SINGAPORE, May 15 (Reuters) - The Asia-Pacific crude market traded higher on Tuesday with North West Shelf condensate cargoes trading higher amid improved naphtha premiums, trade sources said.
AUSTRALIA
* Woodside Petroleum has sold a North West Shelf condensate cargo at a discount of 20 cents to 50 cents a barrel to dated Brent, traders said. Details of the buyer were not immediately available.
BHP had earlier sold the July 2-July 6 loading cargo to Unipec at a discount of 50 cents to $1 a barrel to dated Brent.
Improving naphtha spot premiums and lower availability of South Pars condensate helped market sentiment to improve, an industry source said.
BRENT-DUBAI EFS
* Brent's premium to Dubai swaps DUB-EFS-1M was at $4.28 per barrel, up 14 cents from the previous session.
NEWS
* China's refinery runs rose nearly 12 percent in April compared with the same month a year ago, hitting the second-highest level on record on a daily basis, buoyed by generous government quotas and healthy refining margins, data showed on Tuesday. throughput grew to 49.58 million tonnes, 11.5 percent higher than in the same month last year, according to data released by the National Statistical Bureau on Tuesday, equivalent to 12.06 million barrels per day (bpd) - a touch below an all-time high of 12.13 million bpd in March.
* South Korea's SK Innovation, owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, expects refining margins to remain steady in the second quarter, backed by solid demand. Innovation's forecast follows a similar projection made by rival S-Oil Corp 010950.KS that expects market fundamentals to continuously support margins with refinery capacity additions lagging demand growth globally.
* Global oil supplies are plentiful enough to withstand a "significant reduction" in petroleum exports from Iran, according to a White House memo issued on Monday as the Trump administration prepares to reimpose sanctions on the OPEC member nation. Qatar Petroleum (QP) said on Tuesday it was inviting international companies to bid for the development and operation of a new petrochemicals complex at Ras Laffan Industrial City. state energy company told Reuters this month it would push ahead with expansion plans despite a regional political and economic embargo on Doha.
* Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC has issued crude export contracts that are expected to last two years instead of the usual one year, trading sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. partial preliminary list showed 30 companies including the world's largest energy traders Vitol, Trafigura and Glencore (LON:GLEN).
For crude prices, oil product cracks and refining margins, please click on the RICs below.
Brent
BRENTSGMc1
Dubai
DUBSGSWMc2
Brent/Dubai EFS
DUB-EFS-1M
PRODUCT CRACKS
Fuel oil crack
FO180SGCKMc1
Gasoil crack
GOSGCKMc1
Naphtha crack
NAFOBSGCKMc1
Complex refining margins REF/MARGIN1