Castrol and China look to the Gulf of Mexico for product expansion, a trans-European pipeline deal nears completion, Libya expands oil operations in Ethiopia and a plea for Iraq's oil industry.
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Image:The Gulf of Mexico continues to attract plenty of offshore opportunities. Castrol announced it will be increasing its high performance products to meet demands from a burgeoning offshore industry around the Gulf. The BP-owned company upgraded its Texas operations to meet the demand for its specialist products such as subsea control and storage fluids. Customers include W&T Offshore, Petrobras, Pride International and BP themselves.
Meanwhile there are rumours of a possible purchase of leases in the Gulf of Mexico by a Chinese company. The un-named company has been linked with the Norwegian firm StatoilHydro - who are also remaining shy about commenting on the rumour - with the possible purchase of around 20 of the company's 451 Gulf leases. More important than the leases themselves is the importance of China's first foray into American waters.
Plans to develop Turkey into a global energy 'corridor' took a further step forward with the signature of an agreement between Italy, Russia and Turkey to build a pipeline between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The project will carry Russian and Kazakh crude oil from Samsun to the port of Ceyhan.
In Africa, Oil Libya is looking to expand its Ethiopian operations after importing more than 16,700 tones of vehicle and industrial lubricants into the country. It would appear that Oil Libya is set on becoming Ethiopia's largest petroleum business, having taken over from Shell.
And finally there was an impassioned plea on behalf of the Iraqi oil industry from the former head of Energy Studies Department at the Opec Secretariat in Vienna and former president of Iraqi refineries. Saadallah Al Fathi, writing for Gulfnews.com, describes the long history of oil in Iraq before going on to discuss the current state of the country's refineries and the neglect they have fallen into. His plea is for a thorough overhaul and modernisation of the oil plants, a review of domestic prices and a restriction on oil imports.