Lower Mississippi draft restrictions lifted

Spanish Market: Agriculture, Coal, Fertilizers, Freight, Oil products, Petroleum coke
11/11/24

The US Coast Guard (USGC) removed draught restrictions from the lower Mississippi River on 8 November, after several rain washed across much of the Midwestern US.

Draft restrictions were completely lifted for north and southbound barges on the lower Mississippi River between Tiptonville, Tennessee, to Tunica, Louisiana. Approximately 2-8 inches of rain were reported in Illinois and Missouri in the last seven days, adding around 14 inches to the lower Mississippi River, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). St Louis, Missiouri was at a high of 11.5 inches above baseline on 11 November, up from a low of -1.5ft on 1 November.

The USGC has had draft restrictions in place since August, with the river system receiving a short reprieve in early October after rain from Hurricane Helene poured into the US river system. But low water levels and restrictions returned about two weeks later.

Prior to recent precipitation, drafts were restricted to 10-10.5ft for southbound barges and tows could not not be greater than 6-7 barges wide. Northbound barges could not draft greater than 9.5ft, tows could not be more than six barges wide, and only four barges could be loaded.

High water levels are expected to remain through November, according to NWS but barge carriers have said that water levels will slip quickly if no additional rain falls along the upper Mississippi River.

By Meghan Yoyotte

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12/11/24

Brazil's MAP imports were above average in October

London, 12 November (Argus) — Brazil imported 441,000t of MAP in October, slightly above the five-year average for the month, according to Global Trade Tracker (GTT) data. Morocco's share of MAP exports fell on the year and was exceeded by the market shares of Saudi Arabia and Russia. MAP imports last month were below the 470,000t recorded in October last year but slightly above the 2019-23 October average of 424,000t. Receipts in the first 10 months of this year totalled about 3.76mn t, a sharp decline from 4.32mn t a year earlier, but only slightly below the 3.9mn t average over 2019-23. Since July, receipts have been above the norm, helping offset below-average imports in the first half of this year. A total of 457,000t of MAP are lined up to arrive in November so far, according to Unimar line-up data. This is below the 496,000t in November last year but above 411,000t in November over 2019-23. A further 28,000t have already been earmarked for December arrival. Brazilian MAP imports typically peak in July and remain at above 400,000t from July-November, according to the five-year average. Morocco's share falls Morocco's market share of the Brazilian MAP market fell by 20.2 percentage points on the year to 26pc last month, or 115,000t. Russia was the largest-single exporter to Brazil last month at 179,000t, representing a 40.5pc market share compared with 25pc in October last year. Saudi Arabia's share rose by 8.8 percentage points to 28.8pc, or 127,000t, also surpassing Morocco's share. Russia has remained the top MAP exporter to Brazil every month this year apart from in August, when it was surpassed by Morocco. And for the first month since July last year, Saudi Arabia's share of Brazilian MAP imports outweighed that of Morocco. About 44.9pc of November MAP deliveries to Brazil were of Russian origin, against only 8.8pc for Morocco and 16.8pc for Saudi Arabia, Unimar line-up data suggest. The US is set to deliver 25.8pc of November volumes. Moroccan phosphates exports to Brazil have focused more heavily on TSP this year. GTT data suggest that from January-August, Morocco sent 772,000t of MAP and 973,000t of TSP to Brazil, compared with more than 1mn t of MAP and 589,000t of TSP in the same period in 2023. And 542,000t of MAP is lined up to leave Jorf Lasfar in September-November, along with 438,000t of TSP, according to line-up data. Line-up data show that last year, 778,000t of MAP and 265,000t of TSP left the port over the same period. With lower volumes of Moroccan MAP on offer to Brazil this year, importers had to turn to Russia to secure the volumes they needed. Russia last week sold 30,000t MAP in the high $670s/t cfr to India, netting back to $623-627/t fob. This sale is above the netback of $603-605/t fob that Russia could have achieved with Brazil. By Adrien Seewald Brazil monthly MAP imports t Month 2024 2023 2019-23 October 441,000.0 470,000.0 424,000.0 September 430,000.0 474,000.0 475,000.0 August 564,000.0 532,000.0 475,000.0 July 525,000.0 519,000.0 501,000.0 — GTT Brazil monthly MAP imports by origin '000t Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Algerian bitumen importers eye resumed Spain flows

