Houston, TX – June 6, 2026 – U.S. oil-directed drilling rigs posted their sixth consecutive weekly gain this week—the longest upward streak in domestic exploration since mid-2022—pushing the Baker Hughes oil rig count to 431. The increase comes as higher crude prices, fueled by ongoing disruptions and geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, continue […]
Continue Reading
U.S. forces conducted a maritime interdiction and boarded the stateless supertanker MT Davina (also known as Lenore) overnight in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) confirmed on June 5, 2026. The vessel, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) capable of carrying up to two million barrels of oil, was operating as […]
Continue Reading
US military surveillance has documented nearly 1,000 commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz in the roughly two months since the US-Iran ceasefire took effect on April 8, 2026. The figure, shared by an official familiar with US Central Command operations, exceeds private-sector estimates that rely primarily on ship transponders (AIS data). Military analysts […]
Continue Reading
This was a good interview on the Sable offshore platform with Secretary Doug Burgum and Secretary Chris Wright on the importance and impact of the implementation of the Defense Production Act on California Oil. Make no mistake. There is still work to be done as the new legislation that Gov Newsom is putting in will […]
Continue Reading
The Strait of Hormuz has long been the world’s most critical energy chokepoint—handling roughly 20 million barrels per day (b/d) of oil and a significant share of global LNG before the 2026 crisis. But Iran’s de facto closure of the strait since late February 2026, amid escalating conflict, has forced a permanent rethink. Even if […]
Continue Reading
Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery has officially broken ground on a second 700,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) crude processing unit at its Lekki complex outside Lagos. The expansion, announced today, will nearly double the facility’s total refining capacity to approximately 1.4 million bpd once the new unit comes online by the end of 2028. The move cements the Dangote […]
Continue Reading
New Delhi’s push for energy security took a major step forward on June 4, 2026, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The high-level talks focused on expanding bilateral cooperation in energy, trade, investment, and renewables, with crude oil at the center of discussions. India is aggressively diversifying its […]
Continue Reading
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its latest Weekly Petroleum Status Report on June 3, 2026, covering data for the week ending May 29, 2026. The report reveals a significant tightening in U.S. petroleum inventories, with a massive combined draw in commercial crude oil and Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) stocks. Analyst Ole S. Hansen […]
Continue Reading
The global order of the energy industry is shifting and where the Permian Basin will fit in is an intriguing question. It will of course be very important, but in what relation to Russia, Saudi Arabia and the other members of OPEC and OPEC-Plus? How will Europe and Asia factor in with their massive and […]
Continue Reading
As the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Iraq is racing to reroute its crude exports northward. The Iraqi government has approved an urgent plan to nearly triple pipeline shipments of crude oil from the Kurdistan region to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, aiming to ease the severe […]
Continue Reading