News Headlines

Sanctions, insurance rises make shipowners wary of carrying Iran crude oil

London, February 3, 2012, 615 am EST/1115 GMT

Regular European buyers of Iranian crude said Thursday it was becoming more difficult to lift cargoes from Iran because ship owners have become increasingly reluctant to call at Iranian ports over fears about being properly insured and because of the likelihood of additional US sanctions targeting shippers.

More Headlines

Podcasts

European naphtha marks unusually strong entry into 2012
February 3, 2012 - Discussing the European naphtha market, focusing on its rising strength on supply shortages going into 2012.

US gasoline, heating oil prices prone to rally as refining capacity shrinks
February 1, 2012 - As refinery capacity has shrunk recently in the US and in Europe, NYMEX RBOB and heating oil futures prices have risen, outpacing crude prices.

All Podcasts

News Features

Iranian Oil Sanctions: Japan, US hold second round of Iran sanctions talks

February 3, 2012

Japanese officials renewed their case Feb 2 for an exemption from US sanctions on Iranian oil deals during talks in Washington between the two governments, according to Tokyo sources.

OPEC Guide: OPEC chief warns of oil price volatility as markets adjust to Iran sanctions

January 30, 2012

OPEC Secretary General Abdalla el-Badri warned Jan 30 that oil prices were likely to be volatile over the next few months as markets adjust to new EU sanctions on Iran that will remove 450-500,000 b/d of Iranian crude from European markets.

All News Features

Blogs

The Barrel: Obama's energy plans in the SOTU sound awful familiar

In his much-hyped State of the Union address, President Obama gave a rhetorical bearhug to US energy development, even stealing a line from Republicans and pronouncing the need for an "all-out, all-of-the-above strategy" on increasing energy production.

The Barrel: Platts on CNBC: Geopolitics, the biggest threat to oil

Platts Senior managing editor Shailaja Nair of our Singapore office, sat down with CNBC to talk about the effect of geopolitical events on oil and gas going forward.

All Blogs

Commodity Pulse Videos

2011: a momentous year for oil

December 7, 2011 (13:01 mins)

With Dated Brent crude oil at an historic average high, Platts editors analyze the key geopolitical and structural factors that have sustained such a high price.

All Latest Videos

Industry Solution Papers Library

Dated Brent: The Pricing Benchmark for Asia-Pacific Sweet Crude Oil

The Dated Brent benchmark has taken on an increasingly significant role in the determination of oil prices in the entire Asia-Pacific region. This paper examines and explains the reasons for this ongoing and accelerating trend. (published May 2011).

All Solution Papers

Top 250 Rankings

The Platts Top 250 recognizes outstanding financial performance for the previous year. Each company listed in the Platts Top 250 has distinguished itself through its remarkable performance and the outstanding efforts and dedication of its team.

Market Issues

Platts Market Issues are a series of occasional discussion papers examining price-discovery issues.

Energy Bulletin

A daily email compiling a regional round-up of the top, most recent Platts news, in-depth features, information on Platts events, products and a summary of what's new on platts.com.