Med Crude-Urals strongest in Baltic since end Aug

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Russian Urals crude extended itsrally on Friday, trading in the Baltic at a discount of lessthan $1 a barrel to dated Brent for the first time since lateAugust, as refiners scrambled to pick up remaining scarcevolumes.

In the Platts window, BP continued to bid for an Oct 22-26cargo in the Baltic at dated Brent minus $1 but found nosellers, traders said.

Outside the window, there was a flurry of activity with mostcargoes changing hands at around dated Brent minus 80-90 cents abarrel, traders said.

Among buyers were Poland's PKN Orlen buying 2 cargoes forits Lithuanian refinery, Swedish Preem buying 2 cargoes andRepsol buying one stem in the Baltic, traders said.

"The demand is very healthy in the Baltic," said a traderwith a Russian house.

Also supporting the grade was persisting talk of an Asiancompany sending barrels to China after having accumulated twocargoes of Urals in the past week.

"I think they will most likely resell them in the Europeanmarket given how strong the prices have gone," one trader said.

Russian oil firm TNK-BP

will likely award its 2013crude sale tender to six oil companies and trading houses, upfrom three last year, effectively diluting influence a buyer canhave on prices, trading sources said on Friday.

Turkish imports of Iranian crude oil plummeted to around100,000 barrels per day in September after spiking in August,data from Reuters AIS Live ship tracking and a shipping sourceshowed.

Turkey's state oil refiner Tupras

imported two140,000 tonne cargoes and one 145,000 tonne cargo to one of itsoil import terminals, Tutunciflik, in September.

Traders said Saharan Blend grade has strengthened in thepast days with deals assessed at around dated flat due to strongmargins. Eni sold a November loading cargo of Saharan Blend at apremium to dated.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov, Julia Payne; Editing by RobinPomeroy)

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