Oil clinched its first monthly gain since September after attacks on vessels in and around the Red Sea diverted tanker traffic and escalated tensions in the Middle East.
'Whether this is a shorter-term pause or longer-term departure from the prior plan to increase capacity to 13 million barrels per day appears unclear'.
'Rates have not hit anywhere near the levels we saw during Covid-19, but the sudden nature of the Red Sea crisis has seen a more rapid increase in rates'.
Europa said it intends to use the extension to carry out further technical studies and allow more time to secure a partner to advance development of the license.