LONDON: A slowdown in transatlantic gasoline exports from Europe were weighing on margins on Monday with refineries in the US Gulf already preparing to restart in the wake of Hurricane Nate.
Some oil ports, producers and refiners in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama that shut facilities ahead of Hurricane Nate were planning to reopen as the storm moved inland on Sunday, away from most energy infrastructure on the US Gulf Coast.
Exports from Europe were already slowing after most US Gulf Coast refinery operations returned to normal following Hurricane Harvey, which struck in late August.
But sellers could still place cargoes in Latin America, West Africa and the Middle East, traders said.
The market could also find some support from seasonal refinery maintenance tightening supplies.
BP will close its 105,500 barrel per day (bpd) Castellon, Spain, oil refinery for roughly a month of maintenance work, sources told Reuters.
Partial maintenance at Shell's 404,000 barrels per day Pernis oil refinery was also supporting the market, traders said. Shell last week said that it planned a "major shutdown" involving 12 units at Pernis in October and November.
GASOLINE
Total sold a barge of EBOB gasoline to Shell at $547 a tonne fob ARA. This compares with a bid at the same level on Friday.
Earlier in the day, some 6,000 tonnes of traded at $536-$540 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, down from $543-$560.50 a tonne on Friday. Total sold to Shell, Varo and Gunvor.
There were no trades, bids or offers of premium unleaded gasoline.
BP and Total each bid for fob Aspropyrgos cargo at $542 a tonne.
The November swap stood at $528.50 a tonne at the close, up $2 a tonne.
The benchmark EBOB gasoline refining margin stood at $8.62 a barrel.
Brent crude futures were virtually unchanged at $55.64 a barrel at 1549 GMT.
US front-month RBOB gasoline futures were up 0.04 percent at 1.5595 a gallon.
The RBOB crack versus US crude was 0.8 percent lower at $16.05 a barrel.
NAPHTHA
Glencore sold to Litasco and Vitol sold to PetroIneos at $499 a tonne cif NWE.
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