April, 2020

• 4 April

  India’s coronavirus hotspots accentuate search for infections

  

  Bloomberg Thousands of health officials across India are racing to identify people connected to at least 10 virus hotspots, as the infection rate continues to climb in the world’s second most populous country. In the capital New Delhi, more than 8,500 Muslims attended a gathering in mid-March that is now the focus of an urgent contact tracing effort stretching though ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  Sydney police lead operation to send cruise ships home

  

  Bloomberg Australia’s New South Wales police are leading a massive marine operation in Sydney Harbour to provision five cruise ships that have been floating off the coast so they can return to their home ports, as authorities seek to cut the threat of coronavirus transmissions from the vessels. Dubbed Operation Nemesis, the plan has seen police on Saturday working with ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  Thailand’s biggest island on lockdown to contain coronavirus

  

  Bloomberg Phuket in Thailand is on lockdown, with most transportation to the island banned, in the latest effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the usually popular tourist destination. The order will last for at least one month, according to Phuket Governor Pakkapong Taweepat. Boats, cars and trucks providing essential goods and services are exempted. Restricting access ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  Natural gas glut moves offshore

  

  Bloomberg Liquefied natural gas (LNG) traders are following the latest trend in the oil market by storing huge amounts of the commodity on tankers, hoping prices will rise before the ship docks. But while crude can sit for months or even years in a tank, super-chilled LNG tends to evaporate even in the specialised vessels that handle it. That limits ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  US energy chief tells industry he sees oil deal within days

  

  Bloomberg Energy secretary Dan Brouillette told oil industry representatives that he expected a Saudi-Russia deal on crude production cuts within days. Brouillette’s comments came during a conference call with a broad swath of oil industry representatives, after President Donald Trump met with top executives from Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Phillips 66 and other companies. The discussion was described by ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  Virus curbs affect oil, mine workers in Australia

  

  Bloomberg Some of the biggest mining and energy companies are scrambling to respond to tightening controls on movement inside Australia — the biggest exporter of iron ore and liquefied natural gas — by temporarily rehousing employees and their families thousands of miles from home. About 800 so-called fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mining workers have been relocated to Western Australia for potentially ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  TC Energy sells more debt as credit market thaws

  

  Bloomberg TC Energy Corp sold US dollar-denominated bonds just as the company’s new loonie notes rally in their trading debut. The pipeline operator’s C$2 billion ($1.4 billion) 3.8% debt due 2027 is quoted at a spread of about 300 basis points over Canadian government bonds after pricing on April 1 at 325 basis points, according to Bloomberg Valuation bid prices. ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  Athabasca suspends oil-sands operation

  Bloomberg Athabasca Oil Corp fully suspended its Hangingstone oil sands operation to combat low oil prices and uncertainty surrounding coronavirus. The move comes shortly after Athabasca said in March it would curtail production at Hangingstone by about 50% to maximise corporate funds flow and liquidity. Calls have been mounting for Canadian producers to cut production in light of rock-bottom domestic ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  South African wind industry questions Eskom’s force majeure

  Bloomberg South African wind energy producers questioned the legality of a decision by the state power utility to curtail purchases of their output, amid low demand caused by a nationwide lockdown to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) said Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd’s decision to invoke force majeure in its contracts with the independent ...

  Read More »
• 4 April

  German aid to firms speeds up with $11.6bn in requests

  

  Bloomberg Germany’s efforts to limit the economic damage from a prolonged coronavirus shutdown are gathering steam, as aid applications pour in and officials seek a path to restart all-important auto production. Under a government program aimed to providing strapped businesses with financial liquidity, 2,500 companies have requested a total of 10.6 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in aid, according to state ...

  Read More »