OREANDA-NEWS. US November exports of propane and propylene rose by 976,000 bl from October, the equivalent of nearly two VLGCs, according to US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.

The figure of 20.27mn bl is still short of the all-time peak of 22.17mn bl recorded in September 2015, but December's figures are expected to be higher given the commencement of expanded operations at Enterprise Products Partners' terminal in late December.

During November, the US fob propane discount to month 3 prices in Asia averaged $145/t. The discount to month 2 prices in Europe averaged $62/t during the same period.

By comparison, US butane exports remain a small fraction of cargoes leaving the US Gulf coast. Domestic butane consumption increases for gasoline blending in the fourth quarter. November butane exports stood at 3.27mn bl, down 335,000 bl, or about 31,000t, according to the data. Exports of natural gasoline and other pentanes rose 1.26mn bl to 6.02mn bl in November, according to the EIA.