Keppel Corporation's offshore and marine unit has reached a global resolution with criminal authorities in the United States, Brazil and Singapore in relation to corrupt payments made by a former agent in Brazil. The resolution, involving three jurisdictions across the world, is unprecedented for a Singapore company.
The giant Libra field in Brazil’s pre-salt zone has started producing oil, French Total said on Monday without providing details about the production rate at the field.
Brazil's low-cost oil will help Petrobras compete in a tough market as it seeks to turn around its business, Pedro Parente, CEO of the state-owned oil giant anticipated. Oil majors such as Exxon, Mobil, BO, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Statoil have been snapping up blocks in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil that hold crude under thousands of meters of salt.
Brazil’s Petrobras on Tuesday revealed plans to sell its stake in an African oil exploration venture as part of a wider divestment plan. The state managed oil company is looking to sell its 50% stake in Petrobras Oil & Gas BV, or Petrobras Africa.
Argentina's state-controlled energy company YPF has unveiled a US$ 30bn five-year investment plan to boost oil production and sharpen its focus on electric power generation. Some US$21.5bn will come from YPF's own coffers, with the remainder to be sourced from its project partners, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
Brazil's federal audit court ordered a freeze of former President Dilma Rousseff's assets as well as those of José Sérgio Gabrielli, ex-head of state-run oil company Petrobras, over a US$580 million loss in the 2006 purchase of a Texas refinery.
A senior official in Brazil said there are no current plans to privatize the national oil company to deal with its massive debt, according to a new report by Reuters. Fernando Coelho Filho, the minister of mines and energy, had suggested that Petrobras could face such a sale in the future, but did not provide a concrete timeline.
Petrobras raised US$2 billion from the sale of seven- and 10-year securities, replacing more expensive shorter-dated bonds as it seeks to trim a debt burden that is the largest among major oil firms. Petrobras sold US$1 billion each worth of senior unsecured bonds due in 2025 and 2028, respectively. Market experts said Petrobras sold the January 2025 bond at a yield of 5.3%, and the January 2028 bond at 6%.
Brazil's Petrobras has reduced prices for the gasoline it sells in Brazil to below parity with the fuel imported from the United States, reducing profit margins to regain market share. The company has sharply reduced the price gap between the value of gasoline sold at its refineries and the spot price in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico since early July, when it announced changes to its pricing to adopt almost daily adjustments, according to fuel market experts.
Petrobras announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to exploit energy resources in Brazil and abroad. In the statement, Petrobras said that the deal will allow the two state oil companies to benefit from each other's capacity and experience in oil and gas production.