MOSCOW: Urals differentials were unchanged in thin trade as traders expect prices to weaken further later this week as a preliminary loading plan for September released on Wednesday showed a rise in exports from August.
The Urals and Siberian light preliminary loading plan for September showed an increase in exports by 6.8 percent to 9.35 million tonnes of Russian crude. Exports from Baltic ports are set to decrease by 300,000 tonnes compared to current month to 6.5 million tonnes.
The loading plan from Primorsk is set at 4 million tonnes, 600,000 tonnes down from August, while exports from Ust-Luga will rise by 300,000 tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes.
The Urals and Siberian light preliminary loading plan from Novorossiisk showed exports rising by 600,000 tonnes to 2.85 million tonnes.
The provisional loading schedule includes 410,000 tonnes of Siberian light crude, unchanged from August.
Traders expect Urals differentials in the Mediterranean to drop soon as rising Russian exports will meet a glut of crude in the region.
Lower Urals exports in northwest Europe may keep the differentials for the Baltic barrels stable, but traders do not expect prices for the Russian grade to rise in the north.
"Urals cargoes in Mediterranean may struggle to find homes in September. Normally we see Baltic Urals going to Med this year, but next month I will not be surprised to see the arbitrage the other way around," one trader said. For the Urals and Siberian light preliminary loading plan for September click on.
There were no bids or offers for Urals, CPC Blend or Azeri light and Siberian light in the Platts window, traders said.
Angola beat Saudi Arabia and Russia in July to become China's largest crude supplier for the first time this year, customs data showed on Wednesday, lifted by robust buying by the country's independent refiners.
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