Dated Brent gets another makeover
The world’s most important Fob oil benchmark will get a new Cif element from October
Dated Brent is without doubt the most influential and iconic oil benchmark price. But, since 2002, its name has been misleading, as a decline in production from the Brent system has seen other grades added, initially Forties and Oseberg in 2002, followed by Ekofisk in 2007 and Troll in 2017. The Brent market has also become more complex, as the arrival of the Buzzard field—with substantial quality difference to the rest of the Dated Brent fields—into the Forties system in 2007 required a sulphur de-escalator to be introduced. Quality premia for Ekofisk and Oseberg were introduced in 2013 and revised in 2014, while a Troll premium will be added in April this year. The window length has also c
Also in this section
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
1 April 2026
The US-Iran conflict demonstrates the need for diversification in several senses of the word. It also exposes the limits of Washington applying pressure on major oil and gas producers it considers geopolitical adversaries






