News: EQE Med crude-Urals diffs rise on Russia's Surgut spot tender results stronger bid

MOSCOW, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Urals crude oil differentials to dated Brent rose on Thursday on Russia's Surgut sell tender results and stronger bid in the afternoon trading window.

• Traders expect the Urals provisional loading plan for dates after Jan. 5 to emerge early next week.

TENDER

• Russia's Surgutneftegaz sold to BP and Litasco in a spot tender two 100,000-tonne cargoes of Urals crude loading from the Baltic ports of Primorsk on Jan. 4-5 and from Ust-Luga on Jan. 2-3 respectively.
• Both cargoes were sold at around dated Brent minus $1.15 per barrel when adding freight costs to an original FOB differential - above the latest price estimations for the grade, traders added.
• The tender closed on Dec. 16 at 1400 Moscow time (1100 GMT).

PLATTS WINDOW

• Shell bid for 100,000 tonnes of Urals from Primorsk over Jan. 4-8 at dated Brent minus $1.20 a barrel without finding a seller.
• There were no bids or offers for CPC Blend or Azeri BTC in the Platts window on Thursday, traders said. NEWS

• Spot premiums for February-loading Russian ESPO crude, a popular grade among China's independent refiners, slipped to the lowest in four months after Russia's Surgutneftegaz sold two cargoes.