Russia's Urals differentials to dated Brent were little changed on Tuesday in featureless trading, while the resumption of exports of Iraqi Kurdistan oil will put extra pressure on the sour crude market, traders said.
Iraq aims to more than double crude oil flows through the newly reopened Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline by next year, said an official at Iraqi state oil marketer SOMO.
SOMO is aiming for 400,000 to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2026, Rikan Kareem said on Tuesday at a conference in London. Pipeline flows were running at 150,000-160,000 bpd on Monday after reopening on September 27.
OPEC on Tuesday rejected media reports suggesting that the group of eight oil-producing countries was planning to raise output by 500,000 barrels per day at its meeting on Sunday.
No bids or offers were made for Urals, Azeri BTC or CPC Blend in the Platts window on Tuesday.
The French Navy on Tuesday said authorities were investigating a suspected infraction by the Benin-flagged oil tanker Boracay, a vessel that is listed under European Union and British sanctions against Russia.
Russia has imposed a partial ban on diesel exports and extended an existing gasoline export ban until the end of the year, the government said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
