Argentina inflation eases to 32.6pc in March

Spanish Market: Agriculture, Oil products
14/04/26

Argentina's inflation continues stubbornly high, posting an annual rate of 32.6pc in March, although president Javier Milei's government maintains it will soon turn a corner.

The consumer price index (CPI) was down from the 33.1pc recorded the previous month, according to the statistics institute, Indec, but still running well above the government

forecast of 10.1pc for the year. It hit a cyclical low of 31.3pc in October 2025, falling from a high of an annual 292pc in April 2024 following a sharp devaluation of the peso currency in December 2023 that went hand in hand with shock fiscal reforms.

Economy and finance minister Luis Caputo said Tuesday that inflation had peaked in March and would start declining quickly. He told a business summit hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Buenos Aires that the coming 18 months would be the best in Argentina's modern history.

Annualized inflation was impacted by a 45.5pc increase in housing/utilities, 41pc in the hotels/restaurant category, 38.9pc in education, 36.6pc in communication and 36.2pc in transportation costs.

Consumer prices rose by 3.4pc in March from the prior month, the highest for a single month since one year ago, when it was 3.7pc. Education was up 12.1pc for the month, while transportation was up by 4.1pc, housing/utilities by 3.7pc and recreation/culture up by 3.6pc.

Inflation has been creeping up since falling to a monthly low of 1.5pc in May 2025.

-By Lucien Chauvin

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14/04/26

Europe replacing just 50pc of lost Mideast jet: IEA

London, 14 April (Argus) — Europe has replaced just over half of the jet fuel supply lost from the Middle East following the US-Iran war and the closure of the strait of Hormuz, leaving the region exposed to possible shortages in the coming months, the IEA said today in its latest Oil Market Report. Current supply trends indicate that jet fuel shortages could emerge at European airports by June. OECD Europe jet fuel inventories typically decline from 37-38 days of forward demand at the start of the year to around 30 days by mid-year, the IEA said. Since 2020, stocks have not averaged below 29 days of cover. The IEA assumes that around 20pc of jet fuel inventories act as an operational cushion that cannot be readily drawn down without disrupting supply systems. On that basis, physical shortages could emerge if inventory cover falls to below 23 days, it said. Airports association ACI Europe warned the European Commission last week that fuel shortages could become a reality within just three weeks. Some European countries hold as little as 20 days of jet fuel inventory, it said. Both ACI Europe and the IEA cautioned that shortages could lead to flight cancellations and demand destruction. The Mideast Gulf typically accounts for a net 75pc of Europe's jet fuel imports. Europe has increased purchases from the US to help offset the loss of Middle Eastern supply. US jet fuel exports reached a record 442,000 b/d in the week to 3 April, according to the US EIA. Three jet fuel cargoes from Nigeria's 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery are also currently en route to Europe, according to Kpler data. But these additional volumes account for just over 50pc of lost Middle Eastern supply at most. "European markets will need to work harder to attract further replacement cargoes from elsewhere if sufficient inventory is to be maintained over the summer months," the IEA said. If Europe replaces around 75pc of lost supply, it should be able to meet peak summer jet fuel demand, although inventories would still fall below the 23-day cover threshold by August, the agency said. Even replacing 90pc of lost volumes would leave the market tightly supplied, with stocks ending 2026 at just 26 days of cover. The UK is the European country most exposed to the disruption , importing around 65pc of its jet fuel demand, according to the IEA. No further jet fuel cargoes heading for Europe have passed through the strait of Hormuz, which normally accounts for around 40pc of the region's jet fuel imports. The final such cargoes discharged last week. Even if the strait were to reopen immediately, crude and product exports would take several months to stabilise , the IEA said. Jet fuel shipments from the US to Europe totalled 366,000t in March, according to Kpler. Imports from the US are set to exceed 450,000t in April — almost double the previous monthly record — based on preliminary data. Independent jet fuel stocks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub fell to a three-year low of 646,000t as of 8 April, down 28pc from a year earlier, according to consultancy Insights Global. The IEA expects global jet fuel output to fall by around 500,000 b/d in the second quarter, as Middle Eastern supply losses combine with refinery run cuts elsewhere caused by tighter crude availability. By Amaar Khan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

