Nigeria has increased its official selling price (OSP) for major crude grades on perked-up demand. Nigeria’s National Petroleum Corporation significantly raised the July OSP for major grades, Bonny Light 156 cents per barrel last month, to 204 cents and Qua Iboe, from 171 cents per barrel, to 215 cents.
The move shows the new confidence in Nigerian barrels of oil has been selling to Europe in June, due to shortfalls hitting competing North Sea fields. But at least, 20 cargoes remain for July loading, as preliminary August programmes were awaited imminently.
In Angola, around half a dozen cargoes remain for July loading, while the preliminary programme for August added another 45 cargoes.
China’s Unipec is still offering West African cargoes on the Platts Window after doing so for several grades last month, partly to attract market attention due to slow demand and also to offload unwanted crude.
Asian refining margins for 10 parts per million (ppm) gasoil, a key middle distillate refined from heavier Angolan barrels, slipped on Friday as crude prices rose, a sign that Asian demand for heavier West African (WAF) crude may remain sluggish in the interim.
Finalization of state oil company, Sonangol’s term allocations was expected, with sellers keen to see price markdowns for later selling of July cargoes to be continued into August. But as China draws down stocks of Iranian crude it bought in bulk in April ahead of U.S. sanctions, traders say Angola might be sought after especially as new commercial tanks are expected to come online very soon.