12/11/24

Algerian bitumen importers eye resumed Spain flows

London, 12 November (Argus) — Algerian bitumen importers are getting ready to resume cargo imports from Spain after the Algerian government signalled last week that trade can restart for the first time in more than two years. The government's decision in June 2022 to suspend a friendship and co-operation treaty with Spain, linked to Madrid's public recognition of Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, led to the immediate cancellation of previously agreed bitumen cargo movements from Spain to Algeria. In a notice issued by the Bank of Algeria on 6 November, Algerian firms were told they could resume trade with their Spanish counterparts under the usual transaction rules, and both state-owned and private Algerian bitumen importers say they are now free to discuss deals to buy and bring Spanish cargoes to their facilities for supply into the domestic market. No such deals are understood to have been concluded yet, but private importers into western Algerian import terminals like Ghazaouet, Oran and Arzew are well placed because of their relative proximity to Spanish export terminals at Tarragona, Huelva and Cadiz compared with existing supply sources in Italy and even more so when compared with cargoes shipped from Greece or Turkey. Ship brokers said freight rates for standard 5,000t bitumen tanker cargo movements from Tarragona — site of a 1.2mn t/yr Asesa bitumen refinery held in a 50-50 joint venture by Repsol and Moeve, formerly Cepsa, — to Ghazaouet are around $35/t, compared with around $50/t for the Augusta, Italy, to Ghazaouet route. Spanish and international bitumen trading and supply firms are still examining the Algerian developments and seeking clearance "on all sides", as one said today, before resuming bitumen cargo discussions with their Algerian counterparts. That could mean the actual restart of Spain-Algeria flows takes until early 2025. Demand for now may be hindered by a pre-winter slowdown in Algerian road construction and bitumen-consuming activity as weather conditions gradually worsen. Algerian state-owned Sonatrach, which imports cargoes into a raft of bitumen terminals along the country's Mediterranean coast, is largely dependent on substantial term flows from Sonatrach Raffineria Italiana's (SRI) 170,000 b/d refinery and export terminal at Augusta, Sicily, and occasionally takes Greek cargoes from Motor Oil Hellas' Agioi Theodoroi refinery and export terminal at Corinth. Sonatrach is less likely than private Algerian buyers to seek Spanish cargoes, on which it had been highly reliant until 2020 before it switched in a big way to Augusta after it bought the refinery there from ExxonMobil in 2018. Algerian market participants said the recent slippage in bitumen cargo prices linked to Mediterranean high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) declines and seasonally weakening bitumen cargo differentials to the regional HSFO cargo prices — coupled with a late season slippage in cross-Mediterranean freight rates over the past few weeks — are all factors conducive to resumed imports from Spain. Spanish fob cargo premiums to Mediterranean HSFO cargoes have dropped from around $10/t in mid-October to $2-3/t last week, while outright prices for Spanish bitumen exports have slipped from $498-499/t fob to $458/t over the same period. By Keyvan Hedvat Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Negotiators positive on remaining Article 6 talks