BP to simplify organisational structure

14/04/26

BP to simplify organisational structure

London, 14 April (Argus) — BP plans to reorganise into a simplified structure with two distinct upstream and downstream segments, the company confirmed today. "In service of becoming a simpler, stronger, more valuable BP, we intend to build an organisation with a clear upstream and downstream," chief executive Meg O'Neill said in a statement to employees. She added she is "committed to providing clear direction and consistency so we can move forward together with confidence". The move follows comments made in late March by BP chairman Albert Manifold, who said the company wants to shift towards simpler, more standardised and more comparable reporting. BP currently reports results across four segments: Gas & Low Carbon Energy; Oil Production & Operations; Customers & Products; and Other Businesses & Corporate. The reorganisation comes as management changes loom at the company's downstream business. BP's Customers & Products head Emma Delaney was nominated last week as the next chief executive of Austrian oil company OMV. Earlier today BP flagged an "exceptional" oil trading performance in the first quarter. But the company said price lags of up to two months meant it failed to capture the full benefit of higher oil and gas prices during the period. BP will publish its first-quarter results on 28 April. By Jon Mainwaring Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Экспорт нефтепродуктов - BSP: Кулевский НПЗ готов к расширению

14/04/26

Экспорт нефтепродуктов - BSP: Кулевский НПЗ готов к расширению

Moscow, 14 April (Argus) — Black Sea Petroleum (BSP) — частная компания, созданная в 2022 г. для реализации проекта строительства и эксплуатации НПЗ в Кулеви — первого нефтеперерабатывающего предприятия в Грузии. Завод начал переработку сырья осенью 2025 г. и в ближайшие два года планирует значительно расширить номенклатуру и объемы производимой продукции. О текущей работе и дальнейших планах развития НПЗ Black Sea Petroleum Argus рассказал представитель компании — совладелец и генеральный директор Давид Поцхвериа. — Какова мощность завода в настоящее время? Какие нефтепродукты вы выпускаете? — Как вы знаете, завод начал переработку сырья осенью 2025 г. Номинальная мощность предприятия на данный момент составляет 1,2 млн т/год, при этом реальная загрузка может быть и выше — до 1,5 млн т/год в зависимости от типа нефти. Среди выпускаемых продуктов — газойль, нафта и мазут. Конкретные параметры по качеству могут варьироваться в зависимости от сырья, поступающего на завод. — Какое сырье завод перерабатывает? — С начала эксплуатации завода мы использовали разные источники сырья — поставки шли по железной дороге из Азербайджана и морским транспортом из Новороссийска. Мы, как и представители таможенных органов Грузии, очень внимательно относимся к происхождению сырья и его соответствию всем нормам строгого внутреннего комплаенса. Так как мы глобальный игрок, и у нас глобальные планы, прозрачность при закупках и продажах для нас играет принципиальную роль. Для обеспечения соответствия международным требованиям BSP использует систему KYC-скрининга World-Check от LSEG, сотрудничает с британскими и швейцарскими юридическими компаниями для получения юридического заключения и поддерживает постоянный диалог с государственными институтами Грузии. Мы двигаемся в направлении диверсификации сырья. Мы работаем над увеличением переработки сырья из Туркменистана, Казахстана и Азербайджана. Надеемся, что уже с апреля — мая доля поставок из этих стран на предприятие вырастет. Для НПЗ вопрос поставок нефти по железной дороге имеет и важное коммерческое значение, поскольку такие закупки для нас даже интереснее с точки зрения логистики, чем поставки по морю. Таким образом, с экономической точки зрения наша цель — максимально увеличить объемы поставок сырья с других направлений. Кроме того, не стоит забывать, что вопрос сырья важен в контексте возможности поставок нефтепродуктов на