World better to forget oil at $100 a barrel, says Norway

© Anthony Furgison

Oil prices are on the increase again, and pretty quickly too, leading some to wonder what will happen to carriers that have managed to overcome overcapacity woes via cheap fuel. What will happen to those balance sheets once fuel returns to the levels of a few years ago? In this fascinating Bloomberg interview, Norway’s petroleum and energy minister, Tord Lien, says it is unlikely and takes the unusual position – for a country dependent on hydrocarbon prices – that it shouldn’t happen. “It’s better to plan for $60 and let the people who want to hope for $100, hope for $100,” he said. “We saw oil prices hitting $140 a barrel, and that does not contribute to economic growth. So therefore I’m not hoping for it.”