Tag: Oil
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Oil trading keeps obfuscating export and trade figures
The NSO’s headline published earlier today about rising exports and foreign trade keeps being obfuscated by oil trading and bunkering operations. Malta’s exports increased by 19% in August compared with the same month last year. However, much of this headline growth was driven by mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, raising questions about how much…
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Alkagesta keeps its Russian oil at the port of Marmara (Opet Terminal) following investigations
Following a series of investigations that started by the United Nations Security Council on oil sanctions busting by Alkagesta, we extensively investigated Alkagesta’s activity in Malta. Alkagesta is a company from Azerbaijan, created by ex-Socar traders, that became Malta’s largest oil bunkerer at the Freeport terminal of Evos. Alkagesta has been listed as a sanctions…
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Trump goes full pro-Putin: unconfirmed reports US is to export refinery products to Russia
US President Donald Trump has gone full pro-Vladimir Putin after his phone call with him on Friday. Speaking to reporters on Saturday at the White House, Trump said that the US doesn’t want Ukraine to hit Russian oil refineries and shifted the blame unto Ukraine for high oil prices. He also said that the Ukrainian…
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War in Yemen intensifies: Houthis strike oil refineries in Saudi Arabia and enter Turbah
The war in Yemen has continued to intensify during the last few days with the Houthis making significant advances as they entered the city of Taiz in the south-west of Yemen and also Turbah, which lies around 160km outside of Aden. Taiz is around 40Km outside Turbah. The Houthis have also struck Aramco’s oil refineries…
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Trump ponders diesel export ban: Abbas Araghchi still in New York
US President Donald Trump is pondering a potential diesel export ban to lower domestic fuel prices, he told reporters yesterday, Sunday. A US diesel export ban would put massive price pressure on European fuel purchases, given that Europe has replaced a significant chunk of Russian diesel imports with supplies from the US. President Trump also…
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France to deploy its air-defences in Saudi Arabia to defend the Yanbu pipeline
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on French TV that France will be deploying air-defences in Saudi Arabia to defend the East-West Yanbu pipeline. The pipeline was bombed by the Houthis disrupting Saudi Arabian oil exports and kicking up oil above $100 as a result. French troops will also potentially be deployed as the French President…
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Oil smashes below $100 but war in Yemen drags on
Oil has fallen below $100 since the start of the week, offering some relief from persistently high oil prices, but the war in Yemen and Saudi Arabia is dragging on. Britain announced today that it will provide air-to-air refuelling services to Saudi Arabia as it continues its airstrikes against Houthi targets. US Secretary of State…
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President of the General Workers’ Union echoes President Trump’s words and blames Ukraine for high oil prices
Very recently, when speaking to press reporters on Air Force One, US President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for high oil prices and urged Ukraine to stop striking at Russia’s oil facilities. The new President of the General Workers’ Union, Jason Deguara has echoed President Trump’s argument with a very nonsensical article published in the GWU’s…
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Hurd’s Bank becomes part of the Baniyas Line: Russian vessels in Syria persist
The Syrian port of Baniyas is rapidly emerging as a major oil transshipment and export hub in the Mediterranean as Iraq seeks alternative routes for its oil exports following war and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Iraqi oil products that would traditionally have been exported through the Gulf are increasingly being transported overland by…
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Oil hits $100 again as war in Yemen and the Persian Gulf flares up again
WTI futures have hit $100 today after the raging war in Yemen affected Saudi Arabia’s crude-oil refining capabilities. The Houthis began attacks on Saudi Arabia last month with Saudi Arabia responded with air-strikes and military operations. The Saudi military operations with the Yemeni government have had several successes, with Yemeni troops occupying positions in Al-Jawf…
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Alkagesta’s biggest client was a major Russian oil buyer: Turkish Russian oil sales allegedly on the decline
Following continued investigations, The Maltese Herald can confirm that Turkish industrial conglomerate Tüpraş is Alkagesta’s biggest oil client, and Tüpraş has also been a major Russian oil client. However, Tüpraş announced last year that it was halting Russian seaborne crude-oil imports, and current reports state that Turkey has also been reducing its intake of Russian…
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The US secures majority control of Venezuela’s oil, but where are the concessions for democracy?
President Donald Trump reached an oil agreement with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, last Friday, August 28. He described the agreement as “the biggest oil deal in history.” In addition, it gives the United States majority control over 65 billion barrels of crude oil, which represent approximately 21.5% of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves. The US…