Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Gasoline gains as Atlantic basin stocks draw
LONDON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe rose above $11 a barrel on Friday to their highest since late June as stronger U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . prices and lower inventories encouraged export economics from Europe.
* At least three new tanker bookings to the U.S. emerged in shipping data on Friday for loading in Europe in the first half of August.
* Lower inventories the ARA hub and on the U.S. East Coast have spurred interest in transatlantic exports from Europe.
* With (Other OTC: WWTH - news) gasoline prices switching in recent days into backwardation until November, traders have been releasing volumes from storage and opting to export them to the U.S. East Coast, Latin America and Canada, traders said.
* Norway's Statoil (LSE: 0M2Z.L - news) plans a turnaround throughout Sept. at its 205,000 barrels-per-day Mongstad refinery that will include a CDU and an FCC.
* Hungary's MOL plans a major maintenance turnaround involving several units at its 165,000 bpd Duna refinery from August to October. The refiner is also planning a smaller shutdown at the 110,000 bpd Bratislava refinery in October and November.
* Poland's PKN Orlen plans maintenance at its 330,000 bpd Plock refinery starting in August, that includes work on two CDU.
GASOLINE
* No barges traded in the afternoon window.
* Some 8,000 tonnes traded throughout the day at around $435-$441 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, up from $423-$430 a tonne on Thursday.
* Eight barges of premium unleaded gasoline traded at $448 a tonne fob ARA, up from $437-$439 a tonne on Thursday. Rolympus and Litasco sold to Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) .
* Gasoline barge refining margins rose to $11.54 a barrel, from $8.25, their highest since late June.
* The September swap stood at around $436.50 a tonne at the close, up from $427.15 a tonne.
* Brent crude oil futures fell by 39 cents to $43.90 a barrel by 1548 GMT.
* U.S. August RBOB gasoline futures were up 0.22 percent at 1.3710 a gallon.
* The U.S. gasoline crack (RB-CL1=R) was trading at $16.04 a barrel, up by nearly a dollar on from levels on Thursday.
NAPHTHA (NAF-C-NWE)
* No naphtha cargoes traded. (Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar)