We buy, sell and move energy worldwide, using ships, pipelines and long-standing industry partnerships to deliver millions of barrels a day to our customers.
The products we trade and market include crude oil, refined products, petrochemicals, natural gas, LNG, and power. We also trade bioenergy, renewable power and carbon credits.
We manage everything from the physical transport of energy to mitigating price swings. By combining bp’s own production with third‑party supply, we offer customers exceptional reliability and choice.
bp’s Supply, Trading and Shipping business in North America, which is based primarily in Houston and Chicago, connects energy producers, suppliers, markets and customers to keep energy flowing today and tomorrow.
Connecting supply, markets and customers
With more than three decades of experience, bp’s Supply, Trading & Shipping organization is deeply integrated across commodities and markets, enabling us to respond to evolving energy needs across industries and regions.
Our teams span trading, origination, analytics, operations, compliance and legal, helping deliver reliable, timely solutions while operating responsibly in the markets we serve.
Refining supply and midstream
Refining supply and midstream manages the movement of energy from where it’s produced to where it’s consumed, using our global network of ships, pipelines, terminals and storage to route it as efficiently as possible.
Our teams plan supply routes, schedule transport and balance supply across regions so energy reaches customers when and where it’s needed.
Trading
bp’s trading team operates across global energy markets, serving around 13,000 customers in 140 countries. We have major hubs in London, Chicago, Houston and Singapore.
Each year we trade around 4 billion barrels of crude – more than 10 times our own production. We also trade over eight times our refining capacity – around 5 billion barrels – plus natural gas, LNG and power. Combining bp and third-party supply means we’re not dependent on any one market or route. This allows us to prioritize reliability for our customers even when conditions are volatile.
Alongside hydrocarbons, which is the mainstay of our activity, our trading teams are active in lower carbon energy markets, including biofuels, biogas and renewables. We also trade agricultural commodities linked to our bioenergy supply chain and participate in compliance and voluntary carbon markets.
Trading is closely integrated with bp’s upstream and downstream businesses, grounding our decision-making in operational realities as well as market signals.
Shipping
Since 1915, bp shipping has moved energy across the world’s oceans and seas. Today, more than a century later, bp has around 300 chartered and owned ships on the water for bp at any one time.
This helps bp move around 240 million tonnes of oil, gas and energy products each year.
Supply, Trading & Shipping by the numbers
~14 billion cubic feet of natural gas bought and sold daily in the US*
5,000+ North America customers*
~194 TWh of power marketed in the US annually*
*Natural gas and power figures as reported by Platts S&P Global in 2026 for calendar year 2025.
In the community
The Houston-based Supply, Trading & Shipping team has partnered with The Arbor School for more than a decade, supporting Houston-area children with significant special needs through volunteering and fundraising.
In 2025, the team raised $180,000 through the “Raise the Roof” campaign to fund shade structures for the school’s playgrounds, enabling safe, year-round outdoor learning and play.
