First crude cargo in a week docks at French port

Spanish Market: Crude oil, Oil products, Petrochemicals
28/03/23

A crude tanker has docked at the French Atlantic port of Le Havre for the first time in a week, raising hopes that the two refineries served by the terminal may get their hands on some feedstock to resume operations.

Although dockers at Le Havre plan to remain on strike until 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on 30 March as part of wider protests against the government's pension reforms, now in their fourth week, Argus tracking shows a vessel carrying 1mn bl of Saudi Arabian Arab Light has arrived at the berth of the port's crude terminal, having sat at anchor offshore since 8 March. It is unclear how quickly it will discharge, but when it does it will be the first crude cargo to unload at Le Havre since 20 March.

The two refineries served by the port, TotalEnergies' 246,900 b/d Gonfreville and ExxonMobil's 236,000 b/d Port Jerome, have both had to shut. "We have no crude," a Port Jerome worker said today. Worker requisitions to release fuel stocks are continuing at Gonfreville though.

Several crude cargoes heading to Le Havre changed destination in the wake of the refinery shutdowns. A shipment of around 1mn bl of Nigerian Odudu is now offshore Rotterdam and around 600,000 bl of Libyan Brega has moved to anchorage offshore the French port of Montoir. Cargoes from the UAE and Norway have also diverted to Rotterdam.

A backlog of crude tankers at France's other main oil terminal, the Mediterranean port complex of Fos-Lavera, continues to grow. Dockers there are on strike until 31 March. Fos-Lavera serves four refineries — UK-Chinese venture Petroineos' 207,100 b/d Lavera, ExxonMobil's 133,000 b/d Fos, TotalEnergies' 109,300 b/d Feyzin and Varo's 68,000 b/d Cressier refinery in Switzerland. Petroineos has halted operations at Lavera, but Fos and Feyzin continue to run, albeit at low levels.

A partially laden tanker, the Legio X Equestris, has recently arrived at Fos-Lavera with around 900,000 bl of US WTI Midland on board, taking the total amount of crude waiting to just over 10mn bl. Another 1.4mn bl of west African and Libyan crude should arrive tomorrow, while a cargo of Algerian Saharan Blend that left the port has now returned. Vessels carrying biodiesel, ethanol, biofuels feedstocks, gasoline, oxygenates and a 260,000 bl cargo of jet fuel for Nato are filling the port confines.

A snapshot of energy ministry data on service stations shows 13 out of 37 in and around Marseille in southern France missing at least one fuel. Diesel was missing in two of the service stations, compared with six running out of E10 and SP98 gasoline. Four of the stations were missing E85 gasoline and three have no LPG. The energy ministry says 7pc of French service stations are closed as a result of the refinery closures.

More widely, today has been marked by another round of national strikes and large demonstrations across France affecting railways, airports, roads, municipal sites and educational institutes. The CFDT, CGT and Force Ouvriere unions had offered to hold talks with the government over the new law to reform pension rights, which passed without a vote in the country's parliament. But prime minister Elisabeth Borne said the government has no plans to change course.

By Adam Porter

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08/04/25

Kazakhstan continues to massively exceed Opec+ target

London, 8 April (Argus) — Kazakhstan does not expect any major reduction in crude output in April after massively exceeding its Opec+ target in March. Kazakhstan's crude production rose by 43,000 b/d to a record 1.79mn b/d in March, deputy energy minister Alibek Zhamauov said today, putting it 322,000 b/d above its Opec+ target of 1.468mn b/d. He added that Kazakhstan has not yet been able to agree with international oil companies operating the country's largest fields about reducing output. Kazakh production has surged following a major output increase at the Chevron-led Tengiz field in January — part of the field's future growth project (FGP). Zhamauov said that there has not yet been any agreement on reducing Tengiz output as it "is a very challenging action, especially for Chevron [which] spent $50bn on the FGP project [and] told us it's not possible for them to reduce output". Tengiz production hit 901,000 b/d in March, Zhamauov said, compared to previous levels of 600,000-660,000 b/d. Kazakhstan's second-largest oil field, Kashagan, which is also operated by international firms, produced 387,000 b/d in March, he said. Neither are expected to reduce output in April, he added. Zhamauov said that Kazakhstan will try to reduce output from smaller fields operated by domestic producers such as state-controlled Kazmunaigaz. But any decrease from these fields will not be enough to offset the rise from Tengiz. Kazakhstan remains one of the Opec+ alliance's largest overproducers, despite repeatedly pledging to compensate for exceeding its target since January 2024. This has frustrated other Opec+ members, which have largely stuck to their production targets. Kazakhstan's compensation plan states its March production should have been 1.43mn b/d. Kazakhstan's continued overproduction is understood to have contributed towards the decision by Opec+ members to start increasing output from April . Zhamauov said that Kazakhstan's crude production and exports have not been impacted by the closure of two single-point moorings (SPMs) at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal on Russia's Black Sea coast late last month. Kazakhstan's crude exports were 1.41mn b/d in March, up from 1.39mn b/d in February, while refinery runs were 370,000 b/d, up by 22,000 b/d, Zhamauov said. Condensate production was 290,000 b/d, compared to 278,000 b/d in February. This brings Kazakhstan's total liquids production in March to 2.08mn b/d. By Aydin Calik Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US tariffs set to rise despite Trump talk of deals

