Saudi Arabia’s carefully constructed workaround for oil exports is hitting severe constraints on two fronts at once: kinetic threats from Yemen’s Houthis and commercial barriers from the London marine insurance market centered on Lloyd’s. The result is a growing bottleneck at the Red Sea that threatens a key remaining outlet for Saudi crude and products, […]
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As Middle East supply risks escalate—with threats to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait adding to existing pressures on key chokepoints—China and India are turning aggressively toward Russian crude. Analysts had long flagged that a rebound in Chinese buying or a closure/disruption of Bab el-Mandeb could drive oil prices higher. Both factors are now in play, yet […]
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This article first ran on The Energy News Beat Substack – Head over there to comment. The global oil market is once again being reshaped by simultaneous disruptions across multiple critical maritime and pipeline choke points. As of late July 2026, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal routes, and Caspian-linked export corridors […]
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Rey Trevino, Crude Truth Podcast Host, and President at Pecos Operating, stops by. This was recorded yesterday, and oil has dropped back down several dollars. The volatility will still be around until demand destruction kicks in. We have a wild stand-up with 8 huge stories. It is fun having guests on the stand-up, and Rey […]
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Three Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) carrying a combined roughly 6 million barrels of crude oil slipped out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The vessels began transmitting automated position (AIS) signals as they entered the Gulf of Oman on […]
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Greece has once again highlighted the practical and commercial limits of the European Union’s sanctions regime against Russian energy. As the world’s leading maritime nation, Athens successfully pressed for exemptions on restrictions targeting the shipping of Russian LNG to third countries in the latest (21st) sanctions package. Greek officials argued that broader bans would primarily […]
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U.S. refiners are operating near full tilt, with utilization rates holding above 96% amid record refining margins, a global diesel squeeze, and disruptions from Russian refinery outages and Middle East tensions. The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending July 17, 2026, shows U.S. refineries running at 96.1% […]
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West Texas Intermediate crude hovered near $90 per barrel on July 23, 2026, with Brent trading higher in the mid-to-high $90s amid escalating disruptions across multiple global oil transit routes. Markets are reacting to simultaneous pressures on four critical choke points: the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal corridor, and the […]
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A recent KPMG survey of 275 Canadian manufacturing firms paints a stark picture: 42% have already shifted some or all production to the United States or are actively planning to do so. Of those, 29% have made the move, while another 13% intend to follow — with 77% of the planners expecting the shift within […]
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The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz and damage to key Qatari LNG infrastructure, has triggered a sharp global LNG supply crunch. This is forcing buyers in Europe and Asia to pivot aggressively toward coal, oil products (such as fuel oil, naphtha, and propane), and alternative natural gas […]
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