In a stark illustration of mounting pressure on Iran’s oil sector amid the U.S. naval blockade of its ports, Tehran has reactivated a 30-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) that had been languishing in retirement off Kharg Island. The vessel, NASHA (IMO 9079107), built in 1996 and capable of holding approximately 2 million barrels of […]
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While Goldman Sachs and other analysts project a relatively swift rebound in Gulf oil output once the Strait of Hormuz reopens and the ceasefire holds, the outlook for liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets is markedly more cautious. Roughly 20% of global LNG supply—primarily from Qatar—has been disrupted by the conflict, with physical damage to liquefaction […]
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The global oil market has been upended by the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran that began in late February 2026. The effective closure or severe restriction of the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint carrying roughly 20 million barrels per day (bpd), or about one-fifth of global seaborne oil and LNG — triggered the largest supply […]
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April 23, 2026 – Tensions in the Persian Gulf remain high as the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports enters its second week, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting that American forces have now directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to Iranian ports. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz — the […]
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Golden Pass LNG, a major joint venture between QatarEnergy (70%) and ExxonMobil (30%), has reached a historic milestone. On April 22, 2026, the company announced that its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) export cargo has departed from its Sabine Pass terminal in Texas. The 174,000-cubic-meter QatarEnergy-owned carrier Al Qaiyyah loaded the inaugural cargo at the […]
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California’s energy system is teetering on the edge of collapse. Decades of aggressive refinery closures, strict CARB fuel specifications, and heavy reliance on long-haul imports have left the state uniquely vulnerable. The ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran—has now turned that vulnerability into an imminent crisis. Refined product […]
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ENB Pub Note: This article is from the California Globe by Mike Ariza.. We recommend reading the California Globe daily, as Katy Grimes, as the Editor in Chief, does a great job keeping up with everything California. Currently, we only have two to three more weeks of fuel ships still in transit across the Pacific […]
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In the high-stakes world of global energy markets, two prices for oil exist side by side — but they are telling wildly different stories right now. The “paper” price, reflected in Brent and WTI futures contracts traded on exchanges, sits around $99 per barrel as of April 22, 2026. Meanwhile, the physical price for delivered […]
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In the energy markets, there’s no single “oil price” anymore — and today’s fractured reality proves it. As highlighted in a sharp analysis posted this morning by commodity trader Jack Prandelli, the spreads tell the real story: Forties (physical) → $134 Dated Brent (physical) → $116 Brent futures → $99 WTI → $87 Canadian crude […]
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As the Iran conflict escalates with U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have issued a stark warning: they are prepared to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, effectively blocking oil exports through the Red Sea. Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Ezzi stated, “If Sana’a decides to close the Bab […]
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