First Alaskan North Slope crude export planned for Nicaragua -sources
Fri Jul 1, 2016 6:28pm BST
Related: Regulatory News
First Alaskan North Slope crude export planned for Nicaragua -sources
Alaskan North Slope (ANS) crude will be shipped to Nicaragua for the first time in July, two trade sources said on Friday, underscoring a shift in oil flows to and from the U.S. West Coast.
A parcel of the medium grade crude is on its way to the Pacific Area Lightering (PAL) near southern California on Exxon Mobil Corp's Liberty Bay, a U.S. flagged vessel, according to the sources and Reuters vessel tracking data.
From there, it will transfer to the Liberian-flagged Panamax tanker Chantal for delivery to Nicaragua, where Swiss commodities trader Trafigura Trading LLC will take the crude, said the sources who were not authorized to speak to the media about the matter.
. . .
Global crude flows have changed in the last six months as oversupplied markets force producers to compete aggressively on price. The United States in December lifted a four-decade ban on exporting crude, giving global refiners access to a wider variety of crude.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/usa-crude-exports-idUKL1N19N145?rpc=401
(My emphasis.)