Saudi Arabia News

Two Tankers Attacked in Gulf of Oman

Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, leaving one ablaze and both adrift, shipping firms said, driving oil prices as much as 4% higher over worries about Middle East supplies.The Front Altair, carrying petrochemical feedstock, was on fire in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran after an explosion that a source blamed on a magnetic mine. The Norwegian owner said its crew were safe.A second Japanese-owned tanker was abandoned after being hit by a suspected torpedo, the firm that chartered the ship said.

Maersk India Trade Report Q1 2019

India’s containerized exports with the world witnessed a stable growth of 6% in the first quarter of 2019 propelled by robust performances in refrigerated cargo, engineering and pharmaceuticals sectors, while imports declined slightly in the same quarter registering a market growth of -2.2% in Q1. The import demand was buoyed by pharmaceuticals, metal, appliances and kitchenware, paper, chemicals and fruit & nuts, mainly from Northern Europe, South Asia, China and Russia. Exports were driven largely by the East and West of India…

U.S. Deploys Troops to Middle East, Blames Iran for Tanker Attacks

The United States on Friday announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to the Middle East, describing it as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran as it accused the country's Revolutionary Guards of direct responsibility for this month's tanker attacks.President Donald Trump's administration also invoked the threat from Iran to declare a national security-related emergency that would clear the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates…

London P&I clubs Widen Middle East Threat Zone

London's marine insurance market has extended the list of waters deemed high risk to include Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf after ship attacks off Fujairah, officials said on Friday, in a move that could push up premiums.The London insurance market's Joint War Committee said in a statement that the additions cover areas of perceived enhanced risk for marine insurers and reflected enhanced regional risk."The situation will be kept under close review," said the Joint War Committee…

U.S. Urges Response "short of war" to Tanker Attack

The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Washington should take what he called "reasonable responses short of war" after it had determined who was behind attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.Iran was a prime suspect in the sabotage on Sunday although Washington had no conclusive proof, a U.S. official familiar with American intelligence said on Monday. Iran has denied involvement."We need to do a thorough investigation to understand what happened, why it happened…

Saudi Tankers Among Those Hit off UAE Coast

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and said it was an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz, but did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.The UAE had not given the nationalities or other details about the ownership of the four vessels.

Bahri Expands Footprint in Asia-Pac

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) has announced the expansion of its market presence in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region’s maritime industry.The stronger presence will help the company gain deeper insights into market trends as well as customer needs in chemicals and logistics sectors in Singapore and the wider APAC region, said a press release from the logistics and transportation company.The expansion will also enable Bahri Logistics and Bahri Chemicals, two of five business units of the company…

BIMCO: US Seaborne Crude Oil Exports Hit Record High

US exports of crude oil have, since August 2018, continued to rise every month, with a new record high in January of 9.6 million tonnes. Exports rose in January on the back of increased sales to Europe, which rose from 2.7 million tonnes in December to 4.8 million tonnes in January.A strong end to 2018 meant that volumes for the full year totalled 87.4 million tonnes, 96.7% higher than the 44.4 million tonnes exported in 2017. This is good news for the crude oil tanker sector…

Companies Sue Valero for Bad Marine Fuel

Two companies filled lawsuits this week in federal courts in Texas alleging that ships they operated in 2018 were damaged by contaminated bunker fuel sold by a Valero Energy Co subsidiary Valero Marketing and Supply Co, according to court documents.A Valero spokeswoman did not reply to a request for comment.The National Shipping Co of Saudi Arabia said it paid out more than $1.1 million for repairs and replacement fuel for a ship that drifted at sea for two days before restarting and arriving at Alexandria…

Belfast Harbour Hits Record Cargo in 2018

The major maritime hub in Northern Ireland Belfast Harbour handled a record 24.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2018, up 3.8% on the previous year thanks to a major increase in the number of freight vehicles passing through the port, which rose to a high of 532,000, latest figures show."Growth was led by a strong increase in freight vehicle carryings on Stena Line’s services to Great Britain, rising by 3% to a record 532,000 freight vehicles and for the second consecutive year more than 1.5m passengers passed through the Port…

King Abdullah Port Inaugurated

Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the King Abdullah Port in Rabigh.The Saudi Arabia’s State News Agency (SPA) reported that Saudi Arabia moved one step closer to its goal of becoming a global logistics hub with launch of the King Abdullah Port.The port, part of King Abdullah Economic City, will make the Kingdom “a linking point of three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa,” the crown prince said at the launch.Minister of Transport Nabil Al Amoudi said the port…

Global Travel Retail Leader Selects GAC Dubai

Lagardère Travel Retail has appointed GAC Dubai’s Contract Logistics team to handle a range of goods sold at Duty Free retail stores at airports in Saudi Arabia and the future Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal Complex (MTC).Under the multi-year agreement signed by the two companies commencing March 1st, 2019, GAC Dubai will take care of the port haulage, receipt, storage, pick/pack, transportation, customs clearance and Federal Tax Authority documentation for goods including chocolates, fine foods, fashion, beverages, electronics, cigarettes and cigars, personal care, perfumery and make-up.

Offshore Terminal Plan Slowed by U.S. Shutdown

The U.S. government shutdown has delayed Enterprise Products Partners LP's plan to build a major U.S. crude export terminal off Houston, blocking the pipeline operator from filing paperwork with U.S. regulators, an executive said on Wednesday.Enterprise plans to file a 10,000-page permit application with the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard as soon as the U.S. government reopens. It takes about a year for regulators to process an application for a deep-water terminal."Tell me when the government opens and I'll tell you when it happens…

Seacor Marine Acquires Three Fast Support Vessels

U.S. offshore vessel owner Seacor Marine  has acquired of three fast support vessels (FSVs) in exchange for the private placement of 603,872 shares of its common stock to domestic U.S. holders affiliated with the McCall family of Louisiana.The provider of global marine and support transportation services to offshore oil and natural gas and windfarm facilities worldwide has operated the acquired vessels for the past ten years under a revenue sharing pooling agreement along with four of its owned FSVs of similar specification.As part of the transaction, this pooling agreement was terminated.

