Oil prices rise on fears Suez Canal blockage may last weeks

London

OIL prices rose more than 3 per cent on Friday, rebounding on concerns it could take weeks to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal, which would squeeze supplies of crude and refined products.

Prices, however, were still headed for a third consecutive weekly loss, with the outlook for demand dented by fresh coronavirus lockdowns in Europe.

Brent crude was up US$2.12, or 3.4 per cent, to US$64.07 a barrel at 1338 GMT, after dropping 3.8 per cent on Thursday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up US$2.16, or 3.7 per cent, at US$60.72 a barrel, having tumbled 4.3 per cent a day earlier.

Both benchmarks were on track for weekly losses, following a more than 6 per cent decline last week.

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said on Friday operations to free the stranded container ship would resume after completing dredging operations, which are 87 per cent complete.

The salvage company said on Thursday dislodging the ship could take weeks.

Of the 39.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of total seaborne crude in 2020, 1.74 million bpd went through the Suez Canal, according to tanker tracking firm Kpler. Additionally, 1.54 million bpd of refined oil products flow through the canal, about 9 per cent of global seaborne oil product trade, Kpler said.

Reeling from the blockage in the Suez Canal, shipping rates for oil product tankers have nearly doubled this week, and several vessels were diverted.

"The last days feel like oil investors are on a roller coaster," said Giovanni Staunovo, commodity analyst at UBS Group AG. "Drops are followed by a rise the day after, with fundamental news not being able to explain those shifts."

The oil markets were also lifted by worries over escalating geopolitical risk in the Middle East. Yemen's Houthi forces on Friday said that they launched attacks on facilities owned by Saudi Aramco.

Expectations that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its allies will likely maintain their lower production also supported prices.

Acting a week ahead of the Opec+ meeting, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has deepened crude oil supply cuts to Asian customers in June to 10-15 per cent from 5-15 per cent in May, several sources said.

"The turbulence of oil prices is making trading unpredictable," said Paola Rodriguez Masiu, vice-president of Oil Markets at Rystad Energy.

"Market participants are at a crossroad, trying to pick what's more significant, bullish transport disruptions or bearish European lockdowns." REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

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