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ExxonMobil Singapore to cut 10-15pc of workforce

  • Spanish Market: Crude oil, Oil products, Petrochemicals
  • 01/10/25

ExxonMobil Singapore will reduce its workforce by 10-15pc by the end of 2027, in line with global restructuring efforts.

The layoffs in Singapore are in line with the company's plans to cut jobs globally, with the US major announcing it would also reduce about 1,200 jobs across its EU and Norway operations, and 900 jobs at Canada's Imperial Oil, which it owns almost 70pc in.

ExxonMobil Singapore recently started up new base stock production facilities and will maintain its manufacturing presence in Singapore. In line with this, "we are making changes to how we work so we can improve our competitiveness in an ever-evolving landscape", a company spokesperson in Singapore said.

The changes will "reshape and restructure" the organisation. Detailed planning is still ongoing and organisational design is not complete, but it is expected to result in 10-15pc of employees being made redundant. The company will also move out of its central Singapore offices to its new expanded facilities in Jurong by the end of 2027.

ExxonMobil is following in the footsteps of other majors including BP, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, which have announced significant layoffs this year in an attempt to reduce costs, because of lower oil prices ahead of expectations of global oversupply.

ExxonMobil Singapore has a 592,000 b/d refinery in Jurong and has made advancements in its Singapore Resid Upgrade project, which aims to convert 80,000 b/d of lower-value fuel oil to higher-value products, including 20,000 b/d of performance lubricant base stocks for specialty products and 50,000 b/d of distillates.

The firm has begun production of on-specification Group II base oils at its new facilities, which are integrated with the company's refining and petrochemical complex.


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17/11/25

German distillates demand rises after Ice gasoil expiry

German distillates demand rises after Ice gasoil expiry

Hamburg, 17 November (Argus) — German heating oil and diesel demand rose last week despite sharp price volatility as Ice gasoil futures shifted to a new front-month contract. Nationwide demand was subdued early in the week but picked up in many regions mid-week after the switch, with Ice gasoil futures for the new front month quoted about $60/t lower. German prices fell by around €1.40/100 litres for heating oil and nearly €1.20/100l for diesel. The futures now more accurately reflect physical supply conditions in northwest Europe, traders said. Independent diesel stocks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region hit an eight-month high last week. Concerns about possible shortages stemming from the latest sanctions on Russia had pushed prices higher the previous week. Spot volumes reported to Argus rose on the week by 5pc for heating oil and 7pc for diesel. Consumer concerns about further price increases prompted stockpiling, traders said. Colder weather expected in some regions is likely to boost demand further, although volatility deterred some buyers from additional purchases. Gasoline demand remained subdued, with term supply covering needs. Spot purchases reported to Argus fell by 27pc nationwide compared with the previous week. Fewer additional spot purchases were necessary than during the holiday season, filling station operators said. Meanwhile, diesel imports through north German ports so far this month are about 50pc below November last year at 70,000 b/d, all into Hamburg. India supplied 49pc, the Netherlands 39pc and 12pc arrived via Togo — the first deliveries from the west African ship-to-ship transfer hub in at least two years, Vortexa data show. Imports were 143,000 b/d in November last year, around a quarter of which came from the US. By Johannes Guhlke Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Ministers left with mountain of work at Cop 30


