MIDEAST: Iraq's SOMO may have awarded a tender to sell 1 million barrels of Basra Heavy crude loading in December to Repsol at 15 cents a barrel above its OSP, a trader said. The deal could not be independently verified.

RUSSIA: ESPO crude premiums continued to climb as the Brent-Dubai spread widened further. Gazprom sold an ESPO cargo loading Feb. 3-13 via a tender at a premium of $3.25-$3.30 a barrel to an unknown buyer, traders said.

More ESPO are expected to move next week when the loading programme is finalised.

ASIA-PACIFIC CRUDE: China's Fuhaichuang, formerly Dragon Aromatics, may have bought two Australian condensate cargoes for February delivery, including a North West Shelf (NWS) condensate , traders said.

Mitsui has bought the only Pyrenees cargo loading in February at a premium of more than $4 a barrel to dated Brent, traders said.

More regional crude tenders are due to be awarded by the end of this week.