SINGAPORE- Middle East crude benchmarks Oman and Dubai were flat on Monday despite the flurry of deals on Platts window.

Glencore will deliver an Upper Zakum crude cargo to Gunvor following the trades. This is the second such cargo Gunvor has purchased on the pricing platform this month.

 

RUSSIAN CRUDE:

Russia's Surgutneftegaz sold three cargoes of ESPO crude at the lowest premiums in four months as demand from Chinese independent refiners remained weak, three trade sources said on Monday. 

This is the second consecutive month that premiums for the Russian grade, which is mostly exported to China via the Far East port of Kozmino, have fallen. ESPO-DUB

Import demand from Chinese independent refiners, that account for a fifth of China's imports, cooled in the second and third quarter following the country's investigations into the trading of crude import quotas.

Surgutneftegaz sold three cargoes for loading in late September to early October via a tender, at premiums between $1.80 and $2.20 a barrel to Dubai quotes, the sources said.

Buyers likely included Mercuria and Vitol, they added.

Surgut has offered another five cargoes while Gazprom Neft offered a cargo in their tenders to close later on Monday. 

 

ASIA-PACIFIC CRUDE

PV Oil has sold October-loading Chim Sao and Su Tu Den at lower premiums via tenders after Vietnam increased exports as domestic demand fell.

 

REFINERY

China's daily crude throuhgput last month fell to the lowest since May 2020 as independent plants slashed production amid a tighter quotas, high inventories and weakening profits.

Last month's processing volumes were 59.06 million tonnes, or 13.9 million barrels per day (bpd), 0.9% below the same month of 2020, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday.

 

NEWS

BHP Group Ltd is in talks to sell its petroleum business to Australia's top independent gas producer Woodside Petroleum Ltd  in exchange for shares, the companies confirmed on Monday. 

Sales of gasoil and gasoline by Indian state-run retailers fell in the first fortnight of August from a month earlier as monsoon rains curtailed demand for auto fuels, preliminary sales data showed. 

China's state-owned Yantian Port Group is reviving a 19 million-barrel oil storage facility in the Zhoushan archipelago after acquiring the asset from a debt-laden private firm, according to two industry sources and local state media. 

Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah will begin to import gasoline and diesel from Iran, its leader said on Sunday. 

(Reporting by Florence Tan, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) ((Florence.Tan@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: florence.tan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))