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☆ Russia's oil trade is rising as record volumes of Russian crude are carried on 'dark fleet' vessels
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

According to Clearview Energy Partners, Russian crude prices over the last four weeks have averaged about six cents below the Brent crude price. Record volumes of sanctioned Russian oil were carried by the "dark fleet" and known sanctioned tankers without known insurance over September, according to a recent report from Lloyd's List. The Price Cap Coalition continues to engage with industry to ensure compliance with the price cap and to increase Putin's costs of going outside it." The increased use of dark fleet vessels comes with greater maritime safety and environmental risks. Insurance giant Allianz said in May that dark fleet tankers had been linked to more than 50 accidents.

Persons: Kevin Book, Vortexa, Avebury, Andy Lipow, Putin, Lipow Organizations: Windward, Clearview Energy Partners, CNBC, European Union, Brent, Intelligence, Iranian Tanker Co, U.S . Office, Foreign, Control, Lipow Oil Associates, Treasury, Kremlin, Coalition, Group, Insurance, Allianz Locations: Morocco, U.S, Ukraine, Australia, India, China, Russian, Barbados, Seychelles, UAE, Avebury Shipmanagement . Greece, Russia, United States, Iran, Israel, Straits, Hormuz, Canada, Guyana

☆ Mech Dara: Concern grows for detained Cambodia journalist awarded by US for exposing online scam centers
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The award-winning reporter is renowned for his investigations exposing corruption, environmental destruction and human trafficking in a country that heavily restricts press freedom. In 2023, Mech Dara won the US State Department’s TIP Hero Award for his work uncovering the multi-billion-dollar illegal scam center industry in Cambodia. Cambodia is ranked 151 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index. As a freelancer, Mech Dara worked for several local and international media outlets including Voice of Democracy, which was forced to close last year. At the time, Mech Dara told CNN: “We fought for the truth.

Persons: Dara, “, LICADHO, Mech Dara, Antony Blinken, Mech, Dara “, ”, Clampdown, Hun Sen, Hun Manet, Cambodia’s, Kate Schuetze Organizations: CNN, Cambodian, Court, Mech, US, Department’s, Embassy, USAID, USAID Cambodia Counter, European Union, US State Department, United Nations, US Institute of Peace, UN, Cambodia Rights, of Democracy, Amnesty International Locations: Cambodian, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, USAID Cambodia, Australia, Southeast Asia, Asia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, ”

☆ US Imposes Sanctions for Violations of Russia Oil Price Cap
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday it had put sanctions on three entities based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one registered in Liberia for violating a cap placed on the price of Russian oil by a coalition of Western nations. The Treasury also said it had taken steps to bar the import of certain categories of diamonds mined in Russia, another step designed to deprive Moscow of foreign revenues following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, the Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on three UAE-based entities - Zeenit Supply and Trading DMCC, Talassa Shipping DMCC and Oil Tankers SCF Mgmt FZCO - as well as on Liberia-registered NS Leader Shipping Incorporated. The price cap imposed by the Group of Seven countries, the European Union and Australia bans the use of Western maritime services such as insurance, flagging and transportation when tankers carry Russian oil priced at or above $60 a barrel. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Ismail Shakil and Arshad Mohammed; editing by David Ljunggren)

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis, Ismail Shakil, Arshad Mohammed, David Ljunggren Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Treasury, United Arab Emirates, Treasury, Treasury Department, Talassa Shipping, Oil, Mgmt, NS, Shipping Incorporated, Group, European Union Locations: UAE, Liberia, Western, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Australia, Israel, Gaza

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department has sent notices to 30 ship management companies requesting information for more than 100 vessels it suspects of transporting Russian crude oil above the Western oil price cap, according to a source who has seen the documents. It bans Western companies from providing services such as transportation, insurance and financing for the oil sold above the cap. The price cap has caused a shift in global markets as China and India purchase Russian oil, much of which had traditionally gone to Europe and other markets. A rally in global oil prices this year has meant much of Russian oil has traded above the cap. Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Timothy Gardner, Richard Valdmanis, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Treasury Department, Foreign, Control, Treasury Department, European Union, Thomson Locations: Russia, United States, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Australia, China, India, Europe, Western

☆ G7 shelves regular Russian oil cap reviews as prices soar - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Julia Payne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BRUSSELS, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The G7 and allies have shelved regular reviews of the Russian oil price cap scheme, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, even though most Russian crude is trading above the limit because of a rally in global crude prices. The Group of Seven (G7) countries along with the European Union and Australia imposed the price cap mechanism on Russian oil last December, followed by a cap on fuel from February. The idea was spearheaded by Washington to cut Moscow's revenues amid its war on Ukraine while avoiding market disruptions as a result of an EU ban on Russian oil. According to LSEG data, Russian crude has been trading above the cap since mid-July and is currently being traded at around $67 a barrel at Russian crude terminals. Russian refined products such as fuel oil and diesel have also surpassed their caps.

