LONDON: Northwest European gasoline refining margins ended the week slightly higher, supported by strong inland demand and export activity.
The barge market was active as inland demand was strong in recent days due to supply shortages in Germany and a large number of tankers booked to export product, traders said.
Gasoline stocks in independent storage in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub fell by 17.8pc in the week to Thursday, data from Dutch consultancy Insights Global showed.
European gasoline inventories had dropped by 3.65 million barrels, or 2.9pc, by the end of April from the previous month, Euroilstock data showed.
US gasoline stocks fell by 596,000 barrels last week, Energy Information Administration data showed on Wednesday.
The transatlantic arbitrage has been active in recent days with at least 12 tankers booked to load gasoline promptly in northwest Europe this week, according to shipping data.
A weak light oil distillates market, awash with supplies, has sent Asia's refining margin plunging below $3 a barrel this week for the first time since February, with no short-term rebound in sight for naphtha or gasoline.
Total naphtha flows into Asia for May have been provisionally assessed at 5.2 million to 5.5 million tonnes, up from April's volumes of about 4.9 million tonnes, according to Refinitiv data.
Russia's energy ministry said on Friday that tankers were being loaded with clean oil at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga after oil imports via its Druzhba pipeline were halted due to contamination.
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