This weeks insight from Lars van Wageningen, our Operations Manager at Insights Global, also quoted by Bill Lehane (Bloomberg) considers the market is getting tight. The inland stockpiles haven’t been replenished over summer because Rhine barges haven’t been able to operate at full capacity. Furthermore even as the water levels start to recover, the Rhine barge rates remain high; also barge traffic has risen on the main river. In addition the Bayernoil Vohburg refinery outage is also adding to tightness, with suppliers in that region looking further north for supply than usual.
Author: admin
A quick Insight in the ARA petrochemical tank storage market.
In Northwest Europe the oil and the petrochemical sectors are leading sectors that employ thousands of people directly and indirectly within the region. The main European production cluster for liquid bulk products is made up of the Benelux countries, Switzerland and the German and French regions that are connected to the Rhine river.
The Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp region or ARA is the main trade hub that connects Europe to global markets. The petrochemical sector is responsible for producing various materials such as plastics, paints, solvents, fibres and raw materials for pharmaceutical and cosmetics sector. Taking a closer look at the petrochemical side of the cluster and the different market participants in it, many of the companies produce goods in high-volume or ‘bulk’ quantities.
Companies in this cluster have been getting more exposed to severe competitive pressure. This has been Leading to the closure of for example La Mede refinery, Reichstett refinery, Petit Couronne refinery and the Wilhemshafen refinery. Also the decision made by Gunvor to not go ahead with their investment in upgrading the GPR site is a sign of high uncertainty amongst players about what the future will bring. Despite this at the same time there are others planning expansion like Ineos, one of the leading chemical companies with sales of around 60 billion dollars and their production network spans 171 sites and 24 countries. Ineos announced that their plan will have 2.7 billion capital investment in Northern Europe.
One of the things to watch in the future and the question for all is; where will the new Ineos plant be built. According to news articles both Rotterdam and Antwerp are being considered. As Ineos already has production sites in Antwerp we give Antwerp a slightly bigger chance, but you never know what the outcome will be. Either way it is likely to boost trade in ARA, as Ethane and propane imports will increase and most likely chemicals and intermediates trade will also increase.
Bertrand Chupin on The Challenges Ahead
Welcome to “GRIPPING THOUGHTS”, the space created by Insights Global where Clients, Partners and Friends are invited to share ideas and insights that help shedding light on the challenges that the Oil & Gas industry faces, in the near and long future.
So join us, read and get inspired by our interview with BERTRAND CHUPIN, VP of the Loading Systems business unit of TechnipFMC, a global leader in subsea, onshore/offshore and surface projects, with about 37,000 employees.
Q:Bertrand, how would you describe the main market challenges at the present time?
The market has drastically and irreversibly changed over the last 5 years. Terminal owners are expecting vendors to significantly reduce equipment CAPEX. In addition, with fewer investments moving forward during this period of time. Competition has been and remains highly aggressive, pushing vendors to find innovative solutions to reduce costs. Also, once the investment decision is made, clients want their projects faster demanding shorter lead times. Finally, buyers are looking for first-class service, fast availability of spare parts, fast mobilization of site engineers and lower OPEX.
Q:And how do you see it evolving in a period of 5 to 10 years? What are the trends and challenges ahead of us?
Although the market and our clients significantly reduced investments during the last five years, we have observed signs of recovery in the last few months. Deep cost reductions have enabled projects that were otherwise unprofitable without compromising safety and quality standards.
It is also likely that automation and unmanned operations will be further developed in the future to address OPEX challenges. In addition, operational and maintenance are currently being studied and implemented.
Finally, a few new market segments are coming along, specifically those linked to the usage diversification of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). New regulations imposing significant reductions of CO2 and NOx emissions for maritime transportation are opening new opportunities to LNG by replacing conventional HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil) and maritime diesel. New infrastructure and value chains are being developed to allow this conversion providing new applications to loading systems manufacturers.
Q:At last, how is TechnipFMC getting prepared to these challenges that the future post?
TechnipFMC has reduced costs through improved execution and standardization. Always thinking about the future, TechnipFMC’s Loading Systems division maintained the same level of investment in R&D over the last few years to provide the industry with breakthrough technologies such as a full electric loading arm that replaces the conventional hydraulically-powered one and significantly reduces OPEX to provide our clients with greener offloading solutions.
