Saudi Arabia News

Iranian Tanker Hit by Missiles, Oil Rises

Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Friday, October 11, 2019, after Iranian media said a state-owned oil tanker had been struck by missiles in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect of supply disruptions weeks after attacks on Saudi oil plants.The Suezmax crude tanker Sabiti was ablaze and suffered heavy damage after being hit by two missiles, Iranian media reported.Both oil benchmarks recorded their biggest daily rise since Sept. 16, the first trading day after the…

VLCC Rates Surge as U.S. Sanctions COSCO

Freight rates to ship U.S. crude to Asia continued to surge, with costs to charter a supertanker rising to a record $12 million on Thursday, shipping sources familiar with the matter said.South Korea's top refiner, SK Energy, tentatively chartered the supertanker Maxim to ship U.S. crude to South Korea in November for a record $10 million earlier in the week but that fixture has since failed, the sources said.The company now has conditionally booked the Pacific M at a new record of $12.35 million…

India's Containerized Trade Growth Slows

India's container trade growth slowed to 1 percent (9% in the same period last year) in Q2 2019 on account of various factors like growing trade tensions and slump in manufacturing sector, Maersk said."The slow down is due to a cocktail of international factors such as slowing trade growth, and growing trade tensions – coupled with domestic factors like rural consumer distress, tightening liquidity and a slow-down in key manufacturing sectors. Combined, these triggers impacted the country’s economic activity…

Maersk India Trade Report Q2 2019

India’s containerized trade growth slowed to 1% (9% in the same period last year) in Q2 2019, due to a cocktail of international factors such as slowing trade growth, and growing trade tensions – coupled with domestic factors like rural consumer distress, tightening liquidity and a slow-down in key manufacturing sectors. Combined, these triggers impacted the country’s economic activity, slowing overall import-export growth.West India delivered the highest growth with imports growing at 4% and exports at 11%.

US to Drive New-Build Gas Capacity

The US is expected to drive new-build gas processing capacity growth in the global gas processing industry from planned and announced (new-build) projects between 2019 and 2023, contributing around 24% of global gas processing capacity growth by 2023, according to GlobalData. The US is expected to have a new-build gas processing capacity of 16.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) by 2023, a report titles ‘Global Capacity and Capital Expenditure Outlook for Gas Processing Plants'…

Saudi Arabia Boosts MIS Center

The new, state-of-the-art Jeddah Maritime Information Sharing Center is set to boost information sharing and support maritime security in the region.The first 15 national operators to work in the center have completed a three-week training in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (25 August – 12 Sep 2019) with the support of International Maritime Organization (IMO) .It is envisaged that the center will become fully operational by the end of the year. It will serve both as a regional center to share information through the Djibouti Code of Conduct focal points…

Aramco Rapidly Restores Production Capacity

Saudi Arabia's oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco announced that it will fully restore its production capacity by the end of September, in light of the Saturday's drone attacks that caused disruptions on around half of the country's oil capacity.Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman, Minister of Energy, and HE Yasir Rumayyan, Chairman of Saudi Aramco, Mr. Nasser said: “The terror attacks on our plants at Abqaiq and Khurais were timed to create maximum damage to our facilities and operations.

Aramco Suspends 50% of Production

Saudi Arabia has temporarily halted production at two Aramco oil facilities that were attacked by Yemeni rebels, interrupting about half of the company’s total output.Saudi Aramco said the production of 5.7 million barrels of crude a day had been suspended after drone attacks on the world’s largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq – near Dammam in the Eastern Province – and the country’s second-largest oilfield at Khurais, about 200 kilometers away.Earlier, the oil giant said that emergency crews contained fires at its plants.After visiting the incident locations, Amin H.

McQuilling Mid-Year Tanker Market Outlook

McQuilling Services Announces the Release of the 2019 Mid-Year Tanker Market Outlook Update.The Mid-Year Tanker Market Outlook Update provides an outlook on the global tanker market in the context of global economic growth and oil fundamentals influencing tanker demand and vessel supply. The outlook includes a view on future asset values, time charter rates, market freight rates and TCE revenues for 24 major tanker trades and four triangulated routes across eight vessel segments for the second half of 2019 through the remaining four years of the forecast period 2019-2023.

Saudi Aramco, World’s Most Profitable Co, Again

Saudi Aramco announced that its net income was $46.9 billion for the first half 2019, compared to $53.0 billion for the same period last year. That easily outstripped corporate titans such as Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and other big oil producers, many of which suffered larger declines in profit as output and crude prices fell. Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin H. Nasser, said: “Despite lower oil prices during the first half of 2019, we continued to deliver solid earnings and strong free cash flow underpinned by our consistent operational performance…

ICE, Magellan to Offer Dock Capacity to Houston Oil Futures Customers

Intercontinental Exchange Inc and Magellan Midstream Partners LP said on Wednesday they would auction dock capacity at Magellan's terminals in Galena Park and Seabrook, Texas, for holders of ICE's Permian West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures contracts.The monthly auction process will allow customers who purchase an ICE Permian WTI crude futures contract, deliverable at Magellan's East Houston terminal (MEH), the option to load crude directly onto a vessel at Galena Park and Seabrook dock facilities for export…

