Market structure for key fuel oil grades softened in Asia on Wednesday amid sell-offs, trade sources said, while refining cracks also declined from the previous session.

Backwardation for very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) narrowed for the prompt trading months, while the 380-cst high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) structure flipped into contango.

Sources said that the market is still expecting plentiful incoming supply this month.

Cracks also fell despite a drop in crude prices. October VLSFO crack closed at a premium of about $8 a barrel, while 380-cst HSFO crack fell to a discount of $5.85 a barrel, based on data compiled by LSEG.

Meanwhile, a flurry of 380-cst HSFO trades emerged on Wednesday in the spot market, with differentials ranging from parity to discounts from cargo quotes. Trafigura was the main buyer of these cargoes.

INVENTORY DATA

– Fujairah heavy fuel inventories fell 14.1% to 5.55 million barrels (0.87 million tons) in the week to September 1, FOIZ data published by S&P Global Commodity Insights showed.

OTHER NEWS

– Oil prices eased in Asia on Wednesday but held near one-month highs on the back of new U.S. sanctions on a network of shipping companies and vessels, while traders looked ahead to an OPEC+ meeting over the weekend.

– The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned a network of shipping companies and vessels led by an Iraqi-Kittitian businessman for smuggling Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil.

– Mexican state oil company Pemex signed its first mixed contracts with private sector partners in a bid to reverse declining hydrocarbon production, according to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government report delivered to Congress.

– Shell will not resume construction of a biofuels facility at its Shell Energy and Chemicals Park in Rotterdam after an in-depth evaluation found it would not be competitive, the company said on Wednesday.
Source: Reuters