Saudi Aramco Cuts OSPs to Asia

Saudi Aramco on Sunday cut its crude oil prices for Asian buyers in May to their lowest in four months, an official document showed. This is the second consecutive month Aramco has lowered its prices. The company also lowered April prices for other grades it sells to Asia by US$2.30 per barrel.

Aramco cut the May official selling price for flagship Arab Light crude by US$2.30 to US$1.20 a barrel above the average of Oman and Dubai prices, a pricing document from the producer showed. The company also lowered April prices for other grades it sells to Asia by US$2.30 per barrel.

Eight OPEC+ countries unexpectedly agreed on Thursday to advance their plan to phase out oil output cuts by increasing output by 411,000 barrels per day in May, a decision that prompted oil prices to extend earlier sharp losses. Prior to the news, Arab Light price for Asia had been expected to fall by US$1.80 to US$2 in a Reuters survey, tracking the steep declines in benchmark prices in March.

Saudi Aramco’s crude oil is classified into five grades based on density: Super Light (greater than 40), Arab Extra Light (36-40), Arab Light (32-36), Arab Medium (29-32), and Arab Heavy (below 29). These price changes influence the cost of approximately 9 million barrels per day of crude oil shipped to Asia, setting price benchmarks for other major oil producers such as Iran, Kuwait, and Iraq.

For North America, Aramco has set the May OSP for Arab Light crude at US$3.60 per barrel above the Argus Sour Crude Index. Spot premium of Dubai averaged at US$1.38 per barrel in March, down from US$3.33 per barrel, the average in February following more Russian supply returning to Asia since March.