SUBSCRIBER NOTE: Platts discontinues Kumkol crude oil assessments

Platts has discontinued its CIF Augusta Kumkol outright and differential assessments effective Thursday, October 1, 2015, as confirmed in a note published July 24.

Platts has discontinued these assessments due to the conclusion of Kumkol exports out of the Black Sea.

Prior to October 1, Platts assessed CIF Augusta Kumkol on a daily basis, reflecting cargoes of between 30,000-100,000 mt loading out of the Black Sea and delivered into the Mediterranean.

Before the discontinuation, Platts had been publishing both a CIF Augusta Kumkol differential assessment (AALOW00) and an outright assessment (AAHMP00). These assessments appeared on Platts Global Alert page MH1220 and in the Platts Crude Oil Marketwire.

Kumkol, which is produced in Kazakhstan, was previously delivered via rail to the Black Sea port of Batumi in the Black Sea where it was then loaded for export.

Loadings of the grade once averaged some 170,000 mt/month, but volumes have been declining gradually over the past several years and have been averaging below 30,000 mt/month for more than a year.

Exports of the grade out of the Black Sea halted completely in 2015. Please send any further comments or questions to europe_products@platts.com and pricegroup@platts.com. For written comments, please provide a clear indication if comments are not intended for publication by Platts.

Platts will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available upon request.