(Repeats story published on March 26 for additional
subscribers)
* Prices fall as low as $10 a barrel, not seen since 1998
* Light grades slide as jet fuel and gasoline not needed
* Heavy and sour grades doing better but glut inevitable
By Julia Payne
LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - Brent oil futures may be
trading at $27 per barrel but oil producers are selling their
crude in the physical market at lower prices not seen since the
aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.
Most are offloading their oil for below $20 a barrel as the
coronavirus pandemic savages demand and global supply rises amid
a battle between Saudi Arabia and Russia for market share,
according to traders, state oil firms, major refiners and prices
quoted in physical markets.
While some crude grades typically sell at a discount to
Brent, the market environment is making that gap even wider and
other grades that usually cost more than the European benchmark
are now cheaper for the most time ever.
The discounting is leaving revenue per barrel at a fraction
of the prices factored into many 2020 budgets, which is likely
to put even more pressure on government finances in some oil
producing countries.
In extreme cases, once discounts and other costs have been
applied, the value of some producers' oil is close to $10 a
barrel while Venezuela's Merey crude sold for as little as $8
last week, according to Refinitiv data and traders.
While all types of crude have been hit, so-called light and
medium sweet grades are the least in demand, meaning the outlook
is bleaker for countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and
Nigeria, according to traders in oil from those countries.
Light grades with low density and sulphur are mostly used to
make naphtha, gasoline and jet fuel, refined products that are
both out of favour because of the economic fallout from the
pandemic and also hard to store for long.
While Moscow and Riyadh remain locked in their battle,
physical oil traders say a glut might push prices even lower as
more countries lock down and trade slows.
This week, Russia got as little as $18 per barrel for its
benchmark export grade medium sour Urals while Saudi Arabia was
selling its Arab Light in Europe for $16, according to Reuters
calculations based on official Saudi prices and Urals deals.
Canada's key Western Canada Select grade was worth $15 a
barrel on March 16, the last day of its monthly trading cycle,
and will now probably sell closer to $10 if its last discount of
$13.6 to the U.S. WTI benchmark is applied. Traders said the pressure on prices and the desire on the
part of sellers to offload crude quickly was evident in the way
deals were being struck at the moment.
"Normally, we used to discuss cargoes at bid versus offer
spreads of around 10 to 20 cents for several weeks before we
closed a deal," one trader at a major refining firm said.
"Now, we have bid versus offer spreads of $2 to £3 a barrel
and they're done immediately."
DOWNWARD CORRECTIONS
Just last week, analysts and leading traders predicted
global oil demand would drop by 10 million barrels per day, or
10% in the next months. A week later, top trading house Vitol
said it expected a 20% loss over the next few weeks.
Indian refiners are cutting back on output while European
plants are considering closures. Chinese demand is recovering
but it's the only bright spot as the United States, which
consumes a fifth of the world's fuel, is locking down.
In a sign of the demise of sweet grades, Azeri Light is
being priced at about 50 cents below dated Brent, the first time
it has ever fallen below the European benchmark. Forties, a
North Sea light sour oil, has fallen to $1.65 a barrel below
dated Brent, its lowest since 2008.
Gasoline and jet fuel do not store as long as other products
due to their high quality, seasonality and additives. Diesel,
fuel oil and crude oil, meanwhile, can sit in tanks for years.
"You can't store winter gasoline with the summer version and
now is the time when you have to switch. You can't really hold
gasoline in tank for longer than six months," said a European
crude and products trader.
"Sour grades are more economic right now for refiners but
that is only temporary as we will end up with a flood of diesel
and fuel oil," he said.
Nigeria, which is the biggest oil producer in Africa and
relies on crude for 90% of its foreign exchange earnings, is
struggling to sell its mainly light, sweet oil to refiners -
despite record price cuts. Algeria's light, sweet Saharan Blend and Kazakhstan's light,
sour grade CPC Blend, meanwhile, are trading at eight-year lows
with discounts of $2 and $4 to the price of Brent respectively.
Traders said cargoes of crude for delivery in April had not
been hit too badly because many of the deals were struck before
the oil market rout, but now prices would only go lower still.
"April was sold quite ahead of time as refiners plan several
months in advance but May will not be good. All the grades will
need more downward corrections," one trader said.
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Oil storage https://reut.rs/2JdYirX
Global oil storage https://reut.rs/2WE1lS1
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