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An update on gasoil's state of play

By: Harry Altham, Energy Analyst, Market Analysis EMEA & Asia

An update on gasoil's state of play 
 
Harry Altham
Energy Analyst, EMEA & Asia
ICE Gasoil and NYM Heating Oil have experienced tumultuous rides over the last six months, culminating in periods of extreme volatility after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Amid fears of dried-out pumps in Eastern Europe, and ever-tightening global inventories, we discuss the key fundamentals to consider, and the prospects to be aware of in light of today's European Commission announcement proposing an embargo on Russian oil.
The first thing of note is what the West stands to lose due to Russia’s invasion. 27% of Europe’s pre-war total oil imports were from Russia (5% for the United States) – much of which had been used for refined product exports (39% of Europe's total petroleum imports refined into oil products for export) as well as regional consumption. The main blend that both Europe and America imported from Russia is the Urals blend - which, with a sulphur content of 1.6% and an API of 30, has a strong diesel yield – meaning Europe now lacks a key provenance of oil for refining into diesel. Urals imports amounted to around 2.1M bbd in 2021, and the drop in Russian oil imports that began before the war is evidenced in Europe’s refined product exports, which saw a 16% fall in February 2022 – a pattern which is widely expected to continue. 
image-20220504145939-1
Source: PJK
Inventory data fuels the fire
The problem for Europe is not only the risk of lost imports moving forward, but also the state of its inventory; refined product imports from Russia stood at around 1M bbd before the war (750k bbd of this was gasoil products), while ARA gasoil inventories have fallen to 14-year lows and have fallen by 40% on June 2021. Registered seaborne exports of Russian crude to Europe has have  fallen to zero following the invasion, although the number of unregistered exports out of Western Russian ports has increased from zero in February to seven in May. Some are thought to be being loaded on supertankers destined for Asia, although it is thought that some could undergo ship-to-ship transfers in the Mediterranean for European destinations. Pipeline-transported oil has been relatively unscathed (40% of Russian exports to Europe) although there was a major risk that would also fall to zero after the 15th May. 
image-20220504150132-2
Source: PJK

Finding alternatives is a tall order
Moving forward, alternatives are being sought, primarily from the United States, Middle East and Africa. The most appropriate alternative sources would be West African oil in terms of chemical properties and ease of transit, but the region has experienced severe production problems over the last twelve months; Nigeria and Angola have produced 1M bbd less than has been quoted for them by OPEC+ during that period – therefore imports from that region are not reliable. This would lead us to deduce that the Gulf States will take up a major share of the new sources of origin – although the traditional frictionality of their export agreements with India and China mean that negotiations are protracted, and the costs for European purchasers are exceptionally high (up to a record $35 above the Dubai benchmark). 
With liquidity falling by 40% on a one-year seasonal basis (exchange margin requirements were a major factor), this saw bouts of extreme volatility, with the outright reaching $1,600 and the GO/Brent crack widened to over $50/bbl - diesel is now hotly demanded but in very short supply. NYM Heating Oil has now followed gasoil in breaching records – it is trading close to $415 and breached its 2008 highs, and the reasons are linked. The U.S. used to purchase Urals for diesel production, which it no longer does as it has imposed an embargo – imports from Russia have fallen to zero. Now, the U.S. is trying to sustain its own surging demand requirements, plus increasing Latin American and European demand – meaning distillate inventories are falling considerably, causing extreme price pressure at a lag to its European equivalent benchmark. 
The future
In terms of forecasting, we consider oil benchmarks to be relatively undervalued in the cracks at present, however there is a lot of fundamental bullishness in global diesel markets - particularly with limited refining capacity, tightening supplies and resurging Western demand. We are expecting Brent to clear $120, particularly as Chinese demand recovers, although the diesel crack’s potential to surge could be limited should Europe utilise the opportunity to purchase Russian oil ahead of a November embargo. Outright gasoil prices are contingent on how traders respond to the terms of the (probable) embargo over the coming six months.
image-20220504150655-3
Source: Bloomberg
 
 
 
 
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