Physical cargoes of crude oil from Russia, the U.S. and the Middle East were getting snapped up at higher prices as buyers across Asia entered a bidding war to secure supplies.
January shipments of Russian ESPO, a favorite among Chinese and Japanese refiners, were sold at a five-month high premium over Dubai prices after spot differentials for Sokol rose $1 a barrel. In the Middle East, Chinese byers were were seen buying grades such as Das at a premium to its official price, even though the light-sour variety is typically not popular among the nation’s processors.
PetroNeft Resources plc (LON:PTR) is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, focussed on Russia. The company’s shares are listed on the London AIM and Dublin ESM Markets.