Med crude-Urals diffs stable, China's state-owned refiners resume imports

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
MOSCOW, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Urals crude oil differentials to dated Brent held steady on Wednesday, while China's top refiners PetroChina and Sinopec are resuming purchases of discounted Russian crude after a brief pause in late 2022.
* China's state refiners have received permission from their headquarters to buy Russian crude from trading companies at large discounts that will sharply reduce costs for the world's top crude importer and boost refining margins.
* Kazakhstan still plans to ship 20,000 tonnes of oil to Germany this month via Russia, once the Kazakh producer and the German buyer agree the commercial terms of the deal, a senior Kazakh energy official said on Wednesday. PLATTS WINDOW
* No bids or offers were made for Urals, Azeri BTC or CPC Blend in the Platts window on Wednesday, traders said. NEWS
* Russia's crude oil export duty is set to rise by 11% to $14.2 a tonne in March from $12.8 a tonne in February, the finance ministry said on Wednesday, following a rise in global oil prices. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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