12/11/24

Cop: Negotiators positive on remaining Article 6 talks

Baku, 12 November (Argus) — Negotiators have a "positive attitude" towards outstanding talks on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement taking place at the UN Cop 29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, bolstered by the finalisation of crediting mechanism standards yesterday. The adoption of two key Article 6.4 standards on Monday night kicks off remaining talks on a very positive note, Switzerland's lead negotiator on international carbon markets under Article 6, Simon Fellermeyer, said. The approval has set the mood for remaining negotiations, lead Article 6 negotiator for New Zealand Jacqui Ruesga added. Article 6 of the Paris accord aims to help set rules on global carbon trade. Negotiators have already seen a more constructive attitude to discussions since the failed talks at Cop 28 in Dubai last December, Ruesga said. This was spurred on by disappointment at the lack of outcome last year, and supported by a number of informal meetings organised in the lead-up to June's Bonn climate conference, as well as increasing direction from heads of delegation on the subject. Divergence persists on some issues, but negotiators still have this positive attitude, Ruesga said. Different sides have also begun communicating the reasons behind their positions more clearly, Article 6 negotiator for Colombia Adriana Gutierrez added, which she hopes will help bring a result this year. Outstanding questions include how to deal with reporting inconsistencies and credit authorisations. Countries also still disagree on the question of whether Article 6.2's international registry should be capable of holding internationally transferable mitigation outcome (Itmo) units, or simply provide an accounting function. But talks on this point are progressing along the lines of deciding which potential functions of the registry could be integrated or dropped in the view of opposing sides, Ruesga said. The first ever Itmo transfer, which took place between Switzerland and Thailand earlier this year , would have been much easier through such a registry, Fellermeyer said. Gutierrez expects most remaining topics to be concluded ahead of Cop 30 in Belem, Brazil, next year. But some smaller, more technical elements are "bound to stick through" to the next summit, Ruesga said. There is not much appetite to reopen most elements for discussion next year, Fellermeyer said, meaning it could be that they are either concluded in Baku or left in a state of "constructive ambiguity". Agreement in Baku on the remaining Article 6 elements is important to give confidence to potential participants, Fellermeyer said, having encountered parties who declined to cooperate through the mechanism owing to a lack of visibility on the rules. By Victoria Hatherick Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Indonesian granular urea discussed up to $350s/t fob

12/11/24

Indonesian granular urea discussed up to $350s/t fob

London, 12 November (Argus) — Indonesian Pupuk subsidiary Kaltim closed a sales tender for 30,000-45,000t of granular urea today, with bids heard in the $340s/t fob. A sale has yet to conclude, but negotiations are reportedly ongoing in the $350s/t fob. There was no comment from the parties involved. The tonnage is for loading in November-December. Kaltim had sought $370/t fob under the tender. Urea fob prices have reset lower in the wake of the 11 November buy tender in India, with producers having targeted granular urea at around $370/t fob southeast Asia last week . But the levels under discussion in Indonesia still mark a premium to netbacks from the ongoing Indian tender, where the lowest price of $362/t cfr west coast would net to the mid $330s/t fob southeast Asia. By Harry Minihan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Carbon credit standards key step, work continues

12/11/24

Cop: Carbon credit standards key step, work continues

Baku, 12 November (Argus) — The adoption of new standards for creating carbon credits under the Paris Agreement on the first day of the UN Cop 29 climate summit yesterday is a key step, but work continues on Article 6. Cop parties agreed yesterday on standards that will cover credits for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions removals under Article 6.4 of the Paris accord. The new standards set requirements for developing and assessing projects and establish rules covering carbon removal projects. Article 6 of the Paris accord aims to help set rules on global carbon trade. Cop 29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev said the decision is a critical step towards concluding Article 6 negotiations. "This will be a game-changing tool to direct resources to the developing world and help us save up to $250bn/yr when implementing our climate plans," Rafiyev reiterated. "[The] centralised UN mechanism for markets looks at the projects that are not financially feasible currently and how it can help in providing some stream of revenue," chair for the supervisory body Maria al-Jishi said. UN climate body UNFCCC chief Simon Stiell said that yesterday's breakthrough was a good start but pointed out that this was "the product of over 10 years of work within the process" and that more work remains to be done. Cop parties must reach a deal on other aspects of implementing 6.4 and 6.2, which together govern how countries can use carbon credits to meet their GHG emissions-reduction pledges, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Remaining issues include the nature of credit registries, the guidance for inclusion of removals and a solution for dealing with reporting inconsistencies and credit authorisations. Overlapping articles 6.4 and 6.2 elements are still under discussion and will require a decision at Cop 29, including on how governments and host parties choose to interact with 6.4 on credit authorisation and how national credit registries can interact with the 6.4 registry, al-Jishi said. By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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