Wednesday, Feb 04, 2026

The World of Petroleum and Bitumen

The January 2026 Issue of WPB Journal

The January 2026 Issue of WPB Journal

MAGAZINES

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European Council Endorses a Gradual Ban on Russian Gas Imports as Energy Policy Reorients Industrial Supply Chains

According to WPB, The European Council’s decision to give final approval to a stepwise ban on Russian gas imports marks a significant development i...

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New EU sanctions against Iran

According to WPB, the latest European compliance notice on restrictive measures related to Iran arrives at a moment when the Middle East’s industri...

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Infrastructure Bitumen Allocation Expansion in Iran Raises New Regional Trade Considerations

According to WPB, Iran’s decision to increase the allocation of subsidized bitumen under the draft framework of the 1405 national budget is expecte...

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Iraq Bitumen FOB Price Analysis (Bulk / Drum / Jumbo Bag)

Important note on data handling: The last observation is a reported range; for modeling and charts, the midpoint is used (e.g., 360–363 → 361.5)....

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New Sustainability Standards and RAP/RAS Integration Define the Emerging Operating Reality of the Global Bitumen Industry

According to WPB, Bitumen and asphalt supply chains are entering a period in which sustainability regulation, procurement rules, and recycled-materia...

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Israel's role in recent Middle East tensions and its impact on global bitumen and oil trade

According to WPB, Recent Israeli military activity and the continued volatility surrounding regional security in the Middle East have reinforced a r...

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Bitumen laboratory without an operator!

According to WPB, the rapid integration of autonomous laboratory systems into material science is beginning to influence sectors that have traditiona...

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A Quiet Regulatory Shift in France That Is Rewriting the Operating Space of the Global Bitumen Trade

According to WPB, Developments in France during January 2026, although presented domestically as regulatory and technical adjustments, carry conseque...

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China’s 2026 Tariff Architecture and Its Expanding Influence on Oil and Bitumen Trade Networks

According to WPB, From the outset of 2026, the enforcement of China’s revised tariff structure has introduced a new operational environment for glo...

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Asian Refinery Decisions on Heavy Feedstocks and Their Expanding Reach Across Infrastructure Markets

According to WPB, Recent operational decisions taken by major refineries across Asia are beginning to register well beyond regional boundaries, with ...

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Five Procurement Errors Common Among First-Time Bitumen Buyers That Experienced Buyers Consistently Avoid

According to WPB, Recent assessments of infrastructure delivery across the Middle East and several emerging markets indicate that procurement perform...

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Semi-Autonomous Port Operations Signal a New Procurement Reality for Bitumen Trade

According to WPB, Recent developments in major European ports are beginning to influence procurement decisions far beyond their immediate geographic ...

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Examining the military role of the French Navy in recent developments in the Mediterranean Sea

According to WPB, Recent developments in European maritime enforcement are beginning to register far beyond regional waters, with implications extend...

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Urban Air Quality Meets Bitumen Engineering in a New Pavement-Based Approach

According to WPB, Urban infrastructure policy in many regions of the world, including parts of the Middle East and Southern Europe, is increasingly s...

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What consequences will the outbreak of war have for the global oil and bitumen trade?

According to WPB, the prospect of a direct military confrontation between the United States and Iran would immediately extend far beyond the borders...

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EU Steps Up Controls on Russian-Linked Petroleum

According to WPB, At the opening of 2026, the global bitumen market is experiencing a restrained and unusually cautious phase, with implications that...

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India Establishes a New Industrial Benchmark by Advancing Agricultural-Waste-Based Bituminous Binders

According to WPB, the announcement made on recent weeks regarding India’s successful commercial-scale production of bio-derived bituminous binder f...

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From Domestic Strain to Market Impact: Iran’s Ripple Effect on Energy Markets

According to WPB, Recent developments in Iran, coinciding with the implementation of a new round of U.S. restrictions on energy trade, have drawn int...

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Winter Conditions and the Quiet Shift in Global Bitumen Trade at the Start of 2026

According to WPB, at the beginning of 2026 the global bitumen market, in addition to being influenced by political or economic developments that typi...

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From Product to Market Position: Why Not All Bitumen Suppliers Endure

According to WPB, the global bitumen industry is undergoing a period of quiet but decisive transformation, one that is reshaping how suppliers are ev...

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