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Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Cracks fall as crude firms, exports support
LONDON, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 2 (Reuters) - Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe ended the week lower as crude futures reversed losses in the afternoon, but overseas demand capped losses.
* Shipping reports showed several tanker bookings to move gasoline from the Mediterranean and northwest Europe to the Middle East, West Africa and the United States.
* There was also interest in moving reformate from ARA to Singapore, with one 60,000 cargo booked along the route.
* The Dutch FNV union says it will reduce operations at Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) 's 404,000 bpd Pernis oil refinery in the Netherlands by 50 percent on Dec. 7 if pay demands are not met.
* A Shell spokeswoman said: "The unions indicated that they intend to continue activities [as early as next Wednesday]. Should this be the case, they will have a financial consequence. We are confident that we are going to reach a solution."
* Water levels along the Rhine river continued to decrease. Barge activity in inland German markets was slow but owners expected more activity next week, barge brokerage Riverlake said.
* Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc shut down the 18,000-bpd alky unit at the Girard Point section of its Philadelphia refinery complex on Thursday for planned work, according to a source familiar with the plant's operations.
GASOLINE
* No barges of benchmark Eurobob gasoline traded. Bids were seen at $511 a tonne fob ARA, down from $515 a tonne on Thursday.
* Elsewhere during the day, 15,000 tonnes of gasoline traded at $499.50-$516 a tonne fob ARA, compared with $485-$518 a tonne on Thursday.
* The January swap stood at $513 a tonne fob ARA at the close.
* Gunvor sold to Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) one barge of premium unleaded gasoline at $523 a tonne fob ARA, down from $525 a tonne the previous day.
* Gasoline barge refining margins fell to $8.10 a barrel from $9.54 a barrel previously.
* U.S. December RBOB gasoline futures were trading 0.91 percent higher at 1.5611 a gallon by 1653 GMT.
* The U.S. gasoline crack (RBC1-CLC1) traded at $14.20 a barrel, up from $13.94 a barrel.
NAPHTHA (NAF-C-NWE)
* Shell sold a cargo to Total at $462.50 a tonne CIF NWE.
(Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar)
