Asia spot differentials for high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) inched up for a second consecutive session amid brisk activity, though they are still holding in discounted territory.

A flurry of trades emerged for HSFO during the window on Tuesday, with Chimbusco as the main seller.

Four trades emerged for the 180-cst HSFO grade, following a period of quiet spot trading, while a trade also emerged for the 380-cst HSFO grade.

Meanwhile, spot differentials for very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) softened slightly on lower-priced offers, with premiums dipping below $6 a metric ton to Singapore quotes.

Prompt refining cracks posted losses for both HSFO and VLSFO on Tuesday due to a rebound in crude futures. (FO380BRTCKMc1), (LFO05SGBRTCMc1)

In tenders, Taiwan’s CPC is seeking 38,000 tons of VLSFO for delivery between June and July. The tender closes on May 7 with validity until May 8, a notice on its website showed.

REFINERY UPDATES

– India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd will shut its 144,000 barrels-per-day crude distillation unit for maintenance from mid-May, a refinery source and four traders said.
– A fire that broke out at Valero’s 145,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Benicia, California, has been extinguished, the company said on Monday.
– U.S. oil refiners are expected to have about 970,000 barrels-per-day capacity offline in the week ending May 9, increasing available refining capacity by 504,000 bpd, research company IIR Energy said on Monday.

OTHER NEWS

– Oil gained on Tuesday, rebounding on technical factors and bargain hunting after a decision by OPEC+ to boost output sent prices down the previous session, although concerns about the market surplus outlook persisted.
– Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, on Monday slightly raised its crude oil prices for Asian buyers in June as expected, while keeping them close to a multi-year low, after OPEC+ decided to accelerate output hikes.
– Oil output from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico can continue growing despite market uncertainty created by the most geopolitical volatility in decades, oil and gas industry leaders said.
– India’s diesel exports likely hit their lowest level in over a decade in April as major exporter Reliance cut refining output for maintenance at a time when domestic demand was robust, trade sources and analysts said.

WINDOW TRADES

– 180-cst HSFO: Four trades
– 380-cst HSFO: One trade
– 0.5% VLSFO: No trade
Source: Reuters