OREANDA-NEWS. August 01, 2017. US gasoline exports to Mexico fell by 27,000 b/d from the previous month, to 324,000 b/d, but are still 44,000 b/d higher than the same month last year, data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows.

Diesel exports to Mexico were the only fuel exports that increased in May, rising to 213,000 b/d from 178,000 b/d in the previous month. Diesel exports are also 53,000 b/d higher in April than the 160,000 b/d exported in the same month of 2016. Propane exports declined to 103,000 b/d in May from 113,000 b/d in April, but are still higher than the 75,000 b/d in May of last year.

Jet fuel export fell to 36,000 b/d in May from 44,000 b/d in April, almost even with the 37,000 b/d in May of last year.

Mexico's imports of gasoline, diesel, propane and jet fuel have grown 30pc year over year to an average of 713,000 b/d in the first five months of the year from 553,000 b/d in the same period of 2016.

The increase has accompanied implementation of Mexico's 2014 reform of its energy sector to allow for more outside investment, and as its processing rates at the country's six refineries have been in a long-term decline.

The country's largest 330,000 b/d Salina Cruz refinery was shut in mid-June and only began restarting on 28 July to repair a pumping station completely destroyed in a fire that broke out in the wake of a tropical storm.

Shortly after the incident, Pemex said it would import up to 3.5mn bl of additional fuel because of the outage, and later said the additional total could be as much as 6.7mn bl. In June, Pemex's refined products output fell by 9.8pc compared with May, reaching a total of 991,400 b/d.

Pemex's data for June did not show an increase in fuel imports, however. Combined, gasoline and diesel imports that month totaled 683,200 b/d, down 2.8pc from 703,200 b/d in May. Gasoline imports alone, the largest component, fell to 480,400 b/d in June from 504,600 b/d in May.

An earlier report from Mexico's energy ministry had indicated that imports increased in June, however. Those figures showing that Pemex imported about 534,633 b/d of gasoline, a 16pc increase compared with the previous month of May. There is typically a small discrepancy between energy ministry and Pemex data, but the June gap was larger than usual.

Overall, US distillates exports reached a new record in May as volumes shipped to Latin America and Europe climbed.