Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Gasoline cracks ease on limited exports

LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe started the week slightly lower as trading activity remained subdued and exports were limited.

* Reuters shipping data showed limited new transatlantic bookings from Europe despite a sharp drop in U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . inventories of the motor fuel according to the latest EIA data..

* Several cargoes of mixed aromatics were booked out of Europe to China in past week including by Afco and Gunvor but the relatively strong cracks will likely limit the arbitrage, traders said.

* Colonial Pipeline Co on Friday said its main gasoline and distillate pipelines were shut to investigate a potential integrity issue.

* The company expects to restart Line 1 in the latter part of this week.

* Traders said the shutdown was weighing on U.S. Gulf gasoline prices.

* Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) has shut down some units at its 247,000 barrels-per-day Gonfreville refinery in northern France following a technical incident in a steam unit, a spokesman said on Monday.

* The units involved and length of the shutdown were not clear.

* Algeria's Sonatrach issued a tender to buy 7 cargoes, or 210,000 tonnes of 95 RON gasoline in October for delivery into Algiers and Arzew, according to a tender document seen by Reuters. The tender closes on Sept. 21.

* Egyptian General Petroleum Corp is seeking two cargoes of 30,000 to 33,000 tonnes each of 95-octane gasoline for delivery in October.

GASOLINE

* No barges of benchmark Eurobob gasoline during the afternoon trading session. Bids were seen at $490 a tonne fob ARA with an offer for later delivery seen at $503 a tonne.

* Some 14,000 tonnes traded earlier in the day at a volume-weighted-average price of $488.75 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, down from trade at $496 a tonne during the previous session.

* Rolympus sold to Total two barges of premium unleaded gasoline at $508 a tonne fob ARA, unchanged.

* The October swap stood at around $469 a tonne at the close, up from $467 a tonne.

* Gasoline barge refining margins slightly declined to $10.22 a a barrel from $10.53 a barrel on Friday.

* Brent crude oil futures were up 39 cents at $48.40 a barrel by 1555 GMT.

* U.S. August RBOB gasoline futures were up 2.58 percent at 1.3962 a gallon.

* The U.S. gasoline crack (RB-CL1=R) was trading at $12.22 a a barrel, up from $11.15 a barrel.

NAPHTHA (NAF-C-NWE)

* BP sold two cargoes to Gunvor at $402 and $403 a tonne cif NWE.

(Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar)