The surge in westbound liftings from the Mideast Gulf has come to an end and more crude is heading to Asia-Pacific this month. More long-haul crude is starting to arrive at US refineries as the turnaround season ends. An increase in eastbound shipments this month will reach Asia- Pacific in time for a seasonal increase in throughputs. Crude runs in the region normally peak in January-February, when colder weather in northeast Asia boosts demand for heating fuels. The boom in long-haul liftings early this quarter added more than 30mn bl to crude in transit in October - a build of 1.1mn b/d. Westbound transit stocks of Mideast Gulf crude reached 154mn bl at the end of October, 16mn bl higher than a year earlier. But a draw is now under way as this bulge in transit stocks moves onshore. Crude arrivals in Asia-Pacific could rise by almost 1mn b/d this month, says consultancy Oil Movements, and Atlantic basin arrivals will climb steeply towards the end of the year.
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