SINGAPORE- Middle East crude benchmarks edged down for a second session on Wednesday, while Murban was sold at the widest discount in close to a year.

BP sold a 500,000-barrel Murban crude cargo loading in September to Chevron in what is likely the first deal for the Abu Dhabi grade this month, according to data posted on the website of Japanese price reporting company RIM.

The cargo for loading on Sept. 1 to 25 was sold at 45 cents a barrel below its official selling price (OSP), RIM reported.

The discount is the lowest seen for the grade in close to a year, Refinitiv data shows. MUR-1Madn-

This was due to Murban's high OSP compared with similar-quality grades and as demand from North Asian refiners is set to fall during the autumn maintenance season, trade sources said.

Separately, Iraq's SOMO issued tenders to sell Basra crude for August loading. CRU/TENDA

SOMO has cut the August OSP for Basra Light crude to Asia, but raised the price for Basra Heavy slightly. 

Kuwait Petroleum Corp has cut the OSPs for two key crude grades due for sale to Asia in August.

 

WINDOW: Cash Dubai's premium to swaps edged down 9 cents to 96 cents a barrel. Unipec will deliver a second Upper Zakum crude cargo to Shell following the trades.

NEWS

U.S. crude oil production will rise to an all-time high of 12.36 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2019 from a record 10.96 million bpd last year, the Energy Information Administration said in its Short Term Energy Outlook on Tuesday. 

U.S. oil producers on Tuesday began evacuating and shutting in production at their deepwater Gulf of Mexico platforms in advance of a tropical disturbance expected to become a storm this week. 

Russian oil production fell close to a three-year low in early July, as output was undermined by a row between Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft and the country's biggest producer, Rosneft. 

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port exported a record 283,333 bpd of light sweet crude last month, according to trade sources, as prices weakened against global Brent. 

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Dale Hudson) ((Florence.Tan@thomsonreuters.com; +65 6870 3497; Reuters Messaging: florence.tan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))