Ursa is monitoring reservoirs in Ethiopia and Sudan impacted by the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a mega-project on the Nile’s main tributary with wide-ranging consequences.

We are measuring these reservoirs using satellite radar imagery, similar to previous work we’ve done monitoring Iraq’s water crisis.

Here’s a round-up of articles mentioning Ursa this week in case you missed them.

Bloomberg cited Ursa in two articles available to Terminal subscribers.

“Mexico Oil Loadings at Highest in Nearly a Year Amid Supply Cuts” (Feb 15) by Amy Stillman and Michelle Kim quoted Ursa inventory measurements.

Two weeks have passed since the US imposed sanctions against Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, yet the fallout remains the biggest story in the oil market.

Where will US Gulf Coast refiners find heavy sour barrels to make up for Venezuelan supply that have been a staple of their diet?

That question shows the primary concern hasn’t been over the quantity lost as much as the quality lost.

Back in August, this blog shortlisted the Permian Basin bottleneck as a candidate for story-of-the-year in the oil market. With 2018 drawing to a close, we think this prediction has held up pretty well.

A major issue lurking in the background came to the fore, which was the pipeline capacity -- or lack thereof -- connecting the Permian with Cushing, Oklahoma and Houston.