Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe were stable on Thursday as ARA stocks dropped in the past week on firming export demand. Total oil product stocks in independently held storage in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub fell to their lowest this year in the past week, data from Dutch consultancy PJK International showed Gasoline declined by over 7 percent on the back of busy exports on the transatlantic route and to West Africa
EIA data showed US weekly gasoline stocks were up 1.17 million barrels at 237.98 million barrels last week. Colonial Pipeline Co on Thursday said its multi-product pipelines, Line 3 and 4, have resumed normal operations after being temporarily shut as a precaution to investigate an "issue". There were no trades of eurobob gasoline during the afternoon trading window. A bid emerged at $691 a tonne fob ARA.
Elsewhere, 10,000 tonnes of eurobob gasoline traded on barges at $686.75-$694 a tonne fob AR, compared with $689-$699 a tonne the previous day. AOT, Total and NOC sold to Shell, BP and Trafigura. No barges of premium unleaded gasoline traded. An offer came in at $697 a tonne fob ARA, up from an offer on Wednesday at $693 a tonne. The June swap stood at $693.50 a tonne at the close, up from$692.50 a tonne. The benchmark EBOB gasoline refining margin was little changed at $8.82 a barrel. Brent crude futures were down 27 cents to $73.09 a barrel by 1545 GMT.