17/11/25
17/11/25

Cop: Ministers left with mountain of work at Cop 30

Belem, 17 November (Argus) — Ministers gathering for the second week of the UN Cop 30 climate summit are tasked with piecing together informal negotiations, including on a potential roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels, responses to the lack of ambition in new climate plans, and other topics on the official agenda. Ministers will have to wrap up talks held in informal presidency consultations on four key topics — unilateral trade measures, climate finance obligations, emissions reporting and responses to climate plans — even though it remains unclear how a potential deal might look. The Brazilian Cop 30 presidency released a note on 17 November highlighting where parties continue to disagree. Gaps remain on finance, with some countries eyeing a work programme, while developed countries reaffirm that their obligations towards developing countries are covered under the new $300bn/yr finance goal agreed last year in Baku . There are also five options on the response to climate plans. One is to have an "annual consideration" under official negotiations of the report weighing country targets and actions, while another is to have an unnamed roadmap to accelerate implementation, international co-operation and investment to be published before Cop 31. Some negotiating groups, including the alliance of small island states (Aosis) and the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) are supporting the creation of a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, while the "EU strongly welcomes the idea for a roadmap being discussed at Cop 30," energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said. Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the UK have also signalled support. But UK energy minister Ed Miliband pointed out the difficulty for some countries to move away from fossil fuels, including reliance on hydrocarbons for energy and jobs. Brazil and Colombia are also supporting the roadmap. But few other developing oil producers have spoken in favour of it, pointing to their dependence on hydrocarbons, the need for increased finance flows and a just transition. "It's acceptable that Nigeria is ready to transition, but transitioning now has to be consistent with a bunch of economic priorities," the director general of Nigeria's national council on climate change Omotenioye Majekodunmi said. Transitioning away from fossil fuels "must recognise the very strong differences in economic opportunities," she said. The Arab Group, which includes major oil producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE, wants to focus on the climate finance obligations of developed countries. The calls for a fossil fuel roadmap have yet to turn into something more tangible, according to the presidency. Brazilian environment minister Marina Silva said that she does not expect a decision on this at this Cop but welcomes the "beginning of the construction". Even if a roadmap fails to materialise in Belem, the pressure on fossil fuels is likely here to stay at climate summits. Official talks Ministers will also need to agree on official items this week, including adaptation, just transition and the UAE dialogue, which aims to advance the implementation of the global stocktake (GST). The GST agreed two years ago at Cop 28 in Dubai featured the call to transition away from fossil fuels and triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, which has since received some pushback. To help them, the Brazilian presidency asked countries to finish all technical works on the agenda items by 18 November. Cop 30 chief executive Ana Toni struck a positive note about negotiations at the end of the first week, saying several texts have already been approved, but conceded that a lot of work remained to be done. An informal text on the just transition work programme featured options with language on fossil fuels and the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, but the paragraphs face opposition. The text recognises the role of transitional fuels — largely natural gas — while transition minerals have been included within the scope of the programme. "To get, you must give, and being honest, we need to be giving more," UN climate body UNFCCC executive secretary Simon Stiell said. "The issues that may not be priorities for you are clearly issues and priorities for other nations," he added. By Lucas Parolin and Caroline Varin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: 'Tangible' transition from fossil fuels needed


15/11/25
15/11/25

Cop: 'Tangible' transition from fossil fuels needed

Belem, 15 November (Argus) — Kazakhstan's deputy minister of natural resources Mansur Oshurbayev today called for a "tangible, not rhetorical" transition away from fossil fuels at a panel during the UN Cop 30 climate summit in northern Brazil. Nigerian and Fijian representatives at the same panel noted the need for "real alternatives" for industry and workers, and for the finance to support a transition, respectively. The topic of moving away from fossil fuels has drawn attention at Cop 30, with host country Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva calling for a roadmap to overcome dependence on them . But talks on the topic are moving slowly. Cop 30 chief strategy and alignment officer Tulio Andrade said earlier this week that they are not on the formal negotiation table. Almost 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels at Cop 28 in 2023. Some developing nations such as Colombia are eager for a phase-out plan at Cop 30, but others, especially in the Middle East and Africa, are concerned that it might hinder their development, according to delegates. A growing number of countries are discussing an option similar to the so-called Baku to Belem roadmap , which sets out paths to scale climate finance for developing countries to $1.3 trillion/yr by 2035. A fossil fuel phase-out roadmap could look similar, a French delegation source said. Any reduction in fossil fuel production can only come "with real alternatives for firms, workers and regions", Oshurbayev said during the panel. "We must preserve and redeploy this human capital into activities that support the climate transition and do not directly compete with the coal and oil and [natural] gas operations", he added. The phase out of fossil fuels is a "difficult conversation", the director general of Nigeria's national council on climate change Omotenioye Majekodunmi said. Around 80pc of Nigeria's economy relies on fossil fuels and the country uses about 40GW of fossil-powered generators to generate electricity, he said. But there have been some strides at the national level, such as removing taxes on photovoltaic systems, solar panels and batteries, which will allow "small mom and pop shops and homes to adopt renewable energy options other than burning gasoline and diesel", he said. The country also removed long-standing fuel subsidies in 2023. The Netherlands' vice-minister of climate and energy Michel Heijdra called on countries to reduce fossil fuels subsidies earlier in the week during a Cop 30 high-level event. And fossil fuel subsidies throughout the world are mostly "underpriced, underused or unjust", the deputy chief of IMF's climate policy division Diego Mesa said. Nigeria is also considering creating an additional tax on oil products, Majekodunmi said, which would encourage the country to "reimagine alternative energy sources to drive its economy". The country will rely on natural gas as a "transition fuel" as it winds down over-dependence on fossil fuels, Majekodunmi said. Electrification can also help countries reduce fossil fuel usage, Oshurbayev said. Bold and joint action will be needed to mitigate the consequences of irreversible climate change, including to phase out fossil fuels, the permanent secretary of Fiji's environment and climate change ministry Sivendra Michael said. And any such action will require financing, he told Argus on the sidelines. Some countries, such as India and Saudi Arabia, are pressing for the climate finance obligations of developed countries to developing countries to be addressed at this summit. This is one of four contentious topics that did not make it onto the official agenda, but that countries are discussing in consultations overseen by the Cop presidency. "The ball is [in the] rich countries' court", Michael said. The technical phase of Cop 30 is now wrapping up, as countries' ministers are starting to arrive. The talks will shift into a political phase from 17 November. By Lucas Parolin and Rhys Talbot Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Unipar sees lower 3Q profit on sluggish petchem cycle


