Ras Tanura:

• Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that Saudi Arabia contained a fire early Tuesday near Aramco facilities at the Ras Tanura oil export terminal on the Persian Gulf following an attack in the region.

• The Houthis claimed they launched a ballistic-missile attack on the Ras Tanura refinery that caused a fire at the site. Saudi authorities have not officially confirmed the damages to the refinery.

• Ras Tanura is Saudi Arabia’s largest crude oil export terminal on the Gulf coast. It also hosts one of the kingdom’s biggest refineries (roughly 550,000 b/d capacity) and large storage facilities, making it a critical hub for Gulf exports.

Abqaiq Oil Processing Facility (Eastern Province):

Saudi Aramco’s largest crude oil stabilization and processing plant (capacity approximately 7 million barrels per day). It processes a large share of Saudi production and is historically described as roughly half of the kingdom’s output and around 5% of global supply. Primarily Arabian Light and Extra Light grades from fields such as Ghawar. Stabilized crude is routed to eastern export terminals (Ras Tanura, Jubail) or via the East-West Pipeline toward the Red Sea. The 2019 attack on Abqaiq and Khurais temporarily removed 5.7 mb/d. It remains a high-value target because disruption there affects a major portion of Saudi exports. 

A successful strike that takes capacity offline can therefore disrupt a large volume of exportable oil even if upstream fields keep producing. The September 2019 attack on Abqaiq and Khurais removed about 5.7 million barrels per day and triggered one of the largest single-day oil-price spikes in decades. That precedent is why markets still react to any credible threat in the Eastern Province, and why even successful interceptions keep a risk premium in prices

The Houthi specific claims of a successful drone and missile strike on Abqaiq that forced Aramco to suspend operations and begin emergency flaring, plus targeting of Yanbu, are not confirmed in the Al Jazeera or Reuters reporting.

Those outlets emphasize ballistic missile interceptions with no reported major casualties from the Oct 27 wave.

Saudi Aramco and Saudi Civil Defense officials could not be reached to confirm the damages.

Houthi claims of hits on oil infrastructure (pumping stations, Yanbu facilities, Rabigh, pipeline) have repeatedly lacked independent Saudi/Aramco verification; earlier similar claims were often contradicted by sources stating facilities remained intact or that impacts were limited to debris outside perimeters (e.g., recent Shaybah incident). 

• The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles and a wave of drones launched by the Houthis toward Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and four drones headed toward the southern region. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki stated the missiles caused no casualties.

• Saudi Civil Defense issued temporary emergency alerts for the Eastern Province and Al-Kharj governorate.

• These interceptions occurred amid senior-level meetings in Tehran involving officials from Saudi Arabia (including Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman), Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran aimed at de-escalating regional tensions; participants agreed to continue dialogue on regional peace and security.

• the Houthis claimed attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and crude oil pumping stations on the East-West Pipeline (west and east). Saudi Civil Defense said the missiles were intercepted and reported striking Houthi missile infrastructure in Yemen (five storage tunnels, four launchers, and a depot). There was no immediate Houthi comment on the latest interceptions.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-led-coalition-says-it-intercepted-houthi-missiles-drones-attacking-kingdom-2026-10-27/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/houthis-say-they-attacked-east-west-oil-pumping-stations-no-saudi-confirmation-2026-10-26/

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/27/saudi-led-coalition-destroys-four-houthi-drones

The U.S. may allow more diesel fuel from Russia onto the global market depending on Moscow's behavior, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC in an interview Tuesday.

Wright framed the Trump administration's suspension of U.S. sanctions against Russian diesel exports earlier this month as "an incentive" for Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. It will help with fuel supplies on the margin, he said.

The Russian-flagged tanker Talisman is expected to arrive on the U.S. East Coast on Nov. 9, according to the ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic. Another tanker, the Leruo, has departed Russia en route to the "Atlantic Coast" without explicitly declaring its destination as the U.S.

More tankers with Russian diesel could "quite possibly" set sail under the U.S. sanctions waiver, Wright told CNBC's Power Lunch. "It's trying to put a carrot in front of Russia," the energy secretary said.

