US exports of ULSD climbed to a record high 735,000 b/d in March, refecting the country's growing role as a refined product exporter, data released Wednesday by the US Energy Information Administration showed.
The prior record of 733,000 b/d was set in December 2011. ULSD exports have been climbing steadily, from 151,000 b/d in January 2010, EIA's data showed.
Of the 735,000 b/d exported in March, 154,000 b/d was sent to Australia, the first time ULSD barrels have been sent to that country. Otherwise, the bulk of the ULSD continued to go to Latin America and Europe. The US exported 93,000 b/d to Mexico, for instance, and 82,000 b/d to Chile.
The rise in ULSD exports helped push total refined product exports up 236,000 b/d to 3.157 million b/d. While that fell below the 3.496 million b/d record high set in December 2011, March exports were up 534,000 b/d year-on-year.
US exports of finished gasoline climbed 31,000 b/d to 435,000 b/d in March, down from the record high 626,000 b/d in November 2011. The bulk of the March exports -- 239,000 b/d -- headed to Mexico.
US exports of residual fuel climbed 104,000 b/d to 417,000 b/d, driven by increases to Singapore and the Netherlands. Exports to Singapore climbed 55,000 b/d to 95,000 b/d, and exports to the Netherlands were also up 55,000 b/d at 87,000 b/d.
