Global storage not tanked up enough
World commercial oil inventories continued their declining trend over the past year. Oil storage owners face a mixed market
In this article, PE looks at the evolution of storage trends in the industry. Part I of II. Regional trends across the globe are uneven, with supply bottlenecks increasing storage demand in some areas, while other markets are flat to lower. With oil markets expected to remain in backwardation, trader demand for storage is expected to remain lacklustre through 2019. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), commercial oil inventories in rich countries, which peaked at the end of 2016, continue to draw. The IEA estimates that the second quarter saw a commercial year-on-year stock draw of 253m barrels, falling by 7.2m barrels in June from May for the eighth decline in 11 months. At th
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
