Nowadays Nigeria risks to lose the Asian market to
the big Arab oil producers. Asia became Nigeria’s good partner after it
had lost the American market, but this may not be sustained for much
longer…
According to the Bloomberg Iraq, Kuwait and Iran have joined Saudi Arabia in cutting their March crude prices for Asia, signaling the battle for a share of OPEC’s largest market is intensifying. The Arab producers, who have always been on constant price war last week even pushed the notch higher because of the sliding crude oil prices, by offering discounts as high as above $4 per barrel, the highest in over a decade in order to retain their respective market shares.
The report says: “Iraq’s Basrah Light crude will sell at $4.10 a barrel below Middle East benchmarks, the deepest discount since at least August 2003, the Oil Marketing Co. said on Tuesday. National Iranian Oil Co. said its official selling price for March Light crude sales will be a discount of $2.10 a barrel, the widest since at least March 2000, according to a company official who asked not to be identified because of corporate policy. Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday its discount will be $4.10, the biggest since August 2008.The cuts come after Saudi Arabia, the largest crude exporter, reduced pricing to Asia last week to the lowest in at least 14 years. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, left its members’ output targets unchanged at a November meeting, choosing to compete for market share against U.S. shale producers rather than support prices. Iraq is the second-biggest producer in OPEC, Kuwait is third and Iran fourth.”
It also added that Middle Eastern producers are increasingly competing with cargoes from Latin America, Africa and Russia for buyers in Asia. Oil prices have dropped about 45 percent in the past six months as production from the U.S. and OPEC surged.
Industry experts argued that the price war will further distort Nigeria’s 2015 Appropriation Bill, as according to them, if the price war continues, it will increase pressure on the oil market, particularly for the buyers, until it gets to saturation point.
Dr. Diran Fawibe, Managing Director of the International Energy Services Ltd says that Nigeria’s budget plans are already in trouble, and government now has to look for other ways to finance its expenditures.
Diran Fawibe also notes that there is no way Nigeria can succeed with the budget without cutting down significantly on the import of unnecessary goods. He explained: “This is because the Naira is under severe pressure, and with declining reserves, there is no other way out. Fawibe insisted that the situation called for further financial prudence, particularly on the part of the state governments, whom he said are financially undisciplined and lacked good leadership.”
According to the Bloomberg Iraq, Kuwait and Iran have joined Saudi Arabia in cutting their March crude prices for Asia, signaling the battle for a share of OPEC’s largest market is intensifying. The Arab producers, who have always been on constant price war last week even pushed the notch higher because of the sliding crude oil prices, by offering discounts as high as above $4 per barrel, the highest in over a decade in order to retain their respective market shares.
The report says: “Iraq’s Basrah Light crude will sell at $4.10 a barrel below Middle East benchmarks, the deepest discount since at least August 2003, the Oil Marketing Co. said on Tuesday. National Iranian Oil Co. said its official selling price for March Light crude sales will be a discount of $2.10 a barrel, the widest since at least March 2000, according to a company official who asked not to be identified because of corporate policy. Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday its discount will be $4.10, the biggest since August 2008.The cuts come after Saudi Arabia, the largest crude exporter, reduced pricing to Asia last week to the lowest in at least 14 years. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, left its members’ output targets unchanged at a November meeting, choosing to compete for market share against U.S. shale producers rather than support prices. Iraq is the second-biggest producer in OPEC, Kuwait is third and Iran fourth.”
It also added that Middle Eastern producers are increasingly competing with cargoes from Latin America, Africa and Russia for buyers in Asia. Oil prices have dropped about 45 percent in the past six months as production from the U.S. and OPEC surged.
Industry experts argued that the price war will further distort Nigeria’s 2015 Appropriation Bill, as according to them, if the price war continues, it will increase pressure on the oil market, particularly for the buyers, until it gets to saturation point.
Dr. Diran Fawibe, Managing Director of the International Energy Services Ltd says that Nigeria’s budget plans are already in trouble, and government now has to look for other ways to finance its expenditures.
Diran Fawibe also notes that there is no way Nigeria can succeed with the budget without cutting down significantly on the import of unnecessary goods. He explained: “This is because the Naira is under severe pressure, and with declining reserves, there is no other way out. Fawibe insisted that the situation called for further financial prudence, particularly on the part of the state governments, whom he said are financially undisciplined and lacked good leadership.”
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