Persons: Julia Payne, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Reuters, European Union, General Assembly, Brent, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Australia, United States, Washington, Ukraine, Russian Urals, Russia, Western, Russian, U.S

☆ US sees price cap on Russian oil working despite upturn in prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Aug 3 (Reuters) - The United States remains confident that the Group of Seven's price cap on Russian oil is working to squeeze Moscow's revenues and stabilize energy markets despite a recent upturn in prices, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Thursday. Van Nostrand said Russian data showed federal government oil revenues were nearly 50% lower in the first half of 2023 than a year earlier, and Russian oil was trading at "a significant discount" to Brent oil. Van Nostrand said the average reported price for Russian Urals had hovered around $60, the level of the price cap, despite widespread expectations that the price would rise in the second half of 2023, and despite recent price increases. Van Nostrand said the cap was continuing to limit Russian revenues, while giving "non-coalition buyers additional leverage to negotiate prices down." Still, Van Nostrand said Washington understood that markets could change rapidly, and Russia would keep trying to evade the price cap.

Persons: Eric Van Nostrand, Van Nostrand, Washington, Andrea Shalal, Timothy Gardner, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Treasury, Economic, European Union, Russian, Russia's Finance Ministry, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Australia, Brent, Russian Urals, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, China

A Biden administration source said such conversations with service providers about their requirements have been constant during the implementation of the caps. The price cap bans Western companies from providing services such as transportation, insurance and financing for the oil sold above the cap. Treasury uses a monthly average of prices to calculate the Urals price, which means it may be a while before the Russian oil price can be considered over the cap. 'POLICY PICKLE'The administration, however, is set to move slowly, wary of creating ripples in a market that could send rising global oil prices higher. "But there won't likely be a dramatic change unless oil prices stay high for a while."

Persons: Biden, We’ve, Joe Biden, Wally Adeyemo, Elizabeth Rosenberg, Adeyemo, Ben Cahill, Cahill, Timothy Gardner, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Group, European Union and Australia, Treasury, Foreign Assets, RUSSIA, The State Department, EU, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: Washington, Ukraine, U.S, Urals, India, China, Russia, Europe, Russian, Eastern

The G7, the European Union and Australia agreed to impose a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil and also set an upper price limit for Russian oil products to deprive Moscow of revenues for its invasion of Ukraine. The IEA, which provides analysis and input to the G7 on energy, does not see the enhanced enforcement of the price caps affecting the global oil and fuel supply, Birol told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. According to Birol, the price cap reached two main objectives: it did not trigger tightness in the markets as Russian oil continued to flow but at the same time Moscow's revenues were reduced. But there are some loopholes, some challenges for the better functioning of the oil price cap," Birol said. "There is no determination of any time frame there, but I think the main issue is because of the reliance of especially European countries on Russian gas almost for decades.

To curb Moscow's oil revenues following the Ukraine war, the Group of Seven Nations, the European Union and Australia imposed price caps on Russian crude and oil products from December and February, respectively. Lars Lange, secretary general of the International Union of Marine Insurance said: "We are definitely not able to assess the oil prices of shipments." "I get an attestation, which is a compliance with the price cap, but I know actually that something different is happening in the background...and this is something where no law can prepare you for these particular cases." HEIGHTENED SAFETY RISKSIn addition to risks of violating sanctions, the growing "shadow or dark fleet" - tankers purchased by states to deliver Russian oil - has increased safety risks for the shipping sector, the executives said. "I don't have a solution regarding the shadow fleet.

☆ Russian oil slashes OPEC's share of Indian market to 22-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OPEC's share shrank as India, which in the past rarely bought Russian oil due to high freight costs, is now the top oil client for Russian seaborne oil, rejected by Western nations following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. India's oil importsIndia shipped in about 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in 2022/23, the data showed, about 23% of its overall 4.65 million bpd imports. Higher intake of Russian oil boosted the share of Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.) India's oil imports from various regionsIn March, India shipped in nearly 5 million bpd of oil, marginally higher than the previous month, with Russian oil accounting for about 36% of overall imports, the data showed. "OPEC's output cut decision is helping Russia as well," said Haq, adding the planned supply cut has lifted global oil prices and at the same time narrowed the discounts for Russian oil against Brent and Dubai benchmarks.