премиальный рынок Европы. — Рассматриваете ли вы возможность использования темных нефтепродуктов в качестве сырья для завода? — Безусловно, мы рассматриваем все потенциальные варианты с целью обеспечения НПЗ и будем делать это всегда, исходя из дальнейших темпов развития предприятия. Мы намерены считать экономику по каждому виду сырья. — Какие планы у предприятия по запуску новых установок в 2026 г.? Как может увеличиться загрузка завода в связи с этими запусками? — Как мы уже отметили, сейчас у нас работает первая установка первичной переработки нефтяного сырья. Общий объем инвестиций составил $150 млн, включая не только технологические установки первого этапа, но и инженерные коммуникации, инфраструктуру и общезаводские объекты. Данные инвестиции позволяют значительно сократить сроки введения в эксплуатацию технологических блоков последующих этапов проекта. В марте мы начали строительство второй установки первичной переработки номинальной мощностью 3,3 млн т/год и установки Merox для производства авиакеросина, спрос на который особенно высок — как в нашем регионе, так и в Европе. Запуск планируется в начале 2028 г. Кроме того, в рамках дальнейшего развития проекта начато расширение резервуарного парка с увеличением суммарной емкости хранения на дополнительные 120 000 м3 (общая емкость — 170 000 м3). Таким образом, в начале 2028 г. мы сможем достичь номинальной мощности переработки 4,5 млн т/год с потенциалом роста загрузки вплоть до 5 млн т/год. В первой половине 2027 г. мы планируем запустить вакуумный блок на уже рабочую мощность с битумной установкой. Соответственно, в первой половине 2027 г. мы сможем выйти на выпуск новых продуктов — вакуумного газойля и битума. — Когда завод перейдет на выпуск продуктов стандарта Евро-5? Куда может поставляться эта продукция? — Мы планируем выйти на стандарт Евро-5 по бензину и дизтопливу к концу 2028 г. Активно работаем в этом направлении с нашим техническим партнером, Honeywell UOP, подписаны первые контракты для проектирования установок вторичной переработки, необходимых для выпуска моторного топлива высших стандартов, в частности — по установке изомеризации, риформинга и гидроочистки. Важно отметить, что в утвержденном генеральном плане развития завода предусмотрено строительство новых установок с выходом на рост производства, поэтому с точки зрения инфраструктуры и коммуникаций все подготовлено к будущему расширению. Для нас приоритет — реализация нефтепродуктов на внутреннем рынке Грузии. Поэтому после того как мы начнем производить бензин и дизтопливо пятого класса, мы будем стремиться в первую очередь поставлять продукцию на внутренний рынок. Если будут возможности, мы также планируем наладить экспорт в соседние страны, но по остаточному принципу, исходя из приоритета отгрузок в адрес грузинских покупателей. — Как устроена текущая логистика предприятия? — У нас долгосрочный и надежный контракт с терминалом Socar в Кулеви, через который поступает сырье и вывозятся наши нефтепродукты. Сотрудничество учитывает планируемое расширение производственных мощностей предприятия в ближайшем будущем. На Кулевском терминале, принадлежащем Socar, BSP оперирует 10 резервуарами для хранения нефти и нефтепродуктов. — Планирует ли завод заключать долгосрочные контракты с трейдерами, или пока в приоритете спотовая торговля нефтепродуктами? — В настоящее время мы покупаем и реализуем сырье и нефтепродукты на терминале в Кулеви в рамках внутренних закрытых тендеров по каждому отдельному грузу. Мы взаимодействуем со всеми крупными торговыми компаниями, которые работают в нашем регионе. При этом возможности нашей команды позволяют нам оставаться гибкими. Мы готовы рассматривать и иные формы и формулы продаж, исходя из их рентабельности. Однако опыт показывает, что именно спотовая торговля на данном этапе позволяет достичь максимальной прибыльности. Вы можете присылать комментарии по адресу или запросить дополнительную информацию feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Группа Argus Media . Все права защищены.