Services is also an area of focus: reducing inspection and maintenance cost by using drones is, for instance, one of the new services offered by TechnipFMC. A new strategy on spare parts management has also been implemented to provide our clients with critical spare parts in a shorter delivery time.
Finally, the recent merger opens doors to the flexible hose technology through Coflexip™. The adoption of flexible solutions is expanding within offloading applications and make TechnipFMC the sole loading systems manufacturer with the ability to provide both rigid articulated pipe and flexible hose solutions.
PS: if you want to contribute to “Gripping Thoughts” please send an email to acavalcanti@insights-global.com
Find here other “Gripping Thoughts” articles:
Read now the interview with Mr. Koen Algoet – Product Manager Terminal Solutions – and Mr. Kevin Pluvier – Project Manager Oil & Gas – at Agidens, a solutions provider in the areas of security, reliability, efficiency and sustainability.
ARA oil product stocks rise by 10pc on the week
London, 6 September (Argus) — Oil products held in independent storage tanks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading hub rose by 10.1pc this week to 5.67mn t, with stock builds for all recorded products.
Fuel oil inventories recorded the sharpest rise, increasing by 22.8pc to 1.26mn t. Tankers arrived in the ARA area from Latvia, Russia and the US and departed for Denmark and the UK. Departures of fuel oil-laden VLCCs for Singapore customarily offers the single biggest outlet for stored fuel oil volumes, but no such loadings took place in the week to today and none are scheduled. Fuel oil stocks in Singapore recently hit a six-week high, impacting demand for European volumes.
Gasoline stocks rose by 14.9pc on the week to 870,000t, rebounding after reaching a 21-month low the previous week. Production of winter-grade gasoline continued apace, bolstering demand for storage tank space. Low Rhine water levels continued to affect the market, with gasoline demand from inland buyers pulling increasing volumes up river. Inland gasoline production has suffered in recent weeks from refinery outages and high blending component prices resulting from high barge freight rates. Interest in European gasoline was firm from the US. Tankers arrived in the area from France, Italy, Portugal, Russia and the UK. Tankers departed the region for Argentina, Latin America, the US and west Africa.
Naphtha stocks rose by 5.2pc to 264,000t, after falling heavily during the two prior weeks. Tankers arrived from Algeria, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain and the UK. None were recorded leaving the area, amid firm demand from gasoline blenders as well as petrochemical end users.
Independent ARA stocks of gasoil rose by 4.1pc on the week to 2.54mn t. Diesel remained the key demand driver for middle distillates, with heating oil buyers continuing to await falls in barge freight rates. Tankers arrived from Russia, the US, India and Saudi Arabia.
Jet fuel stocks rose by 8.4pc to 734,000t, a 42-week high. Inflows have remained at high levels despite the end of the peak demand season. But the rise in inventories was also bolstered by delays in the unloading of vessels arriving during the prior week. Tankers arrived from the Mideast Gulf, India and the Mediterranean and one left for the UK.
Reporter: Thomas Warner
High gasoline exports trim ARA oil product stocks
London, 30 August (Argus) — Oil products held in independent storage tanks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading hub fell nearly 5pc this week to 5.15mn t, prompted by stock draws on all major products except jet fuel.
Gasoline stocks fell by 1.9pc to 757,000t, the lowest level since November 2016. The European market is preparing to switch to winter-specification gasoline in September, and is shedding summer-grade volumes. Outflows were notably high to North America, Latin America and west Africa.
Spot booking for tankers loading during the week to today were around twice the level recorded over the prior week. Tankers left for the Mideast Gulf, the Americas and west Africa. Tankers arrived from the Baltic region, Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden and the UK. Low water levels on the Rhine river inhibited barge traffic from inland refineries to the ARA area.
Naphtha stocks fell heavily for a second consecutive week, to a 16-week low of 251,000t. The reduction was caused by good demand from gasoline blenders and petrochemical end-users in Europe. Naphtha flows from ARA into the continent have proven more resilient to high barge freight rates than have flows of gasoline and gasoil, as most end-users are unable to significantly alter feedstock slates. Tankers arrived from Latvia, Portugal, Russia and Spain, and none were recorded leaving the area.