President Donald Trump struck a deal with President Vladimir Putin for Russia to export 800,000 metric tons of diesel in October and November, followed by another million tons.

Trump reached the agreement with Putin as he faces political pressure to reduce surging diesel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next Tuesday. Fuel prices have spiked since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

But the diesel volumes in the Trump-Putin deal won't materially lower prices because the shipments are small compared to total global demand of around 28 million barrels per day, analysts say.

The first shipment from Russia of 300,000 tons is equivalent to about 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) if rolled out over one month. The second tranche, of 500,000 tons, equals about 124,000 bpd.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply criticized the diesel deal. Kyiv has pounded Russian refineries this year in an effort to cut the revenue the Kremlin collects from energy exports and curtail Moscow's ability to wage war.

The strikes forced Moscow to implement a diesel export ban in July. The Kremlin has partially lifted that ban to fulfill the Trump-Putin deal.

Several Republican senators also slammed the deal, signing a letter with Democratic colleagues that condemned the agreement as "a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies."

Arabian sea/Hormuz down a lot. BAM, Malacca, Singapore down as well.

Sea of Oman to Arabian Sea Implied Dark Traffic:

This is all the oil traffic out to the Arabian sea minus 2.5mb (pre war output of Fujairah and Oman) to estimate the additional output of dark traffic out of Hormuz as well as any additional output from the ADCOP pipeline. Usual traffic should be around 21mb of crude and oil products.

Adding this further crude vs product breakdown for Gulf of Oman to Arabaian Sea as well.

none popped up near west coast of india.

Listing the actual ships and their draft/dwt as well as helps check if I messed up with double counts/fills

Data from: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:63.3/centery:23.5/zoom:7

Bab al Mandab AIS on Traffic:

Oil products going out south from the Red Sea. Usual traffic is around 8mb. Edit: I dont think much is coming out any more from the East/West pipeline its very unclear what is output now. That still means the amount overall is down. The drop below is more from dropping Russian and other sources of usual oil going south out of the red sea as the Yanbu/East/West pipeline is all going north to suez.

Ships: AGAPY,TRIDENT 9

Data from https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:45.8/centery:12.7/zoom:8

Strait of Malacca:

Usual oil products throughput is 16.5 mb crude and 6mb oil products. Also added how much of that malacca traffic is going to China as well as how much oil is from the Persian gulf.

Ships: YUAN YUE HU,BANIYAS,DHT AMAZON,AMFITRITI,MINERVA OLYMPIA,OCEAN WAVE I,TRIDENT HOPE,WEDYAN,AGIA EFIMIA,CE-HAMILTON,ASP JEWELS,POP,NORDIC,ESTEEM ASTRO,ELANDRA K2,MOUNT FUJI

Data from https://tankermap.com/analytics/straits/malacca?unit=million_bbl_per_day

Singapore Oil Departures:

Note based on 2024 the average daily output in tonnes was 211,000 tonnes per day. I think 2025/2026 is much higher but they don't yet have official data.

Data from https://tankermap.com/analytics/ports/singapore-oil?unit=million_bbl_per_day

An oil spill off the UAE coast has prompted beach closures in Umm Al Quwain,Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.Satellite imagery reported by Reuters shows the slick spreading toward the coast near Umm Al Quwain.Cleanup operations and environmental assessments are underway.UAE authorities have not officially identified the tanker responsible or confirmed the cause of the spill.The incident highlights the environmental risks posed by offshore shipping incidents.Reviewing a vessel’s AIS track and voyage history can provide useful context about its movements.MarineRadar offers tools to explore vessel positions and voyage history.

Source: Reuters, October 26, 2026.

ExxonMobil's premium is the market's reward for a company that never stopped being an oil company. BP's discount is the eye-watering bill for three shortcuts. And Shell's generous payouts look less like returning surplus cash than a reserve base being run down.

BP's decision to sell its UK North Sea business presents an unusual opportunity. Around 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production, five operating hubs and some of the country's best-known offshore oilfields are coming to market. Rystad Energy has estimated the portfolio's value at approximately $2.6 billion, although the eventual transaction price will depend on decommissioning liabilities and deal structure as much as the underlying assets.

