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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TobagoJack who wrote (188769)	6/13/2022 7:32:40 PM
From: TobagoJack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 217755

War is costing bloomberg.com US Quietly Urges Russia Fertilizer Deals to Unlock Grain Trade US seeks to boost supplies amid sanctions, global food crisis Kremlin has made export relief a condition in grain talks Jennifer Jacobs14 June 2022, 00:18 GMT+8 The US government is quietly encouraging agricultural and shipping companies to buy and carry more Russian fertilizer, according to people familiar with the efforts, as sanctions fears have led to a sharp drop in supplies, fueling spiraling global food costs. The effort is part of complex and difficult negotiations underway involving the United Nations to boost deliveries of fertilizer, grain and other farm products from Russia and Ukraine that have been disrupted by President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his southern neighbor. US and European officials have accused the Kremlin of using food as a weapon, preventing Ukraine from exporting. Russia denies that even as it has attacked key ports, blaming the shipment disruptions on sanctions imposed by the US and its allies over the invasion. The EU and the US have built exemptions into their restrictions on doing business with Russia to allow trade in fertilizer, of which Moscow is a key global supplier. But many shippers, banks and insurers have been staying away from the trade out of fear they could inadvertently fall afoul of the rules. Russian fertilizer exports are down 24% this year. US officials, surprised by the extent of the caution, are in the seemingly paradoxical position of looking for ways to boost them. Collateral Damage The US push underlines the challenge facing Washington and its allies as they seek to increase pressure on Putin over his invasion but also limit the collateral damage to a global economy which is heavily dependent on commodity supplies from Russia ranging from natural gas and oil to fertilizer and grains. Prices for all of those have spiked further since the war started in February, a point Putin regularly makes in his public efforts to undermine support for sanctions. Breadbasket to the WorldRussia and Ukraine account for a quarter of global grains trade Source: International Grains Council Note: Estimates for the 2021-22 season, for wheat and coarse grains Washington sent a representative to UN-led talks in Moscow earlier this month on the supply issues, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that aren’t public. Inadequate fertilizer deliveries this year could also affect next year’s crops. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kremlin has called on the US provide assurances to buyers and shippers of its fertilizer and grain that they aren’t subject to sanctions, suggesting it’s a condition of any steps to unblock shipments of Ukrainian farm products now. “For Russia, it’s really important that U.S. authorities send a clear signal that these deals are permitted and in the interest of global food security and they shouldn’t refuse to carry them out,” said Ivan Timofeev, a sanctions specialist at the Kremlin-founded Russian International Affairs Council. While Russia claims that sanctions fears are also holding back its grain exports, total shipments this season are down only 14%, and wheat exports doubled in May, according to the country’s Grain Union. Russia Accounted for Almost a Fifth of 2021 Fertilizer ExportsSource: Trade Data Monitor, Green Markets, a Bloomberg company. Data are in million metric tons. By contrast, more than 25 million tons of grain, sunflower oil and other commodities are stuck in Ukraine because of security fears in the Black Sea ports and shipping lanes traditionally used to carry them to global markets. Officials warn the situation will become more dire with the new harvest beginning. Talks on releasing those shipments have gone slowly, with Putin seeking to pin the blame on Ukraine for not wanting to remove mines from ports placed to defend them from possible attacks by Russian forces. Kyiv has said it’s not convinced by Moscow’s assurances that it won’t strike, noting that Russia also insisted before the war that it wouldn’t invade. De-Mining Ukraine’s Ports May Take Months, UN Agency Says Russia won the support of Turkey in its calls for sanctions relief last week, but Ankara’s efforts to mediate a solution to restart shipments so far haven’t yielded results. Buyers at RiskCountries in Africa and Asia are among the most reliant on Ukraine grain Source: UN FAO data for 2020 Shipping companies remain extremely wary of the Black Sea given sanctions and security fears, and industry officials say a more concerted international push will be needed to reassure them. Efforts to ship Ukrainian produce by rail to Europe have yield limited results amid differing track gauges and other logistical issues. “We’re working together with our partners to get about half of what Ukraine exports out each month,” but that will take some time, James O’Brien, head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the State Department, told an online briefing June 9. “So we’re looking at a substantial shortfall.” — With assistance by Aine Quinn, and Katarina Hoije

To: TobagoJack who wrote (188769)	6/14/2022 5:27:22 AM
From: Julius Wong	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 217755

LNG tanker charter rates leap to YTD highs - Reuters Jun. 13, 2022 6:47 PM ET Frontline Ltd. (FRO), NAT, GLNG NVGS, DHT, GLOP, NMM, STNG, TNK, EGLE, INSW, SBLK, GNK, ASC, TNP, GRIN, EURN, DSX, SB, DLNG, LNGBy: Carl Surran, SA News Editor 33 Comments rgaydos/E+ via Getty Images Spot market rates for liquefied natural gas tankers set new records for the year this week as traders bid up available vessels to meet rising global demand, Reuters reported on Monday. Spot rates for transporting 160k cm of LNG in the Atlantic Basin reached $100K/day and $85K/for Asia, or the East-of-Suez, cargoes, shipbroker and LNG consultancy Poten & Partners told Reuters. Soaring demand for LNG and buyers shunning Russian cargoes and vessels over its invasion of Ukraine have led to more long-term charters, limiting the supply of vessels to the spot market, Poten's Jason Feer said, adding the fire that knocked out the Freeport LNG gas processing and export terminal has not affected the increase in spot rates. Buyers who were caught short of transport in the last two winters turned to long-term charters, thus fewer vessels will be coming off charters in the coming months, keeping supply tight, according to Feer.