U.N. Struggles to Implement Deal over Disputed Yemeni Port City

The guns have mostly fallen silent around the Yemeni port of Hodeidah and the skies are clear of warplanes, but a U.N.-sponsored deal for the warring armies to quit the city has stalled, risking efforts to end a conflict that has pushed the country to the brink of famine.The Iranian-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government agreed to a ceasefire in Hodeidah and to withdraw forces at peace talks in Sweden in December following months of diplomacy and Western pressure to end…

The Tipping Point: U.S. Exports more Oil than it Imports

The United States last week exported more crude oil and fuel than it imported for the first time on record, underscoring the nation's growing influence as a supplier of oil to the world.Exports of crude surged in the week to Nov. 30 to more than 3.2 million barrels per day, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.When adding in all imports and exports of crude and refined products, for the week the U.S. exported a net 211,000 bpd – the first time that has happened, according to U.S.

BHGE Inks 3-year Contract with Saudi Aramco

Saudi Aramco has awarded major stimulation and well-testing contract to Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE). BHGE will deliver a comprehensive well services solution including all cased-hole wireline logging, perforation, well testing, stimulation, fracturing and associated intervention services.By integrating discrete products, services and capabilities into a single offering, BHGE will help Saudi Aramco reduce time, costs and complexity while increasing efficiency.The three-year…

Shipping: No Progress on Climate Commitment, says T&E

The international shipping community has made little progress to advance the global  commitment made earlier this year to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions."This is despite impassioned pleas for action by climate scientists to the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) environment committee last month," said Transport & Environment (T&E).The leading NGO campaigning for cleaner transport in Europe said that some IMO delegates soon ‘would not have a country to land…

Bahri Targets Acquisitions in Asia, Middle East

Saudi Arabia's Bahri is targeting acquisitions in Asia and the Middle East as the exclusive oil shipper for state energy giant Saudi Aramco seeks to expand its reach, the chief executive said on Wednesday.Bahri is the world's largest owner and operator of very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Saudi sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns 22 percent of the company and Aramco has a 20 percent stake."We are looking at multiple acquisitions in the Middle East and Asia worth tens of millions of dollars…

Magellan Bids to Build U.S. GoM Oil Export Terminal

Magellan Midstream Partners LP on Thursday became the latest company to join a crowded group looking to build an oil export terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast designed to load supertankers.U.S. oil exports are expanding rapidly, but volumes are constrained because the country's shores have limited capability to load giant vessels that can carry about 2 million barrels of crude oil.Numerous companies - including private equity firm Carlyle Group and commodities merchant Trafigura…

Oil Exports from Iraqi Southern Ports Slide

Iraq's oil exports from southern ports on the Gulf averaged 3.469 million barrels per day (bpd) in October, lower than the September average, the oil ministry said on Thursday.Iraq exported 3.560 million bpd of crude oil in September.Iraqi oil executives told Reuters on Wednesday exports were down from the September average owing to bad weather, which slowed shipments down on some days.The average sale price in October was $74.912 per barrel, generating more than $8 billion in revenue, the ministry said.All volumes shipped in October came from the southern fields, the ministry said.Iraq is OPE

Yanbu Oil Terminal Boosts Export Capacity

State oil giant Saudi Aramco said on Wednesday that the Yanbu South Terminal has added 3 million barrels per day of crude oil to the company's west coast export capacity after a rehabilitation and upgrade programme."The terminal, located south of Yanbu along the west coast of Saudi Arabia, consists of a tank farm and offshore facilities to receive, store, and load Arabian Light and Arabian Super Light crude oil," Aramco said on its website.(Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Dale Hudson)

Ukraine Barley Exports to Saudi Arabia Jump in July

Ukraine's barley exports to Saudi Arabia jumped by 55 percent in July from a year earlier to 464,000 tonnes thanks to a decrease in barley production by the main producing countries, analyst APK-Inform said on Friday."This growth is associated with a decrease in barley production this year in key exporting countries - Australia, Canada and Russia," it said in a statement.The consultancy said that Ukraine's exportable surplus of barley remained practically at the previous season's…

Qatar to Boost Maritime Trade with Iran

Qatar is planning to increase maritime shipping lines between with Iran, reported Iran's official media quoting Hadi Haqshenas, deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) for Maritime Affairs.According to Fars News Agency, Hadi Haqshenas announced: "The Qataris who met the demand for their goods from Saudi Arabia and the UAE before (the siege and sanctions) have now requested increased maritime shipping between Iran and Qatar to bolster mutual trade."He added…

China Harbour Engineering to Build Berri Field in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian oil giant Saudi Aramco has awarded a contract to China Harbour Engineering Arabia for the construction of two  drilling islands under the company’s Berri Increment Program (BIP).The objective of the BIP is to produce an additional 250,000 barrels per day of Arabian Light crude oil from the Berri Oil Field to reach 500,000 barrels per day to maintain Saudi Aramco’s maximum sustained capacity by early 2023.A signing ceremony to mark the contract award was held in Dhahran.

Saudi-led Coalition Foils Remote Controlled Boat Attack

A Saudi-led military coalition fighting against Yemen's Houthi movement foiled an attack by two explosives-laden remote controlled boats deployed by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia's Jizan port, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Sunday.“The Royal Saudi Navy Forces detected the movement of two remote control explosive boats headed to the port of Jizan. They were intercepted and destroyed... which has led to minimal damage," the coalition's spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement carried by SPA.