The price of oil is only part of what determines the cost to supply the world with fuel. Crude oil and the products refined from it must travel – often thousands of kilometres by specialised marine tankers – from producing regions and refining centres to the places where they are consumed. Typically, transport makes up a small proportion of the overall price of oil, but when shipping becomes more expensive, costs can mount across the supply chain.

*more in the article

President Donald Trump is set to unveil a plan to dial back federal requirements designed to slash methane emissions from oil and gas operations, casting the proposal as a way to encourage more domestic energy production and lower costs.

Trump is expected to announce the proposed rule during a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, as he tries to bolster the prospects of Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton in next week’s midterm elections, according to an administration official who asked not to be named before a formal announcement.

Texas is the No. 1 oil-producing state in the US — and the petroleum industry has lobbied the White House to ease some of the mandates meant to keep a lid on releases of methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas.

The proposal comes as Trump seeks to assuage voter concerns about higher costs for oil, gasoline and diesel stoked by Russia’s war on Ukraine and the US war against Iran. During a pre-election campaign blitz to keep Republican control of Congress, Trump has also championed initiatives tailor-made for his rally audiences — from plans for Volkswagen AG to build a $4.2 billion Audi plant in Georgia to an $8 billion fuel-relief program pitched to farmers in Kansas.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposal takes aim at Biden administration requirements that forced energy companies to replace leak-prone equipment and regularly search for escaping gas from wells and other hardware. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, at an industry conference in Santa Fe earlier this month, said the planned measure would lift “unnecessary burdens” constraining oil and gas production and make it less costly for Americans to heat their homes and drive their cars.

In a major shift, the agency will propose to effectively single out so-called marginal, low-output wells for additional regulatory relief. The treatment would extend to wells that produce no more than 15 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The approach responds to pleas from some smaller, independent oil producers that say the cost of complying with the requirements can overwhelm the economics of operating older wells, effectively forcing them to shut production at the sites.

The bulk of the roughly 1 million oil and gas wells in the US — about 79% — are considered marginal because of their relatively low production. But former EPA officials and environmental activists have warned that wells with low oil and gas production can be a major source of methane — and any retreat from the federal requirements would translate to more of that potent planet-warming pollution at a time when climate impacts are intensifying.

Methane is a key component of natural gas, making it a valuable source of energy in its own right. Compared to carbon dioxide, methane has a roughly 80 times higher warming potential in the first 20 years after its release into the atmosphere. It’s also become a major driver of modern global warming, as atmospheric concentrations of methane have more than doubled compared with pre-industrial times.

In the US, the oil and gas sector represents the largest industrial source of methane — which can leak from wells, pipelines and processing equipment and is sometimes flared or vented intentionally.

Under the EPA plan Trump is set to release on Tuesday, the agency would also end the so-called Methane Super Emitter Program, which encouraged government-approved third-party groups, including companies as well as not-for-profit organizations, to help find and report large methane releases. The agency, which already paused the program’s implementation last year, is set to justify the proposed change by questioning its necessity and highlighting legal concerns with the initiative.

The measure also will seek to ease Biden-era requirements phasing out some routine flaring, targeting the practice of energy companies burning off natural gas from oil wells. Under President Joe Biden, the EPA estimated that would collectively avoid some 58 million tons of methane emissions from 2024 to 2038 and yield net climate and ozone health benefits of $98 billion over the same period.

The Trump EPA now estimates its proposal overall would yield some $45 billion in savings while enabling production of an additional 210 million barrels of oil and 1.41 trillion cubic feet of natural gas between 2027 and 2050.

Burning natural gas generates carbon dioxide, and inconsistent flares can result in methane discharges too. But getting associated gas from oil wells to market is also not always possible or practical, Trump’s EPA will say in justifying the shift. Instead, the EPA will propose to make 95% efficient flaring — or other control devices — the best system of emission reduction, a legal standard under the Clean Air Act, the official said.

Oil industry leaders have urged the Trump administration against a wholesale repeal of methane mandates in favor of more modest recalibrations, arguing the Biden-era requirements at times were technologically infeasible, inefficient and costly.

