Oil Price Dips as Dollar Strengthens, Demand Weakens

Storage tanks are seen at Marathon Petroleum's Los Angeles Refinery, which processes domestic & imported crude oil into California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline, CARB diesel fuel, and other petroleum products, in Carson, California, US, March 11, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo
Storage tanks are seen at Marathon Petroleum's Los Angeles Refinery, which processes domestic & imported crude oil into California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline, CARB diesel fuel, and other petroleum products, in Carson, California, US, March 11, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo
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Oil Price Dips as Dollar Strengthens, Demand Weakens

Storage tanks are seen at Marathon Petroleum's Los Angeles Refinery, which processes domestic & imported crude oil into California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline, CARB diesel fuel, and other petroleum products, in Carson, California, US, March 11, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo
Storage tanks are seen at Marathon Petroleum's Los Angeles Refinery, which processes domestic & imported crude oil into California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline, CARB diesel fuel, and other petroleum products, in Carson, California, US, March 11, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo

Oil prices retreated slightly on Thursday after gaining more than $3 in the prior session, with a strong dollar capping oil demand from buyers using other currencies and concerns over the faltering economic outlook clouding market sentiment.

Brent crude futures fell 41 cents, or 0.5%, to $88.91 per barrel by 0337 GMT while US crude futures dropped by 35 cents, or 0.4%, to $81.80.

Both benchmarks had rebounded in the prior two sessions after reaching nine-month lows this week after a temporary dive in the dollar index and a larger-than-expected drawdown of US fuel inventory raised hopes of a consumer demand recovery.

However, the dollar index trended upward again on Thursday, dampening investor risk appetite and stoking fears of a global recession.

The Bank of England said it is committed to buying as many long-dated government bonds, know as gilts, as needed between Wednesday and Oct. 14 to stabilize its currency after the British government's budgetary plans announced last week caused the sterling to tumble.

Goldman Sachs cut its 2023 oil price forecast on Tuesday, citing expectations of weaker demand and a stronger US dollar, but said global supply disappointments reinforced its long-term bullish outlook.

In China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, travel during the week-long national holiday is set to hit the lowest level in years as Beijing's persistent zero-COVID rules prompt people to stay at home and economic woes dampen spending.

Citi economists have lowered their China GDP forecast from 5% year-on-year growth to 4.6% for the fourth quarter of 2022, Reuters reported.

"Stringent zero-COVID measures and a weak property sector continue to cloud growth prospects," Citi analysts wrote in a note on Wednesday.

On the other side of the world, the European Union proposed a new round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including tighter trade restrictions, more individual blacklistings and an oil price cap for third countries.

But the bloc's 27 member countries will need to overcome their own differences to implement them.



Russia’s First Ice-Class LNG Carrier Enters Sea Trials, Data Shows

A concrete gravity-based structure (GBS) of Arctic LNG 2 joint venture is seen under construction in a dry dock of the LNG Construction center near the settlement of Belokamenka, Murmansk region, Russia July 26, 2022. (Reuters)
A concrete gravity-based structure (GBS) of Arctic LNG 2 joint venture is seen under construction in a dry dock of the LNG Construction center near the settlement of Belokamenka, Murmansk region, Russia July 26, 2022. (Reuters)
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Russia’s First Ice-Class LNG Carrier Enters Sea Trials, Data Shows

A concrete gravity-based structure (GBS) of Arctic LNG 2 joint venture is seen under construction in a dry dock of the LNG Construction center near the settlement of Belokamenka, Murmansk region, Russia July 26, 2022. (Reuters)
A concrete gravity-based structure (GBS) of Arctic LNG 2 joint venture is seen under construction in a dry dock of the LNG Construction center near the settlement of Belokamenka, Murmansk region, Russia July 26, 2022. (Reuters)

The first Russian-built ice-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier has entered sea trials, LSEG data showed on Friday, as part of Russia's efforts to raise global LNG market share despite US sanctions.

The tanker, named Alexey Kosygin after a Soviet statesman, was built at the Zvezda shipyard and is due to join the fleet of vessels for Russia's new Arctic LNG 2 plant, which has been delayed because of the US sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.

The US Treasury has also placed sanctions on the new vessel, which Russia's leading tanker group Sovcomflot ordered to be built at Zvezda, Russia's most advanced shipbuilding yard. LSEG ship-tracking data shows it is anchored near the Pacific port of Vladivostok.

Sovcomflot has not replied to a request for comment.

Novatek, which owns 60% of Arctic LNG 2, has said 15 Arc7 ice-class tankers that are able to cut through two meter (6.5 ft) thick ice to transport LNG from Arctic projects, will be built at Zvezda shipyard.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Novatek shut down commercial operations at the first and only operational train of its Arctic LNG 2 project in October with no plans to restart it during winter.

Ice-class tankers usually have double hulls - strengthened structures to withstand the pressure of ice - and reinforced propellers.

So far, only three suitable gas tankers have been built for Arctic LNG 2, according to public information: the Alexey Kosygin, Pyotr Stolypin and Sergei Witte vessels.

Six more Arc7 tankers were due to be built by Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, including three for Sovcomflot and three for Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.

However, the three tankers ordered by Sovcomflot were cancelled due to the sanctions against Russia, Hanwha said last year in regulatory filings.