Angolan state oil company Sonangol sold two more spot cargoes to Asian refiners, as demand for West African crude stayed steady while Middle East tensions continued to plague the Red Sea shipping route.

Sonangol sold a cargo of Dalia and Girassol to an Indian refiner and to Taiwan’s CPC refinery, respectively.

The cargo of Girassol sold for around dated Brent minus $1 a barrel, traders said.

Angolan crude continued to serve as a substitute for heavy oil grades to European refiners from further afield, with Red Sea traffic threatened from attacks emanating from Yemen.

Around 25 cargoes of January-loading Nigerian oil cargoes remained unsold as buying for the February cycle slow to kick off.

India’s IOC and Indonesia’s Pertamina closed tenders for February and March-arriving supplies but results did not immediately emerge.

Offers for Nigerian light sweet Qua Iboe and Bonny Light crude edged up for the third day in a row to a little above dated Brent plus $2 a barrel, traders said.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Noah Browning; Editing by Shweta Agarwal and Louise Heavens)