LONDON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Offers for West African crude
held steady as sellers hoped margins would soon boost appetite,
but sellers awaited further price falls.
* Around ten cargoes of Angolan crude were still available,
with a trader expressing optimism that relatively high margins
for jet fuel in Asia and Europe could soon boost sales.
* Offer levels stayed largely steady from the previous day,
after differentials had largely been slipping in the last two
weeks due to slow Chinese demand.
* Backwardation and freight rates largely explained the lack
of sales.
* Firm gasoline and naphtha margins in Europe kept offers
for light sweet Nigerian crude relatively buoyant, at between 50
cents to a dollar above dated Brent.
* India's IOC issued a buy tender for crude loading Feb.
1-10 which includes several West African grades, closed on
Thursday but results did not immediately emerge.
* Indonesia's Pertamina issued a buy tender for February
arrival cargoes. The tender closes Dec. 11.
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plants in November at 100% capacity for the first time since
February, to meet rising local fuel demand, it said in a
statement on Thursday.