Gasoil stocks fell by 5.6pc to 2.44mn t, the lowest since early April. Rhine water levels rose marginally in recent days, potentially allowing an increase in product flows. German 10ppm and 50ppm diesel barges have found support over the last week. The former traded recently at 25¢/t discounts to Ice September gasoil, compared with discounts of $1/t around a week earlier. German 50ppm barges assessed differentials climbed to discounts of $7.50/t to Ice September gasoil, compared with discounts of $10.50/t a week earlier. Tankers left ARA for France, Sweden and west Africa.
Jet fuel stocks rose by 4.6pc to 677,000t. The STI Selatar and Dubai Brilliance arrived at Rotterdam at the end of last week, each carrying 90,000t of jet fuel from Yangpu, China, and Ruwais, UAE, respectively. Shell exported 30,000t of jet from Rotterdam on the Seashark, which arrived at Copenhagen today. High northwest European import volumes from east of Suez last week and this week have not been reflected in stock levels, suggesting sufficient demand to absorb incoming volumes. A slowdown in arrivals after next week, alongside the start of the refinery turnaround season, could see the market tighten.
Fuel oil inventories fell by 7.1pc to 1.03mn t. Tankers left ARA for the Mideast Gulf and Mediterranean regions during the week, and arrived from France and Russia.
Reporter: Thomas Warner
Gasoline demand impacts ARA oil product stocks
London, 23 August (Argus) — Oil products held in independent storage tanks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading hub fell by 1.3pc this week to 5.41mn t, prompted by a sharp fall in gasoline and naphtha inventories.
Gasoline stocks fell by 14.3pc on the week to 772,000t, the lowest level recorded since October 2017. Tankers left the ARA area for Argentina, Canada, Puerto Rico, the US and west Africa. High gasoline demand from inland Germany, resulting from unplanned refinery outages, drew in volumes from the ARA area and deepened the stock draw. Tankers arrived from Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK.
Naphtha stocks also fell heavily, dropping by 17pc on the week to 307,000t. The reduction in inventories was caused by steady demand from key outlets and a lack of incoming tankers. No cargoes arrived from the Mediterranean, with the sole arriving tanker coming from Denmark. None were recorded leaving the area. Demand from inland petrochemical end-users recovered, with falling temperatures enabling steam cracker operators to return to running their machinery at full capacity.
Gasoil stocks rose by 3.3pc to 2.59mn t, the highest level since the start of April, as low Rhine water levels continued to constrain product movement in the region. Typically, weekly gasoil barge inflows to Germany total around 160,000t but they amounted to less than 90,000t during the week today according to PJK International’s Rhine Flow Service. The influx of middle distillates into Europe from both transatlantic and east of Suez refiners has also been firm, with market participants pegging total arrivals into Europe at some 3.5mn-4mn t in August. The Yasa Hawk is currently on route to Amsterdam, laden with a 40,000t diesel cargo, according to Argus tracking. The tanker departed Texas City on the US Gulf coast on 15 August.
Jet fuel stocks fell by 1.1pc to 647,000t. At least 180,000t of jet fuel arrived into Rotterdam today on vessels from China and the UAE, although neither vessel had offloaded at the time of writing. Imports into northwest Europe from east of Suez and the US are set to be high for the rest of August. But peak summer buying interest is fading as high trade activity throughout the month has mostly filled August demand. Consequently, stocks are expected to rise. Shell has provisionally booked at least three tankers to take ARA jet fuel to Scandinavia at the end of the month.
Fuel oil inventories increased by 4.5pc to 1.1mn t, amid low outflows. A single suezmax left the ARA area for Singapore during the week to today, and tankers arrived in the area from France and Russia.
Reporter: Thomas Warner
Importance of Tank Terminals in Tanker Shipping
Businesses and traders of bulk liquid cargoes and gasses select ports because of their location, maritime access, hinterland connectivity, value-added services, economies of scale, and the availability of independent tank terminals.
Tanker owners prefer to sail to ports with high throughput volumes, fast turnarounds and low demurrage risks. The availability of tankers is a critical factor in the success of ports.
Ship Owners also look at reducing costs through vessel design, slow steaming between locations and reducing time spent in ports by optimizing loading and discharging.
The ship-shore interface involves tankers loading and discharging at regularly visited shore terminals, but with spot activity, vessels also need to call at many terminals they are not familiar with. This comes together with an increased risk for tanker owners. Similarly, each tank terminal now handles more tankers of different types and sizes than ever before.