☆ The cap on Russian oil is unlikely to change soon — despite opposing views on whether it’s working
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

G-7 nations have so far decided not to revise their cap on Russian oil. She called for policymakers to lower the level of the price cap to continue to pressure the Kremlin's finances. Is the price cap working? Ultimately, Kirkegaard said there was no explicit way to determine whether the oil cap is effective or not. India, China snap up Russian oil

☆ Exclusive: India's Bank of Baroda stops clearing payment for above-cap Russian oil - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Bank of Baroda is extremely cautious in settling payments for Russian oil bought (at levels) above the price cap," one of the sources said. After Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, Indian refiners have been gorging on discounted Russian oil. Russia has replaced Iraq as the top oil supplier to India in the last few months, data from trade sources showed. It was not clear if Axis Bank had also stopped settling trades for Russian oil sold above the price cap. India does not recognise the Western price cap on Russian oil, a senior oil ministry source said last month.

☆ Factbox: The battle over Russia's crude and oil products
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MOSCOW, March 15 (Reuters) - In attempt to curb Russia's oil revenues, Western countries imposed sweeping sanctions against Russian crude oil and oil products. Below are the sanctions so far imposed, their impact and Russia's response:CRUDE OIL- The G7, the European Union and Australia stopped buying all Russian crude oil delivered by sea - or 2/3 of all EU imports of Russian crude - from Dec. 5. - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning the supply of crude oil and oil products from Feb. 1 to nations that abide by the cap. - Russia's crude oil loadings from its Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga and the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk were some 10% below the target for February. - In February the EU released from sanctions oil products which are produced from Russian oil outside the country and canceled the price cap for those oil products which are mixed with those from other countries.

☆ Barclays cuts 2023 oil price forecasts on resilient Russian output
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Barclays PLC FollowMarch 8 (Reuters) - Barclays cut its 2023 oil price forecasts on Wednesday, due in part to more resilient output from Russia than expected, and said the market could flip into a deficit in the second half of the year due to growing demand in China. China's oil demand could increase by 500,000 to 600,000 bpd in 2023, Haitham Al Ghais, the secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said on Tuesday at the CERAWEEK conference, with global oil demand seen rising by 2.3 million bpd in 2023. Barclays, meanwhile, revised its 2023 demand estimate 150,000 bpd higher due in part to a somewhat improved growth outlook for the United States and Europe. It sees a 900,000 bpd increase in Chinese demand this year. The Group of Seven economies, the European Union and Australia agreed a price cap on Russian oil late last year, aiming to deprive Moscow of funds for its war in Ukraine.

India's oil trade, in response to the turmoil of sanctions and the Ukraine war, provides the strongest evidence so far of a shift into other currencies that could prove lasting. MTS had facilitated some Indian oil non-dollar payments, the trade sources said. An Indian refining source said most Russian banks have faced sanctions since the war but Indian customers and Russian suppliers are determined to keep trading Russian oil. "As it is, the government is not asking us to stop buying Russian oil, so we are hopeful that an alternative payment mechanism will be found in case the current system is blocked." Similarly, many banks from Russia have opened accounts with Indian banks to facilitate trade.

The comments at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston show the industry remains on edge after weathering the initial aftermath of one of the biggest shocks to global energy flows in recent memory. On Feb.5, the G7 and allies also implemented a price cap on Russian fuel sales. On Tuesday, the Kremlin said it did not recognize the price cap. A STABLE OIL MARKET? China's oil demand will grow 500,000 to 600,000 barrels per day in 2023, OPEC's Al Ghais said, while global oil demand growth is expected to grow 2.3 million barrels per day in 2023.

Summary Russia to cut oil output by around 5% in MarchBrent rises 2.5% on the newsWest introduced price caps on Russian oil over UkraineRussia banned deals involving price capsRussia ran budget deficit of $25 billion in JanuaryMOSCOW, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Russia will cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day, or around 5% of output , in March, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday, after the West slapped price caps on Russian oil and oil products. The price of Brent crude rose on the news of the output cut from Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia, increasing by more than 2.5% on the day to $86.6 per barrel. The EU also slapped a ban on purchases of Russian oil products and set price caps from Feb. 5. The last big fall in Russian oil output was in April when it collapsed by nearly 9% following introduction of Western sanctions over Ukraine. Russia's decision to cut oil production was announced only nine days after an OPEC+ panel, in which Russia is a member, endorsed the oil producer group's current output policy, leaving production cuts agreed last year in place.

☆ New Western measures aim to turn up the heat on Putin’s oil revenues. Analysts are underwhelmed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The West's latest attempt to ramp up its oil war against Russia may cause some market dislocation, but some energy analysts remain far from convinced that the restrictions will constitute a "transformative event." An EU ban on Russian oil product imports came into effect on Feb. 5, following similar restrictions on EU crude oil intake, implemented on Dec. 5. The price cap coalition, which is composed of Australia, Canada, the EU, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., seeks to deplete Russian President Vladimir Putin's war chest amid Moscow's ongoing hostilities in Ukraine. Some analysts warned that the measures could cause "significant market dislocations" and that the EU embargo was more complex and more disruptive than what had come before. "This will bring us basically into the same story that we had with the oil price cap back in December.

