Houston Ship Channel open after storms
The Houston Ship Channel reopened to all traffic around 1am ET Friday after strong storms closed a portion of the waterway late Thursday, according to the US Coast Guard.
A roughly eight-mile portion of the Houston Ship Channel from the Sidney Sherman Bridge to Greens Bayou closed from 9pm ET to 1am ET due to two ship breakaways and a probe into a potential fuel oil spill, the Coast Guard said.
That span of the channel offers access to Chevron's 112,000 b/d Pasadena refinery, Valero's 215,000 b/d Houston refinery and LyondellBasell's 264,000 b/d Houston refinery, as well as Targa's Galena Park LPG marine terminal and Kinder Morgan's refined product terminal in Galena Park.
A storm brought winds up to 74mph to the Houston area on Thursday night, according to the US National Weather Service.
Related news posts
Rising Guyana-USG crude flows benefit Suezmaxes
Rising Guyana-USG crude flows benefit Suezmaxes
Houston, 29 May (Argus) — Surging Guyanese crude exports to the US Gulf coast may benefit Suezmax crude tankers as a potential new export market develops for the South American country's booming production. Citgo's 167,500 b/d Corpus Christi refinery in Texas has taken three 1mn bl cargoes of medium sweet Payara Gold in May, with a fourth Suezmax, the Nordic Hawk , transiting the Corpus Christi ship channel on 29 May, according to ship tracking data from Kpler. If the Nordic Hawk and the Aframax onto which it lightered discharge by the end of the month, the refinery's imports of Payara Gold would top 100,000 b/d in May, up from 60,000 b/d in April and 32,000 b/d in March, according to Kpler. US Gulf coast refiners last year imported just two Suezmax-size cargoes of Guyanese crude, or about 5,500 b/d. The primary destinations for the country's roughly 370,000 b/d of oil exports last year, about 85pc of which were hauled on Suezmaxes, were Europe, which took about 60pc, and the US west coast, which took about 25pc via re-export on the Trans-Panama pipeline, according to Vortexa data. A new market to the US Gulf coast would add to already-rising Suezmax demand in Guyana, where tonne-miles this year through 20 May increased by 45pc from the same period last year and by almost fivefold from the same period in 2022, Vortexa data show. Charterers moving Guyanese crude often opt for the economies of scale offered by 1mn bl Suezmaxes compared with smaller 700,000 bl Aframaxes. The start of production at the 220,000 b/d Prosperity floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO) in November 2023 helped boost Guyana's oil production to 625,000 b/d in April , according to government data. Output in April exceeded the country's rated capacity by 65,000 b/d following improvements at the older Liza 1 and Liza 2 projects in the deepwater Stabroek block. Mexican substitute? Increased US Gulf coast imports of Guyanese crude come as crude imports from Mexico fall, exerting downward pressure on rates for Aframaxes since March. US Gulf coast imports of Mexico's medium sour Isthmus have led the declines, falling to about 135,000 b/d from 1 March through 27 May compared with about 220,000 b/d over the preceding three-month period, according to Vortexa data. "Given the expectation of depressed Mexican crude exports going forward, the push and pull for Guyanese barrels between the US and Europe is likely to be stronger than ever," Kpler analyst Matt Smith wrote in a research note. By Tray Swanson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Houthi missiles hit bulk carrier in Red Sea: Update
Houthi missiles hit bulk carrier in Red Sea: Update
Singapore, 29 May (Argus) — Yemen-based Houthi militants launched five anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea on 28 May, with three striking the Greek-owned and operated bulk carrier Laax , US Central Command (Centcom) said today. But the Marshall Islands-flagged Laax is continuing its voyage with no injuries reported. The vessel had unloaded about 60,000t of soybean meal at the Turkish port of Ceyhan on 21 May and is now ballasting to Imam Khomeini port in Iran, according to data from global trade and analytics platform Kpler. Centcom forces have destroyed more than 10 uncrewed aerial systems over the Red Sea in the past week, after determining that they presented "an imminent threat to merchant vessels in the region". The systems were launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. The Houthis have launched five other anti-ship ballistic missiles since 18 May when a Houthi missile hit an oil tanker . Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said today that the group had carried out six military operations, three of which were in the Red Sea. Saree referenced the Laax as one of the vessels targeted with ballistic missiles and drones, and said it had been "hit directly and greatly damaged." He also named the Morea , a Malta-flagged bulk carrier, and the Sea Lady , a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier, as two other ships that were targeted in the Red Sea, although no mention was made of a direct hit. He separately said the Houthis had targeted two "American" vessels ꟷ the Alba and Maersk Hartford ꟷ in the Arabian Sea, again with "missiles and drones", and also the Minerva Antonia in the Mediterranean Sea with "winged missiles." Again, there was no mention as to whether they were hit. Oil prices are rising as the conflict in the Middle East widens. An Egyptian soldier was killed in a clash with Israeli forces at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt earlier this week. The Egyptian Armed Forces are investigating the incident, spokesperson Ghareeb Abdel Hafez said on 27 May. "A dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. By Tng Yong Li, Reena Nathan and Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Houthi missiles hit bulk carrier in Red Sea: US Centcom
Houthi missiles hit bulk carrier in Red Sea: US Centcom
Singapore, 29 May (Argus) — Yemen-based Houthi militants launched five anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea on 28 May, with three striking the Greek-owned and operated bulk carrier Laax , said US Central Command (Centcom). But the Marshall Islands-flagged Laax is continuing its voyage with no injuries reported. The vessel had unloaded about 60,000t of soybean meal at the Turkish port of Ceyhan on 21 May and is now ballasting to Imam Khomeini port in Iran, according to data from global trade and analytics platform Kpler. Centcom forces have also destroyed more than 10 uncrewed aerial systems over the Red Sea in the past week, after determining that they presented "an imminent threat to merchant vessels in the region". The systems were launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. The Houthis have also launched five other anti-ship ballistic missiles since 18 May when a Houthi missile hit an oil tanker . Oil prices are rising as the conflict in the Middle East widens. An Egyptian soldier was killed in a clash with Israeli forces at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt earlier this week. The Egyptian Armed Forces are investigating the incident, spokesperson Ghareeb Abdel Hafez said on 27 May. "A dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The IDF said on 7 May that it is conducting "targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza". Israel's war cabinet "unanimously decided" that Israel would continue its operation in Rafah to apply military pressure on Gaza-based Hamas to advance the release of Israeli hostages, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The Ice front-month July Brent contract was at $84.40/bl at 03:40am GMT, up by 0.2pc from the previous settlement and by about 1.6pc from 27 May. The front-month July WTI crude contract was at $80.11/bl, up by around 0.4pc from the previous settlement and by 3pc from 27 May. By Tng Yong Li and Reena Nathan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Alabama Demopolis lock reopens early
Alabama Demopolis lock reopens early
Houston, 22 May (Argus) — The failed Demopolis Lock, at the intersection of the Tombigbee Waterway and Black Warrior rivers in Alabama, has reopened two weeks earlier than projected. The lock reopened on 16 May, ahead of the scheduled 30 May opening . Vessels carrying commodities such as asphalt, coal, petcoke, metals and fertilizers have been able to pass through the lock without a long queue since the reopening, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. The lock had been closed since 16 January when the concrete sill underneath the lock doors failed. The lock was largely rebuilt over the ensuing four months Traffic that would typically pass through the lock was rerouted during the closure. Multiple steel mills in Alabama and Mississippi move some of their feedstock and finished product through the Demopolis lock. Those mills have 8.16mn short tons (st)/yr of flat, long, semifinished and pipe steel production capacity. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more