ANS Deals Abound

A flurry of New Year deals for Alaska North Slope (ANS) crude oil continued on the U.S. West Coast on Wednesday as a California refiner reported buying a cargo of 330,000 barrels for February delivery. The buyer said the deal was done at a discount of $5.10 a barrel to February West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, matching the discount on a deal done on Monday Jan. 8. The seller could not be reached for confirmation, Reuters reported. Two ANS deals were also done on Jan. 3 at discounts of $5.60 and $5.55. The buyer in the latest ANS deal also reported that he had bought Ecuadorean Oriente crude -- regarded to some extent as a substitute for ANS -- this week at a discount of $9.50 to WTI.