Reply #3: Europe lines up gasoline exports to US

[ozymandius]

LONDON (Reuters) - European exporters are preparing another wave of gasoline and distillate arbitrage cargoes to the United States to fill up gaps in the U.S. supply chain caused by recent hurricanes.

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The U.S. government forecasts at least 15 percent -- 1.3 million barrels per day of gasoline and 700,000 barrels per day of distillate fuel -- will remain offline for a few more weeks.

Traders and shipping sources said 500,000-550,000 tonnes of gasoline had already been lined up for spot exports to arrive in North America in the second half of the month, or roughly 450,000 barrels per day of European exports.

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HEAT RUSH

In addition to concerns about a crunch on motor fuel supplies, the refinery outages have raised the prospect of a heating oil shortage with winter on the way.

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