Oil from U.S. reserves sent overseas as gasoline prices stay high

  • SHARE

  • mailMail

Oil from U.S. reserves sent overseas ...

  • SHARE

  • mail

Commodity

Oil

Writer

IPG Staff2

Oil · 07 July, 2022

Oil from U.S. reserves sent overseas as gasoline prices stay high

More than 5 million barrels of oil that were part of a historic U.S. emergency reserves release to lower domestic fuel prices were exported to Europe and Asia last month, according to data and sources, even as U.S. gasoline and diesel prices hit record highs.

Commodity

Oil

Writer

IPG Staff2

AY2YoMaJ1ryYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC

HOUSTON, July 5 (Reuters) - More than 5 million
barrels of oil that were part of a historic U.S. emergency reserves release to
lower domestic fuel prices were exported to Europe and Asia last month,
according to data and sources, even as U.S. gasoline and diesel prices hit
record highs.

 

The export of crude and fuel is blunting the impact of
the moves by U.S. President Joe Biden to lower record pump prices. Biden on
Saturday renewed a call for gasoline suppliers to cut their prices, drawing
criticism from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

 

About 1 million barrels per day is being released from
the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through October. The flow is draining the
SPR, which last month fell to the lowest since 1986. U.S. crude futures are
above $100 per barrel and gasoline and diesel prices above $5 a gallon in
one-fifth of the nation. U.S. officials have said oil prices could be higher if
the SPR had not been tapped.

 

"The SPR remains a critical energy security tool
to address global crude oil supply disruptions," a Department of Energy
spokesperson said, adding that the emergency releases helped ensure stable
supply of crude oil.

 

The fourth-largest U.S. oil refiner, Phillips 66
(PSX.N), shipped about 470,000 barrels of sour crude from the Big Hill SPR
storage site in Texas to Trieste, Italy, according to U.S. Customs data.
Trieste is home to a pipeline that sends oil to refineries in central Europe.

 

Atlantic Trading & Marketing (ATMI), an arm of
French oil major Total Energies (TTEF.PA), exported 2 cargoes of 560,000
barrels each, the data showed.

Phillips 66 declined to comment on trading activity.
ATMI did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Cargoes of SPR crude were also headed to the
Netherlands and to a Reliance (RELI.NS) refinery in India, an industry source
said. A third cargo headed to China, another source said.

 

At least one cargo of crude from the West Hackberry
SPR site in Louisiana was set to be exported in July, a shipping source added.

 

"Crude and fuel prices would likely be higher if
(the SPR releases) hadn't happened, but at the same time, it isn't really
having the effect that was assumed," said Matt Smith, lead oil analyst at
Kpler.

 

The latest exports follow three vessels that carried
SPR crude to Europe in April helping replace Russian crude supplies.

 










































U.S. crude inventories are the lowest since 2004 as
refineries run near peak levels. Refineries in the U.S. Gulf coast were at
97.9% utilization, the most in three and a half years.

By Arathy Somasekhar/July 7, 2022 7:25 AM GMT+8