Middle East NEWS

Saudi Arabia's crown prince has warned of an unimaginable spike in oil prices lest the world comes together to deter Iran, though he added that a political solution is preferred. Speaking in an interview, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed with a statement made by the U.S. Secretary, Mike Pompeo who referred to Sept 14 attacks as an act of war by Iran.

Oil prices climbed in the international market on Monday, buoyed up by supply concerns from Saudi Arabia and heightened tensions in the Middle East. Benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 jumped 0.9%, to $64.84 a barrel. US WTI crude futures CLc1 were traded 0.9% higher, at $58.61 a barrel. Buyers and traders have remained doubtful, despite Saudi Arabia’s continued reassurance of oil supply to the global market.

Subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) firm N-Sea has won three contracts in the Middle East. The combined worth of these contracts is about £12 million. The company has also been chosen for a saturation diving campaign for spool, clamp and riser installations. Headquartered in the Netherlands, apart from offering services to oil and gas, the company also serves the renewable sector.

Oil prices slipped in the international market on Friday, stressed by a Reuters survey showing slow global economic growth, however, the losses were checked by tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures were priced 0.4% lower, at $63.15 a barrel. US WTI crude was down 0.1%, to $55.97 a barrel. A Reuters poll conducted over 500 economists showed deepening risks of a global economic growth slowdown.

Oil prices advanced in the international market on Thursday, buoyed up by an unexpected drop in the U.S. crude stocks and prolonged tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures climbed 0.27%, to $63.35 a barrel. US WTI crude were traded 0.3% higher, at $56.06 a barrel. US crude stockpiles dipped by about 11 million barrels last week, beating analysts’ anticipations for a 4 million barrels drop.

Tensions in the Middle East continued to push oil prices up in the international market on Tuesday. Benchmark Brent crude futures were traded at $63.30 a barrel. US WTI futures were traded at the same rate of $56.22. Amidst the speculations on the potential disruption in supply, IEA has vowed to take immediate action so as to keep global oil markets sufficiently supplied.

Oil prices rose in the international market on Monday, over speculations of supply disruption due to British tanker seizure in the Strait of Hormuz. Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped by 1.4% to $63.32 a barrel. US WTI futures were priced 0.8% higher at $56.10. Both the futures recovered from the sharp downfall last week. Oil prices were also supported by the force majeure on Libya’s largest oilfield, El-Sharara.

Oil prices slipped in the international market on Monday, stressed by slowest Chinese economic growth in the last 27 years. Brent crude futures were traded at $66.51 a barrel. US WTI crude futures were priced at $59.93 per barrel. With local and international demand wavering due to the Sino-US trade war, the economic growth in China decelerated to 6.2% in the second quarter from the previous year.

Oil prices continued its journey uphill on Friday, supported by production cut due to a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and growing tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures jumped by 0.4% to $66.81 per barrel. US WTI crude futures were priced 0.5% higher at $60.51 a barrel. The tropical storm in the Gulf has forced oil majors in the region to cut production by over 1 million bpd.

Oil prices jumped in the international market on Thursday, amidst tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and the tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures were priced 0.5% higher, at $67.31 a barrel. US WTI crude futures were traded 0.6% higher, at $60.77 a barrel. With a tropical storm expected to hit Gulf of Mexico on Friday, 15 production platforms and four rigs were vacated in the region.

Oil prices fell on Tuesday over global demand outlook amidst ongoing trade disputes, although the potential for conflicts in the Middle East. Brent crude futures dipped by 0.3% to $63.90 a barrel. US WTI crude futures dropped by 0.4% to $57.41 a barrel. The market has been facing demand pressure due to the U.S.-China trade war. Data released yesterday showed Japan’s core machinery orders dropping to the lowest in eight months.

PTT Exploration and Production Public Co Ltd (PTTEP) has decided to acquire Partex Holding BV. The acquisition will be worth approximately US$622mn. This decision will help PTTEP expand in Oman and open the gates for future investment opportunities in the Middle East. "This acquisition will allow us to create a new business partnership with both national oil companies of Oman and the UAE,” said PTTEP's CEO.

Oil prices rose in the international market on Wednesday after US President Trump tweeted about preparations to meet Chinese President in Japan, next week at the G20 summit. Brent crude futures climbed to $62.17 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose to $54.02 a barrel. Oil prices were also affected by the rising tensions between the US and Iran, after the attack on oil tankers last week.

Oil prices slipped on Tuesday over the signs of global economic downturn due to escalating US-China trade tension. Brent dropped by 0.3% and was traded at $60.78 a barrel. WTI went down by 0.2% and was traded at $51.92 a barrel. However, the losses from the drop in prices were restricted due to the tanker attack in Middle East last week.

After the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo assured to take necessary steps for safe navigation in the Middle East, oil prices went up. Brent increased by 0.4% and was traded at $62.27 a barrel. WTI climbed 0.3% and was traded at $52.68 a barrel. Mike said, "We don’t want war. We’ve done what we can to deter this".

ExxonMobil decided to pull out its staff from Iraq as a “precautionary and temporary” measure. Energy Minister of the Middle East nation has termed this decision as “unacceptable and unwarranted”. He further argued that “This withdrawal may send the wrong message about the situation in Iraq, and that’s something we reject”. He has also sent a letter to Exxon officials asking for clarification and enquiring the workers to return.

Fear of supply disruptions due to the risks of conflict in the Middle East helped the oil prices surge high on Thursday. Brent crude increased by 0.5% and was traded at $72.16 a barrel. WTI went up by 0.6% and was traded at $62.41 per barrel. OPEC led restrictions are now having a profound effect when US sanctions on OPEC members are increasing the supply losses.

During Day 2 of CERAWeek 2019, diversification, transformation and globalisation were some of the most talked about topics. Chevron's Chairman and CEO continued with the leadership dialogue and talked about the company's goals in the Permian Basin. The special feature of CERAWeek, Innovation Agora was all about energy innovation, emerging technologies and solutions. Pompeo talked about MESA and encouraged other countries to align with the US.