Poland's 210,000 b/d Gdansk refinery is increasing production after completing scheduled maintenance earlier this month. Most of the units taken off line for between late February and early April have restarted, as planned, operator Rafineria Gdanska said on 7 April. Maintenance was conducted on crude and vacuum distillation units, a diesel hydrotreater, the MHC mild hydrocracker, a reformer, the jet fuel Merox and hydrogen generation units, and two sulphur recovery units. A second phase of planned maintenance at Gdansk takes the refinery's three base oil units off line from 8 April until mid-May. Rafineria Gdanska is a joint venture of state-controlled Orlen with 70pc and state-controlled Saudi Aramco holding 30pc. Orlen is planning maintenance on a hydrocracker at its 373,000 b/d Plock refinery in Poland from 13 May until 24 June. The Polish company's 63,000 b/d Kralupy refinery in the Czech Republic has been shut down for scheduled maintenance since mid-March and should restart in early May. Orlen's 190,000 b/d Mazeikiai refinery in Lithuania was off line for 30 days of planned maintenance last month.
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Hungary’s Orban loses election after 16 years in power
Hungary’s Orban loses election after 16 years in power
Budapest, 13 April (Argus) — Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban has lost power after his right-wing Fidesz party suffered a landslide defeat in parliamentary elections on 12 April, according to preliminary results. The centre-right opposition Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, is projected to win 138 of 199 seats, securing the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution and repeal laws adopted under Fidesz that weakened checks and balances. Fidesz is expected to take just 55 seats, while the far-right Mi Hazank party is seen winning six. The result marks the end of Orban's 16 years in office and could reshape Hungary's energy policy, particularly its reliance on Russian oil and gas. Tisza has pledged to step up efforts to diversify Hungary's energy supply and eliminate what it calls the "systemic risk" of dependence on Russian imports by 2035. Hungary is one of the last EU member states still importing Russian pipeline crude and gas. But the party does not rule out importing from Russia in future if needed . It remains unclear whether Tisza would support the EU's plan to fully phase out Russian gas imports by autumn 2027 and crude by the end of 2027. Magyar said last month that Tisza backs construction of Hungary's planned 2.4GW Paks 2 nuclear plant, but it would review Russian contracts linked to the project. He added that the party would keep Orban's system of regulated household energy prices and ensure "affordable" energy for companies. The election drew international attention as Orban has been a figurehead for right-wing movements globally. US president Donald Trump endorsed Orban and sent vice-president JD Vance to Budapest on 7–8 April to support his re-election campaign. Orban has maintained friendly ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin and has repeatedly threatened to veto EU sanctions against Russia, often securing concessions or exemptions. He has also blocked a proposed €90bn EU loan for Ukraine until crude deliveries resume on the Druzhba pipeline. Tisza will reaffirm Hungary's commitment to the EU, Magyar said on Sunday, without detailing the party's position on Russia sanctions. The party has previously said it opposes Ukraine's accelerated accession to the bloc. By Bela Fincziczki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
China's CATL, Jianlong to scale truck electrification
China's CATL, Jianlong to scale truck electrification
Beijing, 13 April (Argus) — China's largest battery manufacturer CATL and private-sector steel group Jianlong signed a strategic co-operation agreement on 10 April, aimed at accelerating the decarbonisation of steelmaking and mining through greater electrification and renewable energy deployment. Under the agreement, the two companies will co-operate across areas including the electrification of steel industry operations, development of green and intelligent mines, and the electrification of logistics. They plan to deploy more than 3,000 electric heavy trucks during China's 15th five-year plan period (2026-30), roll out battery-swapping infrastructure along at least 16 logistics hub routes, and build and operate 100 battery-swapping stations. The partnership will also advance the development of centralised and distributed wind and solar projects, using Jianlong's industrial parks as pilot sites. The two sides aim to build a full-chain, zero-carbon model covering mining, transportation, energy and materials, creating a replicable template for industrial decarbonisation, CATL said. CATL and Jianlong said the initiative is intended to demonstrate integrated pathways for emissions reduction in heavy industry and logistics, supporting China's broader push to reduce industrial carbon intensity while promoting the large-scale adoption of electric heavy vehicles. CATL in November 2024 released its Tianxing series batteries used in heavy commercial vehicles. CATL's Tianxing heavy commercial vehicle ultra-fast-charging battery allows vehicles to replenish 70pc of energy within 15 minutes. The battery also offers an ultra-long lifespan of up to 1.2mn km, a maximum capacity of 600kWh, and a driving range of up to 500km. In short-haul applications such as mining transport and construction material mixing, the technology can significantly reduce charging time for electric heavy trucks, it said. China's new-energy heavy truck market maintained rapid growth in the first two months of 2026, extending last year's expansion and reinforcing pressure on the country's diesel demand just as domestic diesel prices surged in March. The country's sales of such trucks reached 233,200 units in 2025, almost tripling on the year, according to Chinese research institute EV Tank. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Crude futures jump after US declares Iran port blockade
Crude futures jump after US declares Iran port blockade
