Amir Richani

The Mexican government is falling short on its promises for the energy sector once again. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) vowed to considerably increase refinery runs earlier this year, and despite a rebound in April, Mexican crude processing has tumbled to 534,000 bpd in July. Mexico has meanwhile experienced a steady increase in clean product imports, […]

The latest developments in international relations between Australia and China could result in a case of “what goes around comes around”, as Australia’s recent finger-wagging could return to haunt it. Australia hopped onto the world stage when it demanded an investigation into China for the spread of the coronavirus, which has crippled the global economy […]

Coronavirus was a distant concern for us in Latin America back in February. Higher infection rates in colder weather made the idea of COVID-19 even harder to grasp as a threat. Life continued as normal, and the pandemic felt a world away. To our chagrin, we learned that cold Cuba Libres at the beach would […]

The number of coronavirus cases in Latin America continues to rise, with more than 1.4 million people infected in Brazil and Mexico. The lockdowns and quarantines of recent months have weighed heavily on clean product demand in these countries – something starkly reflected in their import volumes. As we close out June, Mexican clean product […]

Tension between the United States and China has ratcheted up in recent weeks amid increasingly hostile rhetoric. The global spread of the coronavirus has further hurt relations between Beijing and Washington, stoking the possibility of a new trade war amid a global economic slowdown. However, from a flows perspective, all seems to be fine. LPG, […]

Unusual crude oil grades are making their way onto the global market as refiners slash runs amid cratering demand. Lockdowns and quarantines as a result of the coronavirus are freeing crude grades that are typically consumed in their domestic markets. First up is Argentina, where we have seen the first export of Canadon Seco on […]

Lower demand for refined products, sparked by quarantine measures and limited onshore storage capacity are leading to a glut building offshore several Mexican ports. Some vessels are waiting for more than a week to offload. Based on information from Onexpo, Mexico’s petrol station association, the demand for refined products in Mexico has decreased by more […]

Brazil is maintaining both strong imports of gasoline and oil exports despite lower domestic demand and oil production cuts. Yet, exports of fuel oil have been hit by the global economic slowdown of recent months. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in the country are spiking. The South American country is one of the hardest-hit countries by the […]