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Sources say that Dangote's petrol unit is expected to be off-line for at least two week,

Two sources with knowledge of the situation said that repairs are expected to take two weeks. The catalyst leaks at Nigeria's 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery have caused the unit to be taken offline.

IIR Energy, a company that monitors the industry, said in a Tuesday note that the refinery's Residue Catalytic Cracking unit (RFCCU), which produces 204,000 bpd of catalytic residue, has been off-line since August 29.

Sources requested anonymity in order to discuss confidential information.

Dangote didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Since its opening last year, the massive Dangote refining plant has dramatically increased operations. This has reshaped global oil and fuel flows. Data from the ship tracking service Kpler indicated that the refinery's gasoline exports to America are expected to arrive in New York by later this month. The refinery also has frequent outages. After a series of problems earlier this year reported in May, the plant's RFCCU should run at a lower rate through October.

Market sources say that the anticipated duration of the current outage has a negative impact on gasoline availability in Atlantic Basin. This is despite the fact that the U.S. driving season ended unofficially earlier this week.

The U.S. futures crack spread The difference between the price for fuel and the price for crude oil rose by nearly 3% to its highest level since 19th August. Tuesday, it had increased by more than 8%. (Reporting from Shariq Khan, Isaac Isaac Anyaogu, Ahmad Ghaddar, and Seher Dareen, in London, and Matthew Lewis, in New York)

(source: Reuters)