LONDON: Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe rose sharply on Thursday following an 8 percent fall in ARA stocks in the past week.
Gasoline stocks were down to 892,000 tonnes in the week to Thursday as cargoes of the motor fuel were shipped to the Asia Pacific, the United States and West Africa, according to PJK International.
In contrast, US gasoline stocks rose last week by 3.3 million barrels, weighing on arbitrage economics from Europe.
Exports to Brazil have picked up in recent weeks, with at least four tankers carrying nearly 200,000 tonnes booked on the route, according to Reuters shipping data and traders.
Around 700,000 tonnes have been exported from Europe to Brazil so far this year, roughly in line with the same period a year earlier, according to traders.
The bookings follow a slump in export activities in recent weeks.
Abu Dhabi Petroleum Ports Authority has re-imposed a ban on oil tankers linked to Qatar calling at ports in the United Arab Emirates, reversing an earlier decision to ease restrictions, and potentially creating a logjam of crude cargoes.
GASOLINE
No barges of benchmark Eurobob gasoline traded. There was a bid at $507 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp.
Outside the window, 19,000 tonnes of barges traded at $513-$515 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, compared with trades at $507-$522 a tonne on Wednesday. CCI, Total, Phillips66 and Freepoint sold to BP and Varo.
Two barges of premium unleaded traded at $510 a tonne fob ARA.
Varo sold a barge of 98 RON to BP at $593 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam.
Total and BP each offered a fob Mediterranean cargo at $496 and $492 a tonne without attracting any buyers.
The June swap stood at $499 a tonne at the close, down from $500.50 a tonne the previous day.
Brent crude futures were 16 cents higher at $48.22 a barrel by 1548 GMT.
Gasoline barge refining margins rose to $14.47 a barrel, from $13.42 a barrel.
US front-month RBOB gasoline futures were 0.58 percent higher at $1.5 a gallon.
The RBOB crack versus US crude stood at $17 a barrel, up from $16.72 a barrel.
NAPHTHA
BP sold a cargo to BASF at $398.50 a tonne cif NWE.
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