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Europe

Nigerian leader criticizes state petroleum minister over fuel shortages

An economic crisis caused by low oil prices has created shortages because fuel importers cannot get the dollars needed to buy petrol and the state oil firm has not been able to sign agreements quickly enough to exchange crude oil for gasoline.

Nigeria holds talks with Chevron, Total and Eni to revamp refineries

The West African nation has been trying to restart its outdated refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to end its dependency on costly fuel imports.

INEOS prepares mothballed UK ethane cracker for US shale feedstocks

INEOS says it recently completed successful operational trials at the Grangemouth plant as it prepares to receive shale gas ethane from the US as petrochemical feedstock.

Iran’s lack of storage access limits oil exports to European refiners

Some 45-50 million barrels of Iran's oil are estimated to be held in tankers at sea, barely changed from the amounts thought to be in floating storage before sanctions were lifted at the start of the year.

Morocco’s refiner Samir appeals liquidation ruling

Samir, controlled by Corral Petroleum, halted production last August due to financial difficulties. "We had 10 days to file an appeal and we finally did it on Thursday," Samir's lawyer said.

Russia exports more oil as refineries go offline

Russian refineries traditionally have the largest offline capacity in April, as companies scramble to finish maintenance before consumption of oil products peaks in summer.

EU clears Statoil to buy Shell’s Danish fuels unit

The European Commission had been concerned that the deal could have led to Danish consumers paying more for their fuel, diesel, gasoline and light heating oil.

US expands imports of Nigerian oil as refiners turn to West African crudes

Nigeria was the fourth-largest supplier of foreign crude to the US last week, displacing Mexico and also competing with Iraq and Colombia, according to preliminary figures from the EIA.

Britain sees first sustained improvement in fuel consumption since 2007

More traffic is resulting in the first sustained increase in fuel consumption since 2007, a development welcomed by refiners and retailers but which complicates the government's climate plans.

Russia’s Lukoil starts diesel exports by pipeline

Industry sources said that March supplies of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) from Vysotsk will total 350,000 tons, of which 100,000 tons will be shipped via the spurt of Sever (North) trunk.