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Refining

China’s middle distillate exports set for sharp rise

It would certainly appear that the conditions for a sharp rise in exports of gasoil, the refinery term for middle distillate fuels diesel and kerosene, are in place.

Nigeria holds talks with Chevron, Total and Eni to revamp refineries

The West African nation has been trying to restart its outdated refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to end its dependency on costly fuel imports.

US gasoline, distillate stocks fall as run rates rise

Refinery crude runs rose by 414,000 bpd and refinery utilization rates rose 2 percentage points to 90.4% of total capacity, the highest rate seasonally since 2005.

Colombia’s Ecopetrol seeks $2 billion from CB&I over refinery costs

Ecopetrol has said bad management at CB&I increased spending on the project by $4 billion, or double the original price tag. Ecopetrol filed the suit before the International Chamber of Commerce.

US, Indian gasoline demand boosts outlook for oil

Hedge funds have turned very bullish about the outlook for oil prices based on indicators showing strong gasoline demand in the US and India.

US investigates Brazil’s Odebrecht, Braskem over naphtha contracts

Local daily Valor Economico said the Justice Department was focusing its investigation on whether the companies violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in naphtha supply contracts.

Iran’s lack of storage access limits oil exports to European refiners

Some 45-50 million barrels of Iran's oil are estimated to be held in tankers at sea, barely changed from the amounts thought to be in floating storage before sanctions were lifted at the start of the year.

Morocco’s refiner Samir appeals liquidation ruling

Samir, controlled by Corral Petroleum, halted production last August due to financial difficulties. "We had 10 days to file an appeal and we finally did it on Thursday," Samir's lawyer said.

Meridian Energy applies for permits to build new North Dakota refinery

The proposed Davis refinery in North Dakota will be the first “greenfield” complex high-conversion refinery built in many years, according to company officials.

Oil price war scares sense of US energy security

Imports will almost certainly increase further over the remainder of the year as refineries ramp up production to meet record gasoline consumption and US crude output continues to decline.