(Adds details, background throughout)
By Catherine Ngai
NEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil exports plunged by more than 40 percent in June, foreign trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed on Friday, after Brent's premium to U.S. crude hovered in a tight band earlier this year.
Total exports dropped to 383,000 barrels per day from May's record of 662,000 bpd, according to data compiled by Reuters.
Exports to Canada were 280,000 bpd versus 308,000 bpd a month prior. Exports to United Kingdom were 37,000 bpd, nearly unchanged from May. Meanwhile, exports to Curacao were 17,000 bpd, a sharp drop from May's 67,000 bpd.
The export declines were likely a result of Brent's May and June contracts having traded in such a tight band to U.S. crude WTCLc1-LCOc1 earlier this year. At one point, Brent even briefly traded at a discount. Typically, a wide premium for Brent over U.S. crude makes exports more economical.
U.S. Census' foreign trade oil data is published weeks earlier than closely watched U.S. Energy Information Administration trade figures. The EIA, which bases its numbers on the Census data, will release its monthly crude figures at the end of August.
Barrels per
June
Crude under Condensate from
Crude API25
May
Crude under Condensate from
Crude API25 day
API25
or greater
API25
Natural Gas
or greater Canada
280,098
1,181
10,926
267,991
307,849
1,326
4,857
301,666 United Kingdom 36,582
-
-
36,582
36,275
-
-
36,275 Curacao
17,458
-
-
17,458
67,378
-
-
67,378 Nicaragua
13,333
-
-
13,333
12,266
-
-
12,266 Peru
13,061
-
-
13,061
10,643
-
-
10,643 Panama
12,500
-
-
12,500
-
-
-
-
Dominican Republic9,940
-
-
9,940
-
-
-
-
Bahamas
-
-
-
-
13,811
-
-
13,811 China
-
-
-
-
16,086
-
-
16,086 Colombia
-
-
-
-
16,109
-
-
16,109 France
-
-
-
-
19,020
-
-
19,020 Italy
-
-
-
-
22,980
-
-
22,980 Japan
-
-
-
-
29,107
-
-
29,107 Netherlands
-
-
-
-
110,133
-
-
110,133 Total:
382,972
1,181
10,926
370,865
661,657
1,326
4,857
655,474 Barrels per
June
May day
Domestic
Foreign
Domestic
Foreign Canada
280,098
-
307,849
-
United Kingdom 36,582
-
36,275
-
Curacao
17,458
-
67,378
-
Nicaragua
13,333
-
12,266
-
Peru
13,061
-
10,643
-
Panama
12,500
-
-
-
Dominican Republic9,940
-
-
-
Bahamas
-
-
13,811
-
China
-
-
16,086
-
Colombia
-
-
16,109
-
France
-
-
19,020
-
Italy
-
-
22,980
-
Japan
-
-
29,107
-
Netherlands
-
-
110,133
-
Total:
382,972
-
661,657
-
( Reporting by New York Energy Desk; tel 646 223 6050 )