New Heavy Weight Record for Jumbo

Jumbo Kinetic recently lifted a giant 1,929 tonne Wash Tower, the heaviest cargo ever lifted by Jumbo.Samsung Engineering booked Jumbo to transport an ultra-heavy Wash Tower and 4 columns, including transport saddles, for the JUPC project in Saudi Arabia. The specialized Jumbo team handled the safe loading, sea fastening, and transportation of the 4 columns from Zhangjiagang, China and the Wash tower from Pyeongtaek, Korea to Jubail in Saudi Arabia.The Wash Tower weighs 1,929…

China Mulls Hormuz Naval Escort Role

China might escort Chinese commercial vessels in Gulf waters under a U.S. proposal for a maritime coalition to secure oil shipping lanes following attacks on tankers, its envoy to the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday."If there happens to be a very unsafe situation we will consider having our navy escort our commercial vessels," Ambassador Ni Jian told Reuters in Abu Dhabi."We are studying the U.S. proposal on Gulf escort arrangements," China's embassy later said in a text…

Oil slumps 7% as More Tariffs Loom

Oil prices plummeted more than 7% on Thursday, with the U.S. benchmark posting its worst day in more than four years, after President Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs Chinese imports starting Sept. 1.The drop in Brent crude was the steepest in more than three years, undoing a fragile oil rally built on steady drawdowns in U.S. inventories even as global demand looked shaky due to the U.S.-China trade dispute.Trump's announcement of an additional 10% levy on…

Maersk Gets Saudi Ports Licence

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani ) has issued a license to the local subsidiary of Maersk in order to operate in all ports across Saudi Arabia.According to the state news agency SPA, the step comes along with the authority’s strategy to improve the efficiency and quality of performance and services offered in Saudi ports.The new Maersk shipping license is the fourth of its kind to be issued to foreign investors in the Kingdom. Maersk joins other major lines of Barwil, Hapag-Lloyd and the Mediterranean Shipping Company…

SPA Nod for Maersk to Operate in All Saudi Ports

Saudi Ports Authority has issued a license to the local subsidiary of Maersk to operate in all ports in Saudi Arabia, state news agency SPA reported on Monday.Maersk currently has weekly containerised shipping services to the ports of Jeddah, King Abdullah, Dammam and Jubail, it says on its website. Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir

Bahri Reports 1H Growth

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) has posted revenues‏ ‏of SAR‏3.14 billion ($840million) for the first half of 2019, despite regional difficulties.The Riyadh-based transportation and logistics company reported revenue growth of six percent for the first half and income growth of three percent, to SAR 581.47 million.Net income reached SAR 224.9 million ‎during the first six months of 2019 in comparison to SAR 308.54 million‎ of the same period last year. Earnings…

Iran: British-flagged Tanker Seized in Gulf

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had captured a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf after Britain seized an Iranian vessel earlier this month, further raising tensions along a vital international oil shipping route.Britain said it was urgently seeking information about the Stena Impero after the tanker, which had been heading to a port in Saudi Arabia, suddenly changed course after passing through the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.The Revolutionary…

Stakeholders Ignore U.S. Middle East Coalition Proposals

The United States is struggling to win its allies' support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.Washington proposed on July 9 stepping up efforts to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen where it blames Iran and its proxies for tanker attacks. Iran denies the charges.But with Washington's allies reluctant to commit new weaponry or fighting forces…

US to Work "aggressively" for Free Gulf Passage

U.S. Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie said on Thursday it was talking to other countries about freedom of navigation in the Gulf and would work "aggressively" to find a solution to enable free passage.The United States has beefed up its military presence in the Middle East over a perceived Iranian threat and is asking allies to help protect strategic waters off Iran and Yemen, following attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters in recent months."We are currently talking…

Bahri Intros ‘ISupplier’ Platform

The Saudi Arabian logistics and transportation giant Bahri has announced the launch of its ‘iSupplier’ portal, as part of further strengthening its commitment to enhancing the quality of its services and deepening business relationship with key partners.The online platform will serve as a dedicated communication channel between Bahri’s Corporate Procurement and suppliers and contractors, it said.A fast and convenient platform, ‘iSupplier’ will enable Bahri to have easy access to a larger segment of suppliers and contractors in Saudi Arabia’s private sector.

Hapag-Lloyd Adds VRS

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has decided to implement a global vessel risk surcharge (VRS) following recent maritime incidents in the Gulf of Oman.The container line said that operating costs for its services have increased in the Middle East Gulf region as a result of tanker attacks that took place in the Strait of Hormuz.Other major carriers including CMA CGM, X-Press Feeders, and NYK have already impose a war risk surcharge on cargo destined for the Arabian Gulf or Middle East region due to heightened tensions in the region.As of July 15…

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.

Saudis Urge Global Effort to Safeguard Local Navigation

Saudi Arabia's cabinet urged the international community on Tuesday to take firm measures to ensure the safety of navigation in waterways across the region, the state news agency said, a week after two tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman.Reporting by Asma Alsharif

Maersk, Major Shippers Hike Gulf-bound Box Rates

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RVOS Retrofits Fleet for DP Ops

Saudi Arabia’s Rawabi Vallianz Offshore Services  (RVOS) has contracted Netherlands-based Praxis Automation Technology to deliver dynamic positioning systems for its fleet of offshore support vessels (OSVs) operating out of the country. RVOS, joint venture company between Rawabi Holding and Vallianz Holdings Limited of Singapore, said that the contract includes the retrofit of 14 ships with a Praxis Automation Class 2 Dynamic Positioning (DP) system, including the integration to the ship’s power distribution system and control systems.Jerome Lin…