3M St. Paul

Global seaborne coal trade rose by 5.7% last year, driven by rising demand from steelmakers for coking coal and its products as economies began to recover from the coronavirus crisis, Germany's VDKi coal importers lobby group said.Imports and exports of hard coal across the globe stood at 1.18 billion tons in 2021, up from 1.116 billion in 2020, the Verein der Kohlenimporteure (VDKi) estimated.Trade in coking coal rose by 6% to 903 million tons while that of steam coal for power stations was up 4.9% at 277 million tons, it said.

U.S. energy firms this week added the most oil and natural gas rigs in a week since April as rising oil prices prompt more drillers to return to the wellpad.The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose 13 to 601 in the week to Jan. 14, its highest since April 2020, said Baker Hughes in its weekly report.  The total count was up 228, or 61%, over this time last year.U.S. oil rigs rose 11 to 492 this week, their highest since April 2020, while gas rigs rose two to 109, their highest since March 2020. Specifically, the Eagle Ford in South Texas gained six rigs this week, the most of any basin, bringing its total to 50, its highest since April 2020.

Equinor and BP on Friday announced the finalization of the Purchase and Sale Agreements (PSAs) with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), for Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1 offshore wind projects.Empire Wind is located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island and spans 80,000 acres, with water depths of between 65 and 131 feet. The lease was acquired in 2017 and is being developed in two phases (Empire Wind 1 and 2) with a total installed capacity of more than 2 GW (816 + 1,260 MW).Beacon Wind is located more than 60 miles east of Montauk Point and 20 miles south of Nantucket and covers 128,000 acres.

Online valuation and data provider, VesselsValue, said Friday it had acquired the Norwegian shipping research and advisory company, ViaMar.ViaMar, based in Oslo, is becoming part of VesselsValue which has over 200 employees across eight offices worldwide in the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Manila.The Norwegian company provides market research and advisory services in shipping, energy and financial markets, and, according to VV, has particularly strong relationships with major banks, investment funds, operators, and traders, predominantly focused in Northern Europe and the Nordics.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to pass a bill to slap sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline sponsored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a day after Democrats unveiled their own legislation.The tally was 55 in favor and 44 against the bill that needed 60 votes to pass, a major hurdle in the 50-50 Senate. The vote spanned nearly seven hours as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer considered options on voting rights legislation.Senator Robert Menendez won the support of many of his fellow Democrats, including President Joe Biden, for an alternative bill he introduced on Wednesday.