Moscow/New Delhi — Prices of October Urals crude oil have risen back above $65 a barrel at Russian Baltic and Black Sea ports, or $5 higher than the price cap set by Western nations, Reuters calculations showed on Friday, as the conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices.Oil prices surged on Thursday as concerns mounted that a widening regional conflict in the Middle East could disrupt global crude flows. Brent crude futures were up again on Friday, by 55 cents, or 0.7%, at $78.17 a barrel, as of 0831 GMT.
Higher Urals prices will boost Russia’s oil revenues.
A widening of discounts at Indian ports and rising freight rates limited the extent of price rises in Urals crude, although not by much for now, traders said.
Urals oil prices have mostly remained above the $60 price cap since early this year and previously topped $65 a barrel in late August, Reuters calculations based on traders’ data shows.
In late 2022 the Group of Seven countries – the United States, Canada, Britain, Italy, France, Germany and Japan – together with the European Union and Australia imposed a cap of $60-per-barrel on the sale of Russian oil on a free-on-board basis, seeking to reduce Russia’s revenue from seaborne oil exports as part of sanctions.
India, the main buyer of Russian oil delivered via sea, did not join Western sanctions on Russia, but adheres to international sanctions policies including the price cap.
RISING FREIGHT RATES
The price of Urals oil briefly sank below the price cap in September as Brent fell but the benchmark price has rebounded recently as the Middle East conflict escalated.
Under the Western price cap terms, suppliers of Russian oil are only able to use Western services such as shipping and insurance if Russian crude trades below $60 per barrel.
However, the price for each specific Urals cargo is agreed between a seller and a buyer and various price formulas can be used, traders said, making it impossible to gauge the price for a particular cargo and whether it exceeds the price cap.
Reuters calculations of the Urals oil price are based on the grade’s market price at Indian ports on a delivered-ex-ship basis, transport costs and the Brent benchmark.
Discounts for Urals oil loading in October were at $3.50-3.80 per barrel to Brent on average, slightly wider compared to recent levels of $3.30 for September cargoes of the grade, four traders said.
Freight rates firmed to about $5.5 million for a tanker’s one-way voyage from Russian Baltic ports to India from below $4.8 million in September, two of the traders said. The rise in freight rates was due to higher loadings from Russian ports and limited availability of vessels ahead of the upcoming winter season, they added.
Reporting by Reuters in Moscow and Nidhi Verma in New Delhi; Editing by Susan Fenton – Reuters
