Ukraine has announced an international tender for the purchase of a modern multifunctional vessel for Danube ports, which will perform environmental, emergency rescue, and technical tasks.
According to a statement by the State Enterprise “Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority” (USPA), the vessel will be designed to operate in the ports of Izmail, Reni, and Ust-Dunaysk, which are currently key logistics hubs in the south of the country.
According to the technical specifications, the new vessel will be able to collect oil products and debris from the water surface, extinguish fires on ships and port facilities, and perform tugboat and mooring functions, assisting large ships in maneuvering.
The project is being implemented as part of the RELINC (Restoration of Essential Logistics Infrastructure and Network Connectivity) program with the support of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
Experts note that the new vessel will not only strengthen the port infrastructure, but will also be an important element of the environmental safety of the entire Danube.
Danube ports currently handle more than 40% of all Ukrainian agricultural exports and play a key role in international logistics, especially after the blockade of Black Sea routes.
The Danube is approximately 2,850 km long, the second longest river in Europe after the Volga.
The river basin flows through 10 countries — Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine — and flows into the Black Sea through the Danube Delta, part of which is located in the Odesa region.
According to estimates by the European Commission and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), the level of pollution in the river remains moderate, but there is an accumulation of heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics, especially in the tributaries.
The main sources of pollution are industrial discharges, agrochemicals, household waste, and shipping.
Oil prices rose moderately on Monday morning after last week’s gains.
The price of November Brent futures on the London ICE Futures exchange rose by $0.36 (0.54%) to $67.35 per barrel at 8:18 a.m. Last Friday, the contract rose by $0.62 (0.93%) to $66.99 per barrel.
WTI crude oil futures for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) electronic trading platform rose by $0.36 (0.57%) to $63.05 per barrel. At the end of the previous session, the value of these contracts increased by $0.32 (0.51%) to $62.69 per barrel.
Both brands rose in price by more than 1% over the past week.
Market participants are following news of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, including large refineries and export terminals.
“Attacks on Russian energy infrastructure could reduce exports of Russian oil and refined products,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
IG analyst Tony Sicamore noted that if Ukraine continues to attack Russian export infrastructure, global oil price forecasts will be revised upward.
Meanwhile, data from oilfield services company Baker Hughes showed that the number of active oil rigs in the US increased by two last week to 417. The number of gas rigs remained unchanged at 118.
Oil prices continued to rise on Tuesday morning on fears of a reduction in global supplies in the event of new sanctions against Russia.
The price of November Brent futures on the London ICE Futures exchange rose by $0.48 (0.73%) to $66.5 per barrel as of 8:16 a.m. On Monday, the contract rose by $0.52 (0.79%) to $66.02 per barrel.
WTI crude oil futures for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) rose by $0.44 (0.71%) to $62.7 per barrel. At the end of the previous session, the value of these contracts increased by $0.39 (0.63%) to $62.26 per barrel.
US President Donald Trump said last weekend that he was ready to introduce a second phase of restrictive measures against Russia. Meanwhile, the European Union is discussing a 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which will affect a number of banks and energy companies, Bloomberg writes, citing sources. According to them, some of the measures may be agreed with the US for the first time since Trump became president.
Meanwhile, ministers from eight OPEC+ countries participating in voluntary oil production cuts agreed last weekend to increase production in October by 137,000 bpd. This will be the first step in a partial return to the market of voluntary restrictions of 1.65 million bpd, which were to remain in effect until the end of 2026.
“The market priced in the production increase last week and is now watching to see if global fuel inventories start to rise, which could mean a reduction in spare production capacity in the future,” said Rebecca Babin of CIBC Private Wealth Group. “Such a rally, driven by a sense of relief, may briefly slow down the bearish trend, but only for a few days.”
Oil prices are rising on Monday morning as traders assess OPEC+’s decision and Washington’s new statements on sanctions against Russia amid Russia’s continued full-scale military aggression against Ukraine.
The price of November Brent futures on the London ICE Futures exchange rose by $0.83 (1.27%) to $66.33 per barrel as of 7:15 a.m. On Friday, the contract fell by $1.49 (2.22%) to $65.50 per barrel.
WTI crude oil futures for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) rose by $0.77 (1.24%) to $62.64 per barrel. At the end of the previous session, the price of these contracts fell by $1.61 (2.54%) to $61.87 per barrel.
Over the past week, Brent and WTI futures fell in price by more than 3% on fears of an oversupply in the market if OPEC+ countries increase production.
Ministers from eight OPEC+ countries participating in voluntary oil production cuts approved an increase in production by 137,000 bpd in October at a meeting on September 7. The decision was made in view of the stable outlook for the global economy and favorable market conditions, reflected in low oil inventories, according to a statement from the alliance.
This will be the first tranche of a partial return to the market of voluntary restrictions of 1.65 million bpd, which were to remain in effect until the end of 2026. Now, the plan is to get rid of them by August.
Meanwhile, the production increase agreed upon over the weekend turned out to be less significant than previous ones.
“The moderate increase in OPEC+ production has brought relief to the market,” wrote Fujitomi Securities analyst Toshitaka Tazawa, adding that the increase in production had already been factored into prices, and now there is a technical rebound.
“Expectations of a supply reduction due to possible new US sanctions against Russia are also providing support,” the expert noted.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was ready to impose a second phase of restrictive measures against Russia. Trump considers the additional tariffs imposed on India to be the first phase of anti-Russian measures. Washington justified these measures by saying that Delhi buys oil from Russia.
Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR has begun developing an oil field in Uzbekistan. This was announced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 22 at a trilateral meeting with the President of Uzbekistan and the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan in Turkmenbashi.
“We have traditional energy cooperation with Turkmenistan. We have already entered this field with Uzbekistan. Our state oil company SOCAR has already begun developing an oil field in Uzbekistan, and the contract has already been signed,“ Aliyev said.
According to him, Azerbaijan expects to receive ”good news” about the results of the work within the next year or two. “We are all eagerly awaiting news about the discovery of a large oil field in Uzbekistan,” he said.
On July 24, Uzbekistan and the Azerbaijani state-owned company SOCAR signed a production sharing agreement (PSA) for the Ustyurt Plateau.
Investments in the project are estimated at $2 billion. Over the next five years, SOCAR, which is the project operator, will conduct 3D seismic surveys covering an area of at least 1,000 square kilometers and drill at least one exploration well. If a commercial field is discovered, the parties will proceed with its development. Reserves are estimated at up to 100 million tons of oil and 35 billion cubic meters of gas.
China increased oil production by 1.3% in January-July compared to the same period last year, to 126.6 million tons, according to the State Statistical Office.
In July alone, production rose by 1.2% to 18.12 million tons.
Oil refining for the seven months totaled 424.68 million tons, up 2.6% from the same period in 2024. In July alone, it rose 8.9% to 63.06 million tons.
Natural gas production in the country in January-July increased by 6% and reached 152.5 billion cubic meters, according to the GSU report. Last month, production rose by 7.4% to 21.6 billion cubic meters.
