Barrels on the brink: Venezuela the new crude hotbed, mounting propane pressure and the evolving sanctions landscape

Barrels on the brink: Venezuela the new crude hotbed, mounting propane pressure and the evolving sanctions landscape

Season 2 of Liquid Currents opens with a deep dive into the energy market forces shaping early 2026, as sanctions, shifting trade flows, and freight dynamics collide across crude, LPG, and products markets. Host Samantha Hartke looks at mounting pressure on US propane exports and what it means for inventories and pricing against a backdrop of still-lower Middle East CP pricing, and then is joined by Rohit Rathod, Claire Jungman, Mick Strautmann, and Delia He to unpack rapidly evolving Venezuela crude and naphtha flows, before widening the discussion to impact of sanctioned flows and the dark fleet on freight market dynamics, oil on water and product flow disruptions. Whether you are tracking sanctions exposure, freight risk, or feedstock competition, this episode sets the tone for the season ahead.

LPG price wars, oil on water and products brace for heightened volatility

Samantha Hartke is joined by Pamela Munger, Head of EMEA Analysis at Vortexa, to unpack how intensifying LPG price wars and sanctions-driven volatility are reshaping feedstock and refined product markets. From swelling volumes of oil on water to tightening refining capacity, they explore whether 2025’s market outperformers can hold their ground into 2026 — and where risks of diesel price fireworks or an off-season gasoline spike may emerge.

LPG price wars and petchems: the winter outlook for feedstock markets as petchems demand comes into question

Samantha Hartke is joined by Mark Woods, President of Ethylene Strategies International Inc., to unpack how petrochemicals will shape LPG’s winter demand story. From oversupplied markets to potential plant closures across Asia and Northwest Europe, they explore where naphtha and LPG could find new opportunities — and how the Americas can position themselves to capitalise.

Supply shuffle, floating barrels, and port fees pain points: How LPG, crude, products and freight will navigate winter

As winter approaches, global energy markets are in flux. In this episode of Liquid Currents, we unpack how shifting trade flows, swelling oil-on-water volumes, and rising port fees are shaping the outlook for LPG, crude, refined products, and freight. With the U.S. and Middle East vying for market share in Asia, price mechanisms are being rewritten as cargoes find new homes and trade routes adapt to regional demand patterns. Meanwhile, a surge in floating storage has raised alarms over potential oversupply — all while the market looks to China to absorb excess barrels. We’ll also examine how refinery restarts are keeping product markets buoyant, and what these developments mean for freight rates as the industry braces for a volatile Q4.

Vortexa CEO Fabio Kuhn on Innovation, Market Shifts and Volatility

The 2025 Innovation Series brought Vortexa insights to London, Singapore, Houston, and New York. In this special retrospective episode of Liquid Currents, CEO Fabio Kuhn joins Samantha Hartke to highlight what we learned — and what’s next for global energy markets.