Middle East Crude-Benchmarks slip; China's diesel exports may hit 8-month low in March

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
SINGAPORE, March 14 (Reuters) - Middle Eastern crude benchmarks Oman, Dubai and Murban slid on Tuesday, tracking a sell-off in global oil benchmarks Brent and WTI, as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sparked fears about a fresh financial crisis and a reduction of fuel demand. The spread between Brent- and Dubai-linked crude was pegged at $2.42 a barrel, comparing with $2.7 in the previous day. A narrower spread reflects bearish demand prospects toward the West of Suez market, which could also make the arbitrage oil shipments more attractive to Asian buyers.


CHINA China's diesel exports could fall to an eight-month low in March as refiners focus on meeting local demand and increasing domestic stockpiles ahead of planned overhauls at refineries, a Reuters survey showed.


RUSSIAN OIL Exports of Siberian Light oil from the Black Sea's Novorossiisk fell to 0.08 million tonnes in March, the lowest since October 2022, due to storms, two traders familiar with the port's loadings said.


SINGAPORE CASH DEALS Cash Dubai's premium to swaps slipped 17 cents to $1.83 a barrel.
Seller-Buyer Price EXXONMOBIL-TOTAL 79.14 UNIPEC-PETROCHINA 79.10 UNIPEC-PETROCHINA 79.10 UNIPEC-TOTAL 79.10 RELIANCE-PETROCHINA 79.10 PHILLIPS 66-TOTAL 79.10 UNIPEC-PETROCHINA 79.10 KOCH-TOTAL 79.09 VITOL-PETROCHINA 79.10 KOCH-TOTAL 79.09 UNIPEC-PETROCHINA 79.09 PHILLIPS 66-MERCURIA 79.00 KOCH-TOTAL 79.09 EXXONMOBIL-PETROCHINA 79.09 RELIANCE-TOTAL 79.09


PRICES ($/BBL) CURRENT PREV SESSION DME OMAN 79.18 82.46 DME OMAN DIFF TO DUBAI 1.92 2.15 CASH DUBAI 79.09 82.31


NEWS Western sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil have channelled cheap fuel to Asia and in the process eroded a decades-long trend whereby the continent has paid more for energy than Europe, according to traders, analysts and Refinitiv Eikon data. India is not obligated to buy Russian oil at rates below the price cap imposed by the Group of Seven (G7) and other Western nations, an Indian oil ministry source told Reuters on Tuesday. U.S. crude oil stockpiles were seen rising last week, while a decline was expected in distillate and gasoline inventories, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday. India has asked banks and traders to avoid using Chinese yuan to pay for Russian imports, three government officials involved in policy-making and two banking sources said, because of long-running political differences with its neighbour.


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