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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A pivotal shift occurred overnight on July 14–15, 2026. Ukraine struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery in Bashkortostan — previously Russia’s last major untouched gasoline production facility — along with the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar Krai. Drones traveled over 1,500 km to hit primary processing units at Salavat, igniting fires and knocking out its full […]
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The Refining Capacity Shortage and Demand Destruction Quest Brent crude oil prices surged more than 3% today, breaking above $86 per barrel (reaching $86.06 in early London trading). This extends a sharp ~12% rally since Friday, driven by escalating geopolitical risks across key oil chokepoints and infrastructure. The immediate spark came from Iranian cruise missile […]
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ExxonMobil’s massive offshore operations in Guyana are delivering blockbuster returns, even as global oil markets navigate geopolitical turbulence. The U.S. supermajor, operator of the world-renowned Stabroek Block, is riding a wave of record production, ultra-low breakeven costs, and newfound regional stability following Venezuela’s political restructuring. As highlighted in recent market analysis, the consortium’s cost-recovery phase […]
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Europe is staring down a structural gas deficit heading into the critical summer refill season. Storage levels sit near historic lows, Russian pipeline flows have all but vanished, and Middle East LNG supply disruptions (triggered by the ongoing Strait of Hormuz constraints since late February) have forced buyers to scramble for every available cargo—primarily from […]
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In a significant escalation of its maritime posture, Iran has formally established a “controlled maritime zone” in the Strait of Hormuz through its newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). The authority—widely understood to operate under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—has published an official map and set up a social media presence to assert […]
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