14/11/25
14/11/25

Unipar sees lower 3Q profit on sluggish petchem cycle

Sao Paulo, 14 November (Argus) — Brazilian company Unipar Carbocloro, South America's largest producer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), reported a net profit of R107mn ($20.2mn) in the third quarter of 2025, 9pc below the same period last year. The results were primarily driven by a downturn in the petrochemical cycle and a persistent imbalance between global supply and demand. Unipar's average plant utilization rate remained at 80pc in Brazil and reached 67pc in Argentina, both impacted by temporary reductions in operations due to weak demand at certain times during the quarter. Chief executive Rodrigo Cannaval noted mounting pressure on Brazil's domestic PVC market from imports, particularly from Colombia and Egypt, alongside weak demand in Argentina amid President Javier Milei's macroeconomic reforms. International caustic soda and PVC prices decreased 11pc and 5pc, respectively, compared to the second quarter, curtailing Unipar's adjusted recurring earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of R266mn, which also suffered negative effects from currency appreciation in Brazil, even though the company's cash flow is mostly tied to the US dollar. Annually, adjusted recurring EBITDA increased 14pc, from R233mn, mostly due to higher volumes of caustic soda and chlorinated products, offsetting 15pc lower sales of PVC. PVC accounted for 40pc of the company's revenue in the quarter, followed by caustic soda (39pc) and chlorinated products (21pc). Additionally, Unipar's Capex should be significantly smaller next year, Cannaval said during the company's third-quarter earnings conference call, given that the modernization of the Cubatao plant is nearing completion. It is the company's most relevant ongoing project, he said, and affected both gross and net debt in the quarter. The Cubatao plant has production capacity of 355,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr of chlorine and 400,000 t/yr of caustic soda. Unipar introduced new PVC pricing after Brazil increased antidumping duties on US imports to 43.7pc from 8.2pc. But Cannaval said PVC demand in Brazil continues to lag amid elevated interest rates. The petrochemical firm posted net revenue of R1.2bn, 8pc below the same quarter the previous year. Unipar's net debt hit R1.5bn, 275pc above R459mn reported a year ago. By Isabela Mendes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: 10 countries pledge to align transport with 1.5ºC


14/11/25
14/11/25

Cop: 10 countries pledge to align transport with 1.5ºC

Belem, 14 November (Argus) — A group of 10 countries led by Chile called for a global effort to cut energy demand from the transport sector by 25pc by 2035, aligning it with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The coalition was formed at the UN Cop 30 climate summit, which is underway in Belem, northern Brazil. Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain are the other signatory countries so far. "We are committed to making transport a key pillar of climate action, agreeing a shared framework for resilient and low emissions transport systems", Chile's transport minister Juan Carlos Munoz told journalists at Cop 30. Cutting energy demand from transport — the second-largest emitting sector — allows for "a clear measurable direction towards a net zero scenario in the transport sector in 2050", he added. Chile is a natural leader for the coalition as it is a global leader in efforts to electrify its public transport fleet. The country's capital Santiago is the city with most electric buses outside of China, Munoz said. It had around 3,000 electric buses in 2024, according to a report by Agora Verkehrswende, a non-governmental organisation focused on climate neutrality in transport. But it will have 4,400 by March, Munoz added. The coalition will now work to create a roadmap to reach the pledge's goal and measure progress for future Cops, according to Slocat, a global partnership that promotes sustainable, low-carbon transport. Sustainable fuels, renewable sources Although the pledge will heavily rely on electrification, it also calls on countries to shift one-third of energy powering transport to sustainable biofuels and renewable sources. Brazil is the second-biggest biofuel producer globally, trailing only behind the US. But it will consider any route that both decarbonizes its fleet and drives national industry, Brazilian minister of cities Jader Barbalho Filho told Argus , mentioning specifically liquid nitrogen and biomethane. Including existing and expected projects, Brazil could have 2.4mn m³/d of biomethane capacity by 2027, data from hydrocarbons regulator ANP show. The shift to sustainable biofuels and renewables sources plays well into Brazil's Belem 4x pledge , which calls for a global effort to quadruple global output and use of sustainable fuels by 2035, Filho added. "The Chilean government looked for us [to present the transport pledge] exactly because we already have [Belem 4x]", he said. The Belem 4x pledge now has 23 country signatories, Cop 30 chief executive Ana Toni said today. By Lucas Parolin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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