Oil data's disruptive hashtag
If you use Twitter and you're in the energy business, you'll know #OOTT. In his first column for Petroleum Economist, its co-founder tells us how the handle came about
It was a Wednesday afternoon in December 2015 and oil prices were dropping heavily. The reason? Something called the "EIA report". WorldEconomicCalendar.com helped me out, and as I googled further, the onion's layers began to peel off. I began reading entire Wikipedia articles, watching YouTube videos about anything and everything related to oil. Traditional extraction, trading, shipping, storage, pipelines, fracking - I soaked it all in. I wasn't a total novice. Oil has always fascinated me - as a market, a commodity, a reason for war. I was born in Kuwait and lived in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I watched what the booms and busts did to the Arabian Peninsula. One day they're building skyscrape
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