The above indicates that the relation and coordination between vessel owners and tank terminals could be of great importance and a clear game changer. Better cooperation will not only help optimize operations and reduce cost but also support better risk management.
The importance of tank terminals in what-if scenarios
A tanker owner may need to discharge a cargo due to an emergency or because missing a loading or discharge window. In the chemical trade, for example, there is an agreed laycan or in other words an agreed loading time range at the end of which comes the time when the charterers are entitled to exercise their option and cancel the charter party for non-arrival of the owners’ vessel.
Being stuck in a port or being cancelled by the charterer has an impact on not just the current voyage, but all future voyages and fleet planning. This can have a huge negative impact on the owners’ financial performance.
So, in case of an emergency, delay or cancellation, good relations and communications between tanker owners and tank terminals may help mitigate risks. Finding a tank terminal to discharge cargoes during an accident or hazard may also be required from time to time.
New opportunities
Tank terminal projects are very good market indicators since projects are often announced early and set the stage for future product flows. Bulk liquid terminals play an important role when trading centers are shifting and new hubs are being developed.
Demand and production swings are taking place all the time resulting in shifts between long and short haul shipments. Short haul shipments tend to have smaller volumes and therefore require smaller vessels. Such changes have an impact on loading and discharge operations at tank terminals, including jetty capabilities and tank sizes.
As Owners are looking for economies of scale, ships are however getting bigger and ship owners need to make sure that tank terminals can handle such larger vessels and large quantities of cargo. A good example is the Bow Pioneer, the largest IMO II chemical tanker with a deadweight of 75000, measuring 288 meters long and 37 meters wide. The use of larger tankers in any market segment may result in the development of more hub terminals to receive larger vessels and support regional distribution and transshipment activity.
Tank terminals may also be an interesting investment opportunity for ship owners to diversify and create a more balanced business portfolio. While freight rate and volume levels may be low during an economic downturn, inventories at terminals may be high during such times. Some storage contracts are negotiated on a take or pay basis which means the client pays even if they don’t use the tank. This provides a level of guaranteed income. And if not invest, why not develop a strategic tank terminal tanker owner alliance for a specific project.
ARA oil product stocks fall marginally
London, 2 August (Argus) — Oil products held in independent storage tanks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading hub fell by 0.6pc this week to 5.67mn t, prompted by the departure of a 270,000t fuel oil cargo and rising naphtha consumption.
The departure of the VLCC Fida on 27 July weighed on fuel oil stocks, which fell by 10.3pc to 1.2mn t today. The 270,000t cargo is set to discharge in Ningbo-Zhoushan in China, according to vessel tracking data. A smaller cargo also left for the Mideast Gulf. Fuel oil cargoes arrived from the Black Sea, Finland, France, Poland and Russia.
Naphtha stocks also fell heavily on the week. Inventories declined by 10.6pc to 328,000t on an uptick in demand from gasoline blenders in the ARA region and continued firm demand from petrochemical end-users. Rising demand and ongoing supply tightness in the Mediterranean region have strengthened northwest European naphtha pricing, narrowing its discount to benchmark North Sea Dated to 69¢/bl on 1 August from $1.25/bl a week earlier.
Gasoline stocks rose by 3.1pc week on week to 974,000t, with rising prices in the ARA area attracting cargoes and impacting outflows. Tankers arrived from Denmark, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden. European gasoline was shipped to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the US and west Africa. But the outgoing cargoes were generally smaller than those that arrived. Fresh fixtures emerged during the week for delivery to west Africa and the US, where demand is firming.
Jet fuel stocks rose by 5pc on the week to 692,000t. The Kleon arrived into Rotterdam on 27 July with 90,000t of jet fuel from Ruwais. The Nord Dolphin arrived into Antwerp yesterday, also with 90,000t of jet fuel from Ruwais, but does not yet appear to have unloaded. Seasonally strong demand from the aviation sector brought jet fuel barge and pipeline utilisation to near maximum levels. A single cargo left the ARA area for the UK.
Gasoil stocks increased by 3.9pc to 2.49mn t. Cargoes continued to arrive from the Mideast Gulf, but high Rhine freight rates have impacted demand from the European hinterland. Demand from the agricultural and heating sectors was already lower owing to the high temperatures and lack of rain, which have affected harvests.
