Middle East
OPEC, non-OPEC agree first global oil pact since 2001
VIENNA (Reuters) -- OPEC and non-OPEC producers on Saturday reached their first deal since 2001 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices that overstretched many budgets and spurred unrest in some countries.
Saudis order oil cuts to US, Europe before non-OPEC talks
VIENNA/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -- Saudi Arabia has told its US and European customers it will reduce oil deliveries from January as Russia signaled that a commitment from non-OPEC producers to join OPEC's output limits still faced challenges.
Bahrain's Bapco gets bids for $5-B refinery expansion
KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -- State-run Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) has received bids from international construction companies to expand its Sitra oil refinery, industry sources said.
Saudi's Sipchem affiliate signs $144.6 MM methanol plant efficiency contract
DUBAI (Reuters) -- An affiliate of Saudi International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) signed a contract with South Korea's eTEC E&C for work costing $144.6 million to raise the efficiency of operations at its methanol plant in Jubail.
Qatargas conducts emergency exercise with state agencies
Qatargas conducted a major emergency response exercise in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, Qatar Petroleum, and various shareholders. The exercise involved a simulated fire and a coordinated response from professional teams at a hydrocarbon storage tank in Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Kazakhstan detains suspected oil thieves linked to Islamists
ASTANA (Reuters) -- Kazakhstan's state security service has detained several people suspected of stealing oil and fuel from a refinery and being linked to radical Islamists, it said on Wednesday.
Saudi's PetroRabigh restarts ethane cracker
DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's PetroRabigh said it restarted its ethane cracker after maintenance was completed, according to a bourse statement.
Business Trends: Global refining overview—Part 4
Throughout its overview series of the global refining industry, <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> has provided a look at the state of the refining industry, new project developments, demand outlooks for the refining sector and the move to low-sulfur fuels. The previous sections have taken a detailed look at the refining sectors of Asia-Pacific, North America and South America. This fourth and final installment analyzes major trends in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and offers data on planned refinery capacity additions, upgrades and grassroots facilities.
Industry Perspectives: New downstream project announcements drop 35% in 2016
According to <i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database, nearly 470 new projects have been announced in the downstream hydrocarbon processing industry over the past two years. New project announcements have fallen from 285 in 2015 to 185 in 2016. This trend analysis represents a year-over-year decrease of approximately 35%.
Editorial Comment: Hydrocarbon Processing forecasts $321 B in total HPI spending in 2017
What is the state of the global hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI)? Which regions and sectors are seeing growth, and which are stagnant, or possibly shrinking? These were some of the questions that <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> editors tackled at the 43rd Annual <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> Forecast Breakfast.
- Ketjen introduces new breakthrough catalyst that mitigates the effects of iron poisoning in FCCUs 8/20
- Sumitomo Chemical achieves scale-up of its process for producing propylene directly from ethanol 8/20
- EcoCortec, Jakob Schober GmbH awarded sustainability award for closed-loop circular films solution 8/20
- Addverb reinvents its factory automation development with Siemens Xcelerator 8/20
- Sanctions-hit Indian refiner Nayara turns to ‘dark fleet’ 8/20
- EIA: Crude and gasoline inventories fall, distillates rise 8/20
