International Maritime Associates (IMA) is a firm of business consultants specializing in market analysis and strategic planning for companies in the marine and offshore sectors.
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April 15, 2017
Jim McCaul -- Orders for production floaters have finally begun to flow. The break came early this year when contracts for a production semi for use in the GOM and an FPSO for use off Malaysia were awarded.
December 12, 2016
Jim McCaul -- Donald Trump’s presidential win and Republican sweep of the US government in November – along with OPEC’s oil production cuts in December -- have injected new dynamics into the US energy
April 28, 2016
Jim McCaul -- No question that the market for new floating production systems has taken a battering. The past 12 to 18 months have been a difficult period for everyone in the business sector. Absence ofThe excess crude inventory build over the past two years has pretty much been eliminated.
Survey results by the US Energy Information Administration show a 18% decline in US crude inventory over the past thirteen months -- from 535 million bbls at the end of March 2017 to 438 million bbls as of 18 May 2018 (excluding stocks in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve).
While the EIA inventory survey covers only the US market, the survey results are considered more reliable than international estimates and are often used as a surrogate for world crude inventory trends.
Despite a small increase over the past several months the EIA says "U.S. crude oil inventories are in the lower half of the average range for this time of year."
Driving the decline is the strong US demand for oil products. According to the EIA, total products supplied over the past four-week period averaged 20.4 million barrels per day, up by 1.5% from the same period last year.
Reflecting the tightening of supply, crude prices are near $80 -- up more than 50% from same time last year.
Jim is the founder and manager of IMA, a consulting firm providing market analysis, competitive benchmarking and business planning support in the maritime and offshore sectors. Over the past 40 years IMA has performed more than 350 business consulting assignments for 170+ clients in 40+ countries.
One of the firm’s specialties is analyzing requirements for floating production systems. IMA has published more than 60 reports since 1996 analyzing this business sector and has been engaged by numerous clients to assist in analyzing specific market opportunities in the floating production sector.
Jim is also the co-founder of IMA/World Energy Reports, a New York based business intelligence service for the floating production supply chain.
Crude spot prices have moved close to $80, propelled by strong oil demand growth, curtailed production and geopolitical worries. This price level – and potentially higher -- increasingly looks sustainable over the near to mid-term. The futures market has recently become much more bullish on crude pricing. Meanwhile, CNOOC ordered an FPSO for use in the South China Sea, Exmar signed a 10 year charter with Gunvor for use of its LNG regasification barge in Bangladesh…
June 21, 2018
ExxonMobil and the Hess Corporation announced an eighth oil discovery offshore Guyana…
June 21, 2018
A new test project in Norway looks to employ specialty software for the optimization…
June 19, 2018
Panama has imported its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo to commission the…
June 21, 2018
Thick sea ice is impeding Arctic shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's newly-built export plant in Yamal…
June 21, 2018
Russia's Yamal LNG plant said on Thursday it had shipped a first gas cargo to Spain's Gas Natural Fenosa.According to the 24-year offtake contract, Ya
June 21, 2018
Oil prices fell on Thursday as crude exporters in OPEC appeared to be nearing a deal to increase production.Benchmark Brent…