Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Cracks slide on higher crude, thin demand

LONDON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe fell sharply on Monday to just over $9 a barrel as crude gained over 3 percent and demand in the ARA hub waned.

* New (KOSDAQ: 160550.KQ - news) tanker bookings to the U.S. Atlantic Coast slowed down following the resumption last week of the Colonial Pipeline.

* But shipping reports showed bookings of the motor fuel from northwest Europe to west Africa picked up last week. Traders said a recovery in Nigerian crude output meant the OPEC member had extra crude to swap for oil products.

* Barge trading activity was thin on Monday, as low Rhine water levels and a seasonal switch from summer grade to winter grade spec stymied demand, barge brokers said.

* Ratings agency Moody's said the outlook for refining and marketing industry Europe, the Middle East and Africa and in North America remains negative as demand continues to lag supply.

* The amount of gasoline produced in 2015 through mid-2016 on the back of low crude prices has helped outpace demand for gasoline and distillates in every major economy, the agency said.

* China's August gasoline stockpiles dropped by 1.55 percent on the month to 8 million tonnes, official data showed on Monday.

* Western naphtha arrivals into Asia for October are expected to close below 1 million tonnes for the fourth straight month and significantly lower compared to the 12-month running average of 1.44 million tonnes as of August, according to assessments by Thomson Reuters Supply Chain & Commodities Research.

* October arrivals have been assessed to close the month at around 650,000 tonne, 16 percent lower versus September volumes.

GASOLINE

* No barges of benchmark eurobob winter grade gasoline traded. Offers for winter grade were seen at $477 a tonne fob ARA, compared with offers at $476 a tonne on Friday.

* Some 4,000 tonnes of winter gasoline traded earlier in the day at $465 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, up from $463-$464 a tonne on Friday. Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) sold to Varo and Rolympus.

* There were no trades, bids or offers of premium unleaded gasoline barges.

* The October swap stood at $472 a tonne at the close, up from $469.50 a tonne.

* Gasoline barge refining margins fell to $9.08 from $10.77 a barrel on Friday.

* Brent crude oil futures were up $1.51 a barrel at $47.40 by 1536 GMT.

* U.S. October RBOB gasoline futures were up 2.37 percent at 1.4095 a gallon.

* The U.S. gasoline crack (RB-CL1=R) was trading at $12.53 a barrel, up from $12.31 a barrel.

NAPHTHA (NAF-C-NWE)

* No trades were reported.

(Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar)