LONDON: Gasoline refining margins in northwest Europe slightly declined on Monday amid thin trading.

Several new tanker bookings emerged in recent days, with options to delivery gasoline from Europe to West Africa, shipping reports showed.

Two of the tankers — Trafigura’s STI Stability and Gunvor’s NS Stream — are on provisional bookings for cargoes of 80,000 tonnes each.

Shortages of the motor fuel in Nigeria have been supporting the arbitrage.

An economic body that advises Nigeria’s government is in discussion with NNPC to determine whether gasoline is appropriately priced in the country, a state governor said.

Royal Dutch Shell has appointed Jacek Dziembaj as head of oil products trading and supply, according to an internal announcement seen by Reuters.

No barges of eurobob gasoline traded in the afternoon session. Elsewhere, 11 barges of gasoline barges traded at $605 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, compared with $592 to $604 a tonne on Friday. BP, Varo and Glencore sold to Gunvor and Shell.

Gunvor sold to Total one barge of premium unleaded gasoline at $624 a tonne fob ARA, up from $617 a tonne. The March swap stood at $604 a tonne at the close, up from $595.75 a tonne.—Reuters