Russian gasoil and fuel exports fell 25.4 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, in April from the month before, while shipments of gasoline increased by 6.8 percent, Energy Ministry data and Reuters calculations showed. Russian domestic supplies of gasoline was down by 9.5 percent, but gas oil and fuel oil local shipments rose by 23.1 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively.
Russian oil refinery runs in April fell by 1.2 percent month-on-month or 64,098 barrels per day (bpd) due to ongoing seasonal maintenance, data from the Energy Ministry and Reuters calculations showed, so gas oil production was down 10.1 percent month-on-month at 195,193 tonnes per day. According to the Energy Ministry data, Russia's offline oil refining capacity has been revised up by 16 pct to 2.6 million tonnes in April due to unplanned maintenance.
Moreover, local supplies were up on growing demand and higher prices, while traders had to rebuild oil products stockpiles after heavy exports in February-March. Russia has started converting all the pipelines delivering gasoil to ultra low-sulphur diesel (ULSD) in April. So far ULSD, known also as Euro V, with sulphur content of 10 parts per million (10 ppm), has been supplied by Transneft via the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk. It supplied 11.3 million tonnes last year.
Gasoil exports decreased by 6.8 percent, while local shipments rose 4.3 percent. Total production of gasoil was down in April by 4.3 percent year-on-year to 5.856 million tonnes. Exports of fuel increased by 5.5 percent, while local supplies fell by 19.4 percent on a yearly basis. Fuel oil output was slightly up 0.8 percent compared to a year ago.