SINGAPORE: The HiLo fuel oil spread, which is the price difference between front-month 0.5% very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and 380-cst high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) swaps, narrowed 7% throughout July after striking a record high in end-June, Refinitiv data showed.
This was led by a softening low-sulphur fuel market in the second half of the month, with its cash differentials sliding sharply towards two-month lows by the end of July on prospects of higher supply replenishment into August.
The 0.5% VLSFO cash differential climbed 8 cents to a premium of $48.38 per tonne over Singapore quotes on Friday, steadying after declining for eight straight sessions.
In contrast, the 380-cst HSFO cash differential staged a recovery towards two-month highs this week, climbing to a premium of $5.66 per tonne over Singapore quotes on Friday.
HSFO differentials have hovered in discounts to slight premiums for most of the month, though front-month margins remained near multi-year lows, reflecting weak supply-demand fundamentals in the longer term.
Pakistan’s PSO has issued tenders to purchase fuel oil for October delivery, after having consistently sought supplies in the past three months to meet power generation demand.
The company is seeking four fuel oil cargoes in its latest tenders, including one HSFO and one LSFO cargo for the first half of October, and another HSFO and LSFO cargo for the second half of October, documents on its website showed.
Pakistan posted record monthly highs for imports and petroleum-related purchases in June, central bank data showed on Wednesday, as the country battled to avert a full-blown economic crisis.
Fuel oil inventories in the ARA refining and storage hub fell 3% to 1.13 million tonnes in the week ended July 28, latest data from Dutch consultancy Insights Global showed.
Oil prices traded sideways on Friday, lifted by supply concerns as attention turns to the next meeting between OPEC and its allies, though fears of recession capped gains.
China’s Sinopec Corp 0386.HK announced a string of deals with UK-based chemical and energy group INEOS including the sale of a 50% stake in Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical for 10.5 billion yuan ($1.56 billion).
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said it had shut down its operations at Fujairah terminal due to “exceptional rainfall.”
Comments
Comments are closed.