mn t a year earlier. Meanwhile, output at coal producer SCCL rose by 5pc from a year earlier to 6.97mn t in January. But its overall supplies in January fell by about 1.5pc on the year to 6.12mn t, while dispatches to the power sector rose by 2.2pc on the year to 5.6mn t. Captive coal block producers and other small government mining entities comprised the remainder of the supplies to utilities in January. Output from captive coal blocks and other mining companies rose by over 31pc on the year to 19.72mn t in January, while supplies rose by nearly 30.7pc to 17.83mn t. Data on domestic coal supplies to Indian utilities do not include dispatches to captive power plants set up by industries. Supplies to such captive utilities — from sources such as CIL, SCCL and captive coal blocks — reached 6.29mn t in January, up by almost 9pc from a year earlier. Domestic supplies to steel and cement sector in January rose by 4.5pc and 31pc from a year earlier to 860,000t and 900,000t respectively, the ministry data show. By Saurabh Chaturvedi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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