For more than a decade, a growing number of energy companies worldwide have voluntarily taken steps to rein in their methane emissions. Some larger producers also have prized the work as a competitive advantage, particularly as other nations crack down on methane-intense gas imports.

Since reentering the White House last year, Trump has sought to lift regulatory requirements on the oil and gas industry, effectively lowering the cost of domestic energy production while repealing pollution curbs on power plants and vehicles that burn the fossil fuels. Trump’s EPA has already taken multiple steps to delay the enforcement of the methane requirements.

Hi all, I’m studying Electronics Engineering Technology with a Mechatronics focus in New Mexico. Long term, I’d like to work in an offshore/deepsea control room. I know that’s a loooooong road and I’m not expecting to start there.

A few questions for people who work in the industry:

1. How competitive is the offshore controls and instrumentation side right now?
2. For a first job, is it realistic to start in an electronics or instrumentation support role, or is it better to start with general hands-on field work? (Thinking Assistant Electronic Tech or Junior Instrument Tech)
3. I’m happy to put in the work and learn from the ground up. But does a technical education let you move up faster than people who start without one, and can it get you into roles where you’re using that knowledge earlier on?

I’m open to relocating for better job opportunities. Any insight from your own experience is appreciated!

Oil spills looking bad , and likely gunna get worse

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had ‌attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West crude oil pumping stations, as rising hostilities choke oil supplies and threaten to erupt into a larger conflict.

A fire was detected on FIRMS coinciding with this at Pumping Station 3, 23.959⁰ N 40.054⁰ E.

That specific pump station was hit previously in September, leading to a fire which burned for 13 hours.

Arabian sea/Hormuz daily down but still high. BAM, Malacca up quite a bit.

Sea of Oman to Arabian Sea Implied Dark Traffic:

This is all the oil traffic out to the Arabian sea minus 2.5mb (pre war output of Fujairah and Oman) to estimate the additional output of dark traffic out of Hormuz as well as any additional output from the ADCOP pipeline. Usual traffic should be around 21mb of crude and oil products.

Adding this further crude vs product breakdown for Gulf of Oman to Arabaian Sea as well.

OLYMPIC LUCK added to the 25 Oct data as they popped up near west coast of india.

Listing the actual ships and their draft/dwt as well as helps check if I messed up with double counts/fills

Data from: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:63.3/centery:23.5/zoom:7

Bab al Mandab AIS on Traffic:

Oil products going out south from the Red Sea. Usual traffic is around 8mb. Edit: I dont think much is coming out any more from the East/West pipeline its very unclear what is output now. That still means the amount overall is down. The drop below is more from dropping Russian and other sources of usual oil going south out of the red sea as the Yanbu/East/West pipeline is all going north to suez.

Ships: BOLU,FENOR,KARELIYA,NORNS,POLARIS,SPARTAN,SUEZ PROTOPIA,ANKARA,ROUTE

Data from https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:45.8/centery:12.7/zoom:8

Strait of Malacca:

Usual oil products throughput is 16.5 mb crude and 6mb oil products. Also added how much of that malacca traffic is going to China as well as how much oil is from the Persian gulf.

Ships: QURAYYAT,COSRISING LAKE,FRONT MORGAN,AOKO,CAPE ATHOS,SPRING SPLENDOR,NAVE UNIVERSE,OSLO STAR,CASPAR,PANTANASSA,MIKELA P.,MINERVA VERA,LIAN YANG HU,PRINCESS NATALIE,ENEOS GLORY,UNIVERSAL HONOR

Data from https://tankermap.com/analytics/straits/malacca?unit=million_bbl_per_day

Singapore Oil Departures:

Note based on 2024 the average daily output in tonnes was 211,000 tonnes per day. I think 2025/2026 is much higher but they don't yet have official data.

Data from https://tankermap.com/analytics/ports/singapore-oil?unit=million_bbl_per_day

The price of ethanol blends in Iowa is very reasonable these days. Obviously vehicle compatibility is a huge barrier but it is strange the GOP never pushes this idea as a strategic alternative.