Pakistan LNG Limited opened the financial bids for the supply of 240 shipments of LNG January 19. Gunvor has bagged a five-year contract to supply 60 shipments while Eni has been awarded a 15-year contract to supply 180 shipments.

Preliminary production figures for December 2016 show an average daily production of 2 094 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 60 000 barrels per day (approx. 3 percent) compared to November.

U.S. Rig Count is up 9 rigs from last year's count of 650, with oil rigs up 7, gas rigs up 1, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 88 rigs from last year's count of 227, with oil rigs up 60, gas rigs up 27, and miscellaneous rigs up 1.

India and Japan should co-operate on long term contracts for LNG with a defined cost of energy which would provide a stabilizing factor for the renewable energy thrust that India is currently giving, Indian minister for power, coal, new & renewable energy and mines, Piyush Goyal said January 11 on the side-lines of the seventh India-Japan Energy Forum in New Delhi.

SHARES of China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec rebounded during the week on reforms that are set to transform the two oil and gas giants into more competitive and market-focused entities.

The Georgian government has agreed with Gazprom proposals over gas transits via Georgia's territory and will sign a deal for 2017 and 2018, its energy minister Kakha Kaladze told reporters in Tbilisi. Gazprom Export will now pay a transit fee in cash, rather than in the form of gas supplies, as in the past.

“Today’s report shows evidence that the consistent decline in oil and natural gas drilling could be coming to an end,” said Hazem Arafa, director of API’s statistics department.

Gazprom’s gas exports to Europe hit an all-time high for the gas industry in 2016, totaling 179.3 billion cubic meters. Compared to 2015, it is an increase of 12.5 per cent, or 19.9 billion cubic meters in absolute terms, which is commensurate with the volumes we delivered to the U.K. last year, namely 17.8 billion cubic meters.

The LNG market has grown strongly in the last few years. In 2008 the global export capacity was 270bn m³/yr while in 2016 it was around 400bn m³/yr (+150%). The International Energy Agency in 2011 predicted that by 2015 gobal trade would reach 450bn m³/yr. These higher expectations resulted mainly from the aftermath of the Fukushima accident and Asian growth more generally, notably China.

Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE:BHI) announced today that the international rig count for December 2016 was 929, up 4 from the 925 counted in November 2016, and down 166 from the 1,095 counted in December 2015. The international offshore rig count for December 2016 was 210, down 1 from the 211 counted in November 2016, and down 40 from the 250 counted in December 2015.