Loding of oil to delay

SINGAPORE, Oct 24: Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) said on Tuesday that the anticipated loading date for an end-December cargo of Russian Sokol crude it has tendered to sell would be delayed by several days.

State-run ONGC , which has a 20 percent stake in the Exxon Mobil Corp. -led Sakhalin-1 field that produces Sokol, said in a tender notice that the 700,000-barrel cargo was expected to load between Dec. 31 and Jan. 4.

When it tendered last week to sell the cargo, its third Sokol tender, it gave a loading date of Dec. 29.

ONGC also said that it could not commit to the loading date, which was ultimately determined by the De Kastri Terminal operator, but would attempt to minimise any further changes.

The tender closes on Oct. 27 and bids are to remain valid until Oct. 30, the document showed.

REUTERS