Columbia

The race to load the first freely exported U.S. crude cargo was won by NuStar’s Corpus Christi terminal, edging out Enterprise’s Houston terminal, as the Theo T set sail for Italy on New Year’s Eve with Eagle Ford crude and condensate on board. Midstream companies are now set to fiercely compete, not just for bragging rights but for terminal fees, as more U.S. crude heads overseas. But where exactly will that crude go? With oil prices tracking below $40/Bbl and narrow differentials prevailing between U.S. and overseas crudes, breaking into new markets will be tough. Today we outline which markets are most likely to absorb U.S. crude supply.

In April officials from Mexican national oil company PEMEX expressed confidence that their January 2015 application to the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for a license to export U.S. crude under a swap arrangement will soon be approved. The swap would involve Mexico importing U.S. light crude and U.S. refiners buying an equivalent volume of Mexican heavy crude. The transaction would bypass decades old U.S. crude oil export restrictions and indicate a further loosening of the rules after moves to allow condensate exports last summer. In today’s blog “Have Another Swap of Mexican Crude - Will A New Route Open for U.S. Crude Exports?” Sandy Fielden examines the proposed exchange.