LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Sales had not yet picked up on
Friday as potential buyers balked at high offers amid an
unfavourable market structure and poor margins.
* Sales of West African crude continued to be slow as Brent
crude futures moved toward $50 a barrel, market backwardation
strengthened, freight rates remained high and offer prices for
physical oil cargoes remained too high for many sellers.
* Exxon Mobil sold its cargo of Angolan CLOV and Equinor its
cargo of Dalia both for a little below dated Brent plus $2 -
down as much as 50 cents from offers earlier in the week.
* Only one of eight cargoes of Congolese Djeno crude for
export in January has yet been sold, after a finalised programme
added another cargo for loading on Jan. 30-31.
* Vitol won a tender issued by South Africa's Sasol for
crude for early February arrival with a cargo of Nigerian
Okwuibome. Price details did not immediately emerge.
* China's Unipec purchased two cargoes of Cameroonian Kole
crude via a tender by Perenco and SNH.
* Differentials for Nigerian crude were easing, with offers
for medium sweet Usan crude slipping to dated Brent plus 80
cents from $1.50 around two weeks ago.
* Nigerian crude was facing ever stiffer competition from
U.S. crude, where production hit the highest levels since May.
* Uruguay's state-run ANCAP has issued a tender for January
arrival set to close next week.
* Two tenders issued by India's IOC closed on Friday but
details on winners did not immediately emerge.
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