Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Gasoline margins rise on weaker crude

LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Northwest European gasoline refining profit margins rose by about $2 a barrel on Tuesday to $7.29, supported by weaker underlying crude prices.

• A total of 4,000 metric tons of E5 gasoline barges traded as Vitol and Trafigura sold to TotalEnergies and Trafigura.

• Another 14,000 tons of Eurobob E10 traded as TotalEnergies and Trafigura sold to Varo, BP, and Shell.

• "The Eurobob outlook remains somewhat precarious with high inventories to clear, likely helped short-term by second quarter transatlantic arbitrage opportunities," said Sparta Commodities analyst Neil Crosby.

• EU and UK gasoline exports are on track to reach 655,000 barrels per day in March, according to Kpler data, down from 892,000 bpd in February.

• China's gasoline exports in February fell to their lowest level since August 2012, customs data showed on Tuesday, due to lower refinery production and slimmer profit margins.

• While gasoline exports led the decline, falling 73% on the year to 200,000 tons (1.69 million barrels) in February, exports of diesel and aviation fuel also weakened, the data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

• Tests in Brazil exploring the viability of increasing the proportion of anhydrous ethanol mixed with gasoline to 30% showed "consistent performance" and "real environmental benefits," Brazilian Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira said on Monday.