☆ Russia ready to meet India's oil needs at 'market price', Rosneft says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, India, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Russia was willing to meet India's oil needs at 'market price', the CEO of top Russian oil major told Reuters on Monday. Russia has emerged as the largest supplier of oil to India, replacing Iraq. When asked if Russia will give an additional stake to ONGC Videsh or other Indian companies in its Sakhalin-1 project, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said the decision to do so lay with the Russian government. Russia last year approved the requests of ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS), and Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development Co (SODECO), a consortium of Japanese firms, to retain their 20% and 30% stake respectively in the project. Reporting by Nidhi Varma in Bengaluru, writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Kim Coghill and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil rises 1% in choppy trade on China demand hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects half of this year's global oil demand growth to come from China, the agency's chief said on Sunday, adding that jet fuel demand was surging. A stronger dollar typically reduces demand for dollar-denominated oil from buyers paying with other currencies. Supply concerns continued to affect markets as operations at Turkey's oil terminal in Ceyhan halted after a major earthquake hit the region. The BTC terminal, which exports Azeri crude oil to international markets, will be closed on Feb. 6-8 while operators assess earthquake damage, a Turkish shipping agent said. However, a preliminary Reuters poll showed that U.S. crude oil stockpiles likely rose by about 2.2 million last week.

☆ Oil prices edge higher as IEA's Birol talks up China demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Sonali Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Oil prices inched up in early trade on Monday after falling around 8% last week to more than three-week lows as jitters over major economies outweighed signs of a demand recovery in China, the world's top oil importer. While recession fears dominated the market last week, on Sunday International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol highlighted that China's recovery remains a key driver for oil prices. The IEA expects half of global oil demand growth this year will come from China, where Birol said jet fuel demand was surging. "Nevertheless, OPEC's continued constraint on supply should keep the market tight," they said. Reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: G7-led coalition sets price cap on Russian oil products
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Envisioned as a safety valve from the EU ban, which covers insuring and shipping Russian oil and therefore risks snarling the entire global trade, the price cap mechanisms would allow such services provided they occur below an enforced price. The price caps on petroleum products will be implemented on Feb. 5 or "very soon thereafter," the coalition said in a statement. WHAT IS PROHIBITEDThe EU ban bars EU vessels from carrying Russian-origin petroleum products, unless the products are purchased at or below the price cap agreed by the coalition. NEXT STEPSThe G7 coalition said it would review the Dec. 5 crude oil price cap in March. Decisions on any changes would be driven by technical analysis by groups such as the International Energy Agency, while factoring in the impact on Russian oil revenues.

☆ G-7 agrees to review level of price cap on Russian oil in March: U.S. Treasury
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Group of Seven officials have agreed to review the level of the price cap on exports of Russian oil in March, later than originally planned in order to give time to assess the market after more caps are placed on oil products from Russia, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday. The G-7 economies, the European Union and Australia agreed on Dec. 5 to ban the use of Western-supplied maritime insurance, finance and brokering for sea-borne Russian oil priced above $60 per barrel as part of Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The coalition plans on Feb. 5 to set two caps on Russian oil products, one on products that trade at a premium to crude, such as diesel or gas oil, and one for products that trade at a discount to crude, such as fuel oil. "The Deputies agreed that this approach will better calibrate the price cap policy for refined products, given the wide range of market prices at which these products trade," Treasury said after U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo met virtually with coalition officials on Friday. The coalition had initially planned to review the level of the cap sometime in February, two months after its implementation.

REUTERS/Vitaly NevarWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Group of Seven officials have agreed to review the level of the price cap on exports of Russian oil in March, later than originally planned in order to give time to assess the market after more caps are placed on oil products from Russia, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday. The coalition had initially planned to review the level of the cap sometime in February, two months after its implementation. Treasury officials have said the oil price cap has two goals: cutting Russia's revenues by institutionalizing heavy discounts on its oil bought by big consumers like China and India, and ensuring global oil markets are well supplied. "As long as the price cap continues to meet the Coalition’s dual goals, the Deputies agreed to undertake a review of the level of the crude price cap in March," Treasury said. The March date allows the coalition to assess developments in global markets after implementation of the refined products caps, and to be briefed on an EU technical review of the crude price cap, it said.

Crude oil exports will be banned from Feb. 1, but the date for the oil products ban will be determined by the Russian government and could be after Feb. 1. The G7 price cap allows non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is being sold for less than the price cap. EU countries have separately implemented an embargo that prohibits them from purchasing seaborne Russian oil. Russian Urals oil traded above $56 per barrel on Tuesday, below the price cap level. Brent crude oil moved a little higher on the news and was up 1.4% at $85.1 by 1743 GMT.

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