North Sea crude loadings to rise marginally in August

August loadings of the 12 North Sea crudes will average 1.94mn b/d, higher by just 0.6pc from July's loadings of 1.93mn b/d.

The increase will be driven by a 9.3pc rise in exports of the four benchmark BFOE crude grades to 910,000 b/d from 832,000 b/d in July. A fall in Forties loadings to 387,000 b/d in August — from 406,000 b/d a month earlier — will be more than outweighed by higher loadings of Brent, Oseberg, and Ekofisk crudes.

Loadings of the remaining eight non-benchmark crudes will fall by 6pc in August.

Troll loadings are scheduled to average 232,000 b/d in 12 cargoes, up from 213,000 b/d and 11 cargoes in July. Loadings of Grane crude will rise to 174,000 b/d in nine cargoes, compared with 155,000 b/d in eight cargoes in July. Duc loadings will move up to 77,000 b/d, from 58,000 b/d in July. And loadings of Gullfaks will rise to 181,000 b/d in seven cargoes, up from 155,000 b/d and six cargoes.

But loadings of Aasgard crude will fall to 83,000 b/d in August, from 110,000 b/d a month earlier. Statfjord loadings will move down to 155,000 b/d in six cargoes, from 206,000 b/d on eight vessels in July. Loadings of Alvheim will slip to 50,000 b/d, from 101,000 b/d in July. And Flotta Gold crude loadings will average 97,000 b/d in four cargoes, from 97,000 b/d in five cargoes a month earlier.

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