Anticipate, Arbitrage, Execute: TotalEnergies Oil Trading
TotalEnergies operates at the heart of global oil markets. Backed by an integrated and responsive organization, our trading teams connect supply sources to consumption hubs – in real time – with precision and control.
Navigating a complex, volatile, and evolving market
The global oil market rests on delicate and shifting balances:
- sustained demand for crude oil and oil products,
- supply shaped by major geopolitical uncertainties, particularly in producing regions,
- and the necessary support for the energy transition.
Between interregional arbitrage, the management of logistical disruptions, and the evolution of products (such as lower sulfur content and alternative fuels), the role of trading is more central than ever.
Our teams continuously analyze market fundamentals, cross physical and financial data and rely on advanced models to anticipate emerging trends.
Their analytical capability enables us to:
- ensure reliable supplies for our various counterparties,
- optimize the value of the Company’s production and secure feedstock for its refineries and distribution affiliates,
- and respond swiftly in a constantly changing environment.
An integrated, agile player, close to markets and assets
TotalEnergies relies on fully integrated trading teams that operate in close connection with its upstream and downstream activities.
Our traders are active across the entire spectrum of markets — crude oil, naphtha, distillates, fuel oil, gasoline, and more.
They coordinate, in real time, commercial decisions, logistical constraints, risk hedging, and margin management.
This agility is driven by several differentiating factors:
- strategically positioned physical assets: refineries, terminals, storage facilities, and an integrated shipping fleet,
- teams present across all time zones: Geneva, Houston, Singapore, and Dubai,
- a culture of controlled risk: proprietary models, exposure management, and compliance,
- data-driven value creation: algorithmic pricing, simulation models, and continuous market monitoring.
Through an integrated organization covering the entire oil value chain, we optimize every barrel while reconciling economic performance and operational excellence.
Key figures
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Oil trading on a transition pathway
In the context of the energy transition, TotalEnergies’ oil trading business is progressively expanding into biofuels and bio-feedstocks. These products help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50% compared with fossil fuels, in line with the European RED II directive.
Since 2018, a dedicated trading activity has emerged, with specialized teams based in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
This acceleration has been marked by several major logistical and industrial achievements:
- the Ghent hub, operational since 2021, which facilitates the blending of bio-feedstocks for the La Mède biorefinery,
- partnerships with various players securing the supply of used cooking oils and animal fats,
- the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), notably with the Grandpuits biorefinery.
Through these initiatives, oil trading is progressively integrating alternative solutions, enhancing team expertise, and contributing to the Company’s broader strategy to diversify its energy mix.
Specialized expertise committed to serving the oil supply chain
TotalEnergies’ oil trading brings together a wide range of highly specialized professions, at the crossroads of markets, physical flows, and support functions.
Each role contributes to collective performance in an environment that demands responsiveness, rigor, and risk management.
From strategic positioning to operational execution, including risk analysis and logistical coordination, our teams ensure continuity and reliability at every stage of the value chain.
