Med crude-Urals differentials hold steady, supported by firm prices in Indian ports

MOSCOW, April 17 (Reuters) - Russian Urals crude oil differentials held steady on Thursday, as prices for the grade held firm in Indian ports for May-loading barrels even as Saudi Arabia cut the official selling price of its oil.

May Urals cargoes are selling at discounts of $2.50-3 a barrel to dated Brent on a DES (delivered ex ship) basis at Indian ports, close to estimates for April cargoes, trading sources said.

The Czech Republic has become fully independent of Russian oil supplies for the first time in its history, government officials said on Thursday, following the completion of capacity upgrades on the TAL pipeline coming from the west.

PLATTS WINDOW

• No bids or offers were shown for Urals, CPC Blend and Azeri BTC in the Platts window on Thursday.

NEWS

• Kazakhstan's oil and gas condensate output rose 7.4% year-on-year to 24.590 million metric tons in January-March 2025, data showed on Thursday.

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Estonia's adoption of legal amendments allowing the country's navy to use force against foreign vessels was a provocative action that poses risks to shipping and security in the Baltic Sea.

• Russia’s Arctic oil exports to China are set to rise sharply this month buoyed by a jump in ship-to-ship transfers at sea to ensure tankers pulling into port are not on U.S. sanctions lists, according to traders and data from Vortexa.