Singapore, 13 April (Argus) — Crude futures rose by about 8pc today following the US' announcement that it will begin a blockade of Iranian ports, after talks between Washington and Tehran to end the Middle East conflict and reopen the strait of Hormuz faltered. The front-month June Ice Brent contract rose to $102.28/bl at around 11:00am Singapore time (03:00 GMT), up by 7.4pc from the close on 10 April. US benchmark WTI rose even more sharply. The front-month May contract was at $104.96/bl, a gain of 8.7pc from 10 April. The US will institute a blockade against vessels from all nations entering or departing Iranian ports, including ports on the Mideast Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, beginning at 10am ET (14:00 GMT) today, US Central Command said. US forces "will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports", Central Command said. US president Donald Trump on 12 April had threatened to block passage of ships cleared by Iran and to interdict any ship in international waters that had paid a toll for exiting the Mideast Gulf. "No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," said Trump, who previously mulled joint US-Iranian control over the transit through Hormuz and access to any revenue collected from ships passing through it. The blockade was ordered after extensive talks over the weekend between US and Iranian negotiators in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed to achieve results. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US plans to blockade Iranian ports on Monday: Update
US plans to blockade Iranian ports on Monday: Update
Updates with details on US blockade of Iranian ports Washington, 12 April (Argus) — The US says it will begin a naval blockade of Iranian ports starting on Monday, after talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the fighting in the Middle East and reopening the strait of Hormuz faltered. The US will institute a blockade against vessels from all nations entering or departing Iranian ports, including ports on the Mideast Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, beginning at 10am ET (14:00 GMT) on Monday, US Central Command said on Sunday. US forces "will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports", Central Command said. US president Donald Trump earlier on Sunday had threatened to bar passage of ships cleared by Iran and to interdict any ship in international waters that had paid a toll for exiting the Mideast Gulf. "No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," said Trump, who previously mulled joint US-Iranian control over the transit through Hormuz and access to any revenue collected from ships passing through it. Ice Brent June futures jumped by around 8.8pc to $102.60/bl in early Asian trading on news of the US blockade. Separately, the US on 11 April opted not to renew a sanctions waiver that had allowed purchases of Russian crude in floating storage, a decision that could further tighten global oil supplies. Talks end without deal Trump ordered the blockade after marathon talks over the weekend between US and Iranian negotiators in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed to achieve results. US vice president JD Vance, who led the US delegation, blamed the lack of progress after 21 hours of negotiations on Iran's reluctance to renounce ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon. The Iranians refused to give up "the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon", Vance said. Tehran denies having a program to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran did not provide a specific reason for the lack of results, but Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led his country's delegation, attributed the lack of a breakthrough to the US failing "to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations". Ghalibaf, ahead of the talks, had demanded a halt in the ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon and progress in unfreezing Iranian assets held under a US embargo in foreign banks as a precondition for success in negotiations. The talks followed a ceasefire declared on 7 April, with Washington promising to halt its attacks on Iran while insisting Tehran reopen the strait of Hormuz. But the waterway has largely remained under Iranian control, and the few ships that have passed through it appear to have either paid an unofficial toll to Tehran — believed to be the equivalent of $1/bl for crude tankers — or to have made other arrangements with the Iranian government. At least two Chinese very large crude carriers (VLCC) appear to have transited Hormuz on Sunday. The US also accuses Iran of placing mines in at least some parts of the strait. The Pentagon said on Saturday that two US destroyers transited through the waterway into the Mideast Gulf "as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps" (IRGC). Tehran asserted that it had warned the two US warships against transiting Hormuz and that further attempts would draw a military response from Iran. Iran also said that it would respond to a US naval blockade of Hormuz by encouraging Yemen's Houthis to resume attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the IRGC. A skiff with armed people aboard unsuccessfully attempted to board a sailing vessel in the Red Sea, just north of the Bab al-Mandeb, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Saturday. What next? Neither Iran nor the US has ruled out further talks, and Iran's willingness to negotiate directly with the US leaves some hope for a negotiated outcome. The ceasefire is nominally in place until 21 April and could be extended. Ghalibaf headed a delegation that included Iranian security, diplomatic and economic officials and communicated willingness to negotiate substantive issues in a way that eluded contacts between the US and Iran since the end of former US president Barack Obama's administration. But the two sides remain far apart, and Tehran and Washington each appears to believe that it holds leverage over the other. Iran has prioritized discussion of sanctions relief and the return of its frozen assets, in addition to formalizing its control over the waterway that under international maritime law should be free for passage. The US' continued insistence on addressing Iran's nuclear program first precludes immediate results from the negotiations. It is not clear whether Iran's nuclear file was addressed in depth. While Vance brought along his national security advisers, there were no representatives from the UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA, who in the previous round of US-Iranian talks provided the technical expertise on Iran's nuclear program. Trump, who previously said that the energy price spike triggered by the war in Iran would soon ease, took a different tack over the weekend. The blockade of Hormuz is a boon for US crude exporters, he said on Saturday: "The empty ships are rushing to the United States to 'load up.'" Trump told Fox Business on Sunday that oil and gas prices "could be the same or maybe a little bit higher" by the November midterm congressional elections. Israel, which is not party to the talks, also retains its ability to influence the future course of US-Iran relations by conducting military operations in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East. The US-Iran negotiations also have excluded the Mideast Gulf states, even though their economies overwhelmingly depend on the freedom of navigation through the strait of Hormuz. By Haik Gugarats, David Ivanovich and Andrey Telegin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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