Q&A: Hormuz tensions put spotlight on marine insurance

14/04/26

Q&A: Hormuz tensions put spotlight on marine insurance

Singapore, 14 April (Argus) — As tensions in the Middle East disrupt global shipping routes, insurance has become a critical factor for vessel operators and cargo owners. George Grishin, chairman of UK-registered Lloyd's insurance broker Oakeshott Insurance Group, spoke with Argus on 13 April about how the shipping industry is responding to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, the insurance options currently available, and the potential long-term implications that the US-Iran war could have for relations between shipowners and insurers. How has the insurance market reacted to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire? The announcement briefly encouraged insurers to return to the market, particularly for quoting war risk cover for vessels transiting high-risk areas, such as the strait of Hormuz. War risk premiums are extremely sensitive to geopolitical developments, and rates can change daily. A ceasefire needs to be stable and verifiable before insurers are willing to reduce prices or expand capacity. What is really happening is that insurers are reassessing risk in real time, and in some cases, they simply cannot accept it. There were reports that insurers withdrew cover entirely during the escalation. Is that accurate? Not exactly. Much of this confusion comes from a misunderstanding of different types of marine insurance. Physical damage to vessels and cargo is covered by hull and machinery (H&M) or war risks insurance. Protection and indemnity insurers (P&I) cover a shipowner's third-party liabilities, not damage to the ship itself. Typical P&I cover includes third-party liabilities, such as crew injury or pollution, for example. War risk insurance for physical damage has remained available in many cases, but often at a higher cost and with tighter conditions. How does war risk insurance work when a region is classified as high-risk? Once an area is listed by the Joint War Committee (JWC), war risk cover for calls in that area is automatically excluded. Shipowners or cargo owners then have to buy additional cover for specific voyages or periods, typically priced as a percentage of the vessel or cargo value and valid for just seven days. This applies to ports as well as sea passages. The most recent expansion of the listed areas prior to the current escalation took place in December 2023, when Guyana was added. The list was subsequently updated on 3 March 2026, with the inclusion of several countries that had not appeared on it for many years — Bahrain, Djibouti, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. At the same time, the geographical scope was widened to cover parts of the Persian/Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, parts of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea. What kind of costs are shipowners facing today? Additional war risks premium (AWRP) levels for tankers and bulk carriers stood at around 1pc on 13 April with a 35–50pc no claim bonus (NCB) applied to vessels remaining in the Mideast Gulf. NCB is a discount given by insurers if no claim is made during the period of cover. AWRPs for H&M in the Gulf of Oman and in the Bab el-Mandeb strait were reported at around 0.5pc and 0.75pc, respectively. Passage through the strait of Hormuz is considerably more complex. At one point during the ceasefire discussions, insurers quoted around 3pc of value for a single passage for a seven-day period on 10 April, but those quotes were quickly withdrawn. Why is the strait of Hormuz particularly difficult to insure? The probability of an incident is simply too high, especially for vessels carrying oil or gas. Insurers have to price risk based on probability, and in some scenarios the likelihood of a vessel being hit could be extremely high. Charging higher premiums of, for example, 25–50pc of vessel value would theoretically reflect that risk, but such rates are commercially unviable, no shipowner could afford them. In those cases, insurers may refuse to quote altogether. Are all vessels treated the same from an insurance perspective? No. Flag, ownership, and cargo type matter enormously. Indian- and Chinese-flagged vessels have faced fewer restrictions in recent weeks, and container ships and bulk carriers are generally seen as lower-risk than tankers. Insurers also scrutinise ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO) and compliance very carefully before offering cover. Why do some owners still insure vessels that are stuck in port? This is where the London Blocking and Trapping Addendum becomes important. It extends war risk cover to situations where a vessel is unable to leave a port or waterway for a continuous agreed period, typically six or 12 months, due to war-related closure. If that period is exceeded, the vessel can be treated as a total loss, even without physical damage. Does blocking and trapping insurance require a separate policy? No. It is an extension of existing war risk cover. It costs more, but it protects against long-term immobilisation rather than just physical damage. This type of cover proved crucial for vessels trapped, for example, in Ukrainian ports in 2022–23, where some owners eventually received full compensation for their ships. Could recent events change the relationship between shipowners and insurers? Yes. Trust has been strained, particularly when owners see insurance becoming unavailable just when they need it most. But insurers face their own constraints — they cannot price risk at levels that are mathematically accurate but commercially impossible. The long-term challenge will be finding a sustainable balance between affordability and realistic risk pricing in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment. What needs to happen for insurance conditions to improve? Time and clarity. Insurers need a longer observation period to assess whether a ceasefire is genuinely holding. Only then will premiums stabilise and capacity return. Until that happens, insurance will remain costly, selective, and highly conditional. By Anna Cherkizova Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

IEA warns Hormuz oil export recovery will take months

14/04/26

IEA warns Hormuz oil export recovery will take months

London, 14 April (Argus) — Oil exports through the strait of Hormuz are likely to take around two months to stabilise once the waterway reopens, the IEA estimates. Disruptions to shipments through the strait due to the US-Iran war have forced producers in the Mideast Gulf to shut in part of their output because of limited alternative export routes. The IEA estimates that the shut-ins cut global oil supply by 10.1mn b/d in March and forecasts a further 2.9mn b/d decline in April. A sustained recovery in production depends on restoring exports through Hormuz. Laden tankers would first need to exit the Gulf, after which empty vessels inside the waterway would load cargoes and draw down stocks, the IEA said. "It will be impossible to start upstream production or refining unless there is a foreseeable loading programme with adequate available storage at ports," the IEA said. Tanker availability could slow that process. Around 390 vessels, including 210 laden tankers, were trapped in the strait when the conflict began on 28 February, the IEA said. Since then, a net 49 tankers have exited. Many ballast tankers waiting outside Hormuz have since moved to other markets, meaning it could take longer for ships to return to pick up the first cargoes once exports resume, the agency added. Iraq may face particular difficulties in restarting exports quickly because of limited storage capacity at its ports. Upstream constraints could further delay a production recovery. Half of Mideast Gulf oil fields have "sufficient reservoir pressure and fluid characteristics" to return to pre-war output within about two weeks once exports resume, rising to 80pc after roughly one month, the IEA said. The remaining 20pc may prove harder to restart because of issues such as "pressure depletion or flow impairment from wax or asphaltene deposition". Many of these more complex fields are in Iraq and Kuwait, the agency said, adding that some lost pre-war production may not return. "Some fields may require specialised oil field services, including workovers, coiled-tubing units, chemical treatments or perforation," the IEA said. Fields relying on secondary or enhanced oil recovery could face longer restart times because they depend on uninterrupted supplies of gas, power, steam and chemicals, the agency added. By Aydin Calik Opec+ crude production declines 'mn b/d Mar Feb Mar vs Feb Saudi Arabia 7.25 10.40 -3.15 Iraq 1.57 4.57 -3.00 Kuwait 1.19 2.54 -1.35 UAE 2.37 3.64 -1.27 Bahrain 0.04 0.18 -0.14 Iran 3.63 3.69 -0.06 source: IEA Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Argentina inflation eases to 32.6pc in March

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