Middle East crude benchmarks mixed

Middle East crude benchmarks Oman and Dubai were mixed on Friday, while Asia's spot premiums for Russian ESPO Blend crude and Iraqi Basra Light softened slightly.

Iraq's SOMO sold 1 million barrels of Basra Light crude oil loading June 28-30 at a premium of around $4.50 a barrel to its official selling price (OSP) to a Taiwan buyer via a spot tender awarded on Thursday, traders said.

Earlier this month, Phillips 66 had sold 1 million barrels of June-loading Basra Light crude to a Chinese buyer at a premium of around $4.70 a barrel to its OSP in the spot market.

Taiwan's CPC has bought 500,000 barrels of July-loading Upper Zakum crude at a premium of above $1.50 to its OSP via a monthly tender, traders said. Thailand's IPRC has bought Murban crude via a monthly tender, traders said. While trade details were not immediately known, July-loading Murban crude has been priced at spot premiums of around $1.30-$1.50 a barrel to its OSP.

Russian oil producer Surgut offered two more cargoes of ESPO Blend crude loading July 21-28 and July 24-31 in its fourth tender for the month, closing on Friday.

Surgut sold two July-loading cargoes of ESPO crude at premiums of around $3.20 a barrel to Dubai quotes via its third spot tender awarded on Thursday, traders said. The cargoes were offered to load over July 13-20 and July 16-23. The buyers were ChemChina and BP.

Vietnam's PV Oil has sold a 500,000-barrel cargo of Su Tu Den crude loading July 7-13 at a premium of around $2.5 a barrel to dated Brent to domestic Binh Son refinery, traders said.