NSea Crude-Steady as refining margins hold up

* Forties for mid/end Nov loading assessed dated -20/-35 cts

* Cross-month Oseberg, Nov. Gullfaks cargoes offered again

LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - North Sea crude differentials were
steady on Wednesday, held up by attractive refining margins
ahead of the key winter demand season but balanced by ample
supplies, traders said.

FORTIES FOT-E

* Within the afternoon trading window, Shell offered more
Forties from floating storage in the period Nov 16-20 via
ship-to-ship transfer, off the vessel Front Falcon at dated BFOE
flat but found no takers; on Tuesday, Shell sold Koch Forties
for loading Nov. 14-16 from the Front Falcon at January BFOE
minus $1.75, a price equivalent to dated minus 32 cents, traders
said.

* Nexen again offered a Nov. 18-20 Forties cargo at dated
BFOE minus 15 cents.

* Total bid