Production hiccups in West Africa coupled with an expected fall in Vietnam’s July exports come as a boon for regional crude suppliers, as these could trigger a recovery in price differentials for Southeast Asian grades this month, market participants said Tuesday. Market sentiment improved significantly in Southeast Asia in recent trading days as many Asian end-users, including Indian refiners, were widely expected to shift their focus from Nigerian supplies to Malaysian and Vietnamese sweet crudes in the near term. Four regional sweet crude traders surveyed by Platts said they expect Malaysian Kimanis crude for loading in July to trade at premiums between $2.5/b and $3.0/b to Platts Dated Brent crude assessments this month. In comparison, most of the June-loading Kimanis crude cargoes changed hands at premiums of $1.9-$2.3/b in the previous trading cycle. Platts reported Friday, citing various sources, that exports of Nigerian sweet crude Qua Iboe were halted […]