Reporter: Thomas Warner
ARA oil product stocks decline
London, 26 July (Argus) — Oil products held in independent storage tanks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading hub declined this week because of a large drop in gasoline inventories.
Gasoline stocks dropped by more than 12pc week on week, largely because of a high level of exports. European gasoline was shipped to the Mideast Gulf, Latin America, the US and west Africa, where demand rose significantly compared with the prior week. Exporters have been facing increasingly unworkable spot arbitrage economics between Europe and the US. But stocks in the US dropped to the lowest level since 11 May this week, which will likely stimulate transatlantic exports.
Fuel oil stocks also fell, dropping by 2.5pc from the prior week. The VLCC Nisalah finished loading fuel oil from Rotterdam and departed for Singapore, resulting in a decline in inventories. Imported volumes increased, partially offsetting the impact of exports on stocks. No new VLCC bookings have surfaced so far this week as the economics for exporting fuel oil to Asia-Pacific weakened.
Jet fuel stocks dropped by 5pc from the prior week as no product was imported and demand remained strong. Arrivals from east of Suez and the US were offloaded into other ports in northwest Europe, including Le Havre.
Gasoil stocks increased despite unviable US Gulf coast diesel arbitrage economics to northwest Europe. Product continued to arrive from the Mideast Gulf and a flurry of MR tanker bookings have emerged in recent days to load Baltic diesel for European discharge, which is likely to keep the European gasoil market well-supplied. Inland demand remains firm, but persistently low Rhine water levels have reduced barge loading capacity and drove barge freight rates higher, contributing to the increase in stocks.
And naphtha stocks rose marginally, climbing by just 1,000t on the week. The ARA region imported the product from France, Portugal, Sweden and the UK during the week. Demand from European gasoline blenders rose slightly, offsetting the impact of comparatively high imports.
ARA independent product stocks up
London, 19 July (Argus) — Oil products held in independent storage tanks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading hub rose by 6pc week on week to 5.8mn t today.
The increase was mostly driven by a 13pc rise in total fuel oil inventories, but stocks of most other oil product rose as barge freight rates continue to rise, weighing on demand. Barge freight rates on the Rotterdam-Karlsruhe route increased by 26pc on the week to $24/t and are now at their highest level since at least July 2017. Jet fuel stocks fell amid high seasonal demand.
Fuel oil inventories rose with no very large crude carriers (VLCCs) departing the area in the week to today. The VLCC Stallion, chartered by South Korea’s SK Energy to carry a 270,000t cargo to Singapore, was loading during the reporting period. The VLCC Fida, chartered by Shell to also carry a 270,000t cargo to Singapore, began loading on 14 July. Smaller cargoes left the area for the Mideast Gulf and the Mediterranean. Stored volumes were supported by cargoes arriving from the Black Sea, France, Russia, Spain and the UAE.
Gasoil inventories rose by 2.5pc, supported by an influx of diesel arriving from the UAE on board the VLCC Stallion. The newbuild was chartered by Asia-Pacific trading firm Winson Oil to carry a 270,000t ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) cargo to northwest Europe from Fujairah, arriving 10 July. The tanker partially discharged via ship-to-ship transfer offshore Southwold in the UK, before unloading fully in the port of Rotterdam, and being chartered to carry fuel oil to Singapore.
As with other products, the high Rhine barge freight rates impacted gasoil outflows. Barge freight rates on at least one route rose to double the cost of the equivalent pipeline transfer. Cargoes arrived from Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Gasoline inventories rose by 9pc. Transatlantic outflows remained at the levels seen in recent weeks but outgoing volumes to west Africa were lower on the week. Cargoes departed the ARA area for Canada, Latin America, the US and west Africa. Cargoes arrived from Finland, France, Norway and the UK.
Naphtha stocks rose by 3pc, supported by rising volumes of cargo arriving from Algeria. Demand from inland petrochemical end-users firmed on the week as falls in underlying crude prices boosted cracking margins. Cargoes arrived from Algeria, France, Portugal, Russia and the UK. None left the area during the reporting period.
Jet kerosine stocks fell by 1.8pc as demand remained strong through the peak summer flying season. And buying interest for jet fuel barges in the ARA increased, with market participants seeking to move volumes to regional airports. The Sti Precision arrived into Rotterdam on 13 July with 65,000t of jet fuel from Bahrain. A single cargo departed the ARA hub for the UK.
Reporter: Thomas Warner