08/04/25

US tariffs set to rise despite Trump talk of deals

Washington, 8 April (Argus) — Punitive taxes on imports from key US trading partners are set to rise on Wednesday despite President Donald Trump's claims of multiple trade deals in the making. Trump's 10pc baseline tariff on imports nearly every foreign country already went into effect on 5 April. The higher, "reciprocal" taxes will go into effect as scheduled, at 12:01am ET on 9 April, US trade representative Jamieson Greer told the Senate Finance Committee today. Trump, via his social media platform, said today he discussed a possible trade deal with South Korea and added that "we are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States." Greer told the Senate panel that more than 50 countries have reached out to the US to negotiate trade deals. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent separately claimed that more than 70 countries are interested in a trade deal with the US. Both Democratic and Republican senators on the Senate panel pressed Greer to explain whether negotiations would result in lowering tariff rates. But Greer outlined a process that he expects would lower foreign countries' tariff rates on US products and commit them to buy more US energy and other products. "There are things we can do with our trading partners, things that aren't always purely in the trade sector," Greer said. Possible subjects for trade negotiations could involve "export controls alignment or investment screening, alignment on energy, making sure that our partners are tied up with us with respect to LNG and other resources, as opposed to being dependent on other countries." The US is primarily looking to reduce trade deficits with those countries, Greer said. "What we have told them is, 'if you have a better idea to achieve reciprocity and to get our trade deficit down, we want to talk to you.'" Trump, in turn, suggested that a possible deal with South Korea could include "large scale purchase of US LNG" and "their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline". The latter is a reference to the planned 20mn t/yr Alaska LNG project, which would be the most expensive liquefaction facilities ever built in the US if it becomes a reality. Trump has talked up potential support for Alaska LNG from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan for months. But the three countries still became subject to high tariffs. By Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Libyan crude exports to rise 6pc in April

08/04/25

Libyan crude exports to rise 6pc in April

London, 8 April (Argus) — Libyan crude exports are scheduled to rise by 6pc on the month in April, according to loading programmes. Final April loading schedules for all 12 of the country's crude grades show total exports at 1.23mn b/d this month, around 65,000 b/d higher than the March programme . Loadings of Libya's flagship crude, medium sweet Es Sider, are scheduled to fall by 7pc on the month to 347,000 b/d across 16 cargoes. But exports of all the other grades are scheduled to rise, including a 53pc increase in combined loadings of Sarir and Mesla. April exports of light sweet Esharara, Libya's second-largest export grade, are set at 210,000 b/d across 10 cargoes, up by 3pc compared with the March plan. By Ellanee Kruck Libyan crude exports 000 b/d Grade Loading port April March ±% Es Sider Es Sider 347 374 -7 Esharara Zawia 210 203 3 Sarir/Mesla Hariga 200 131 53 Amna/Sirtica Ras Lanuf 140 135 4 Mellitah Blend Mellitah 100 97 3 Bu Attifel/Zueitina Zueitina 93 90 3 Brega Brega 100 97 3 Al Jurf Farwah 20 19 5 Bouri Bouri 20 19 5 Total 1,230 1,165 6 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Italy's Augusta refinery begins restart operations

08/04/25

Italy's Augusta refinery begins restart operations

Barcelona, 8 April (Argus) — Algerian state-owned Sonatrach has begun restarting units at its 198,000 b/d refinery at Augusta, Sicily, following planned maintenance. The refinery has been having a full five-year turnaround, its first since spring 2019, closely following the purchase of the plant from ExxonMobil at the end of 2018. Sonatrach progressively shut units from around the turn of January-February and said it is restarting them in the same manner. The resumption of operations is underway, it said. The firm is aiming to restart a string of units by 15 April including a propane-butane splitter and LPG Merox unit, a fuels vacuum distillation unit (VDU), a crude distillation unit (CDU), a desulphuriser, a de-waxing unit and a pair of reformers. The firm said there would be flaring and noise during the process. The remaining CDU, the refinery's catalytic cracker (FCC), propylene splitter, lubricants VDU and other units will be restarted between 15-30 April. Market participants have said they expect the first oil products cargoes to be available from Augusta around the middle of the month. By Adam Porter Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Oil companies far from Paris accord alignment: Report

08/04/25

Oil companies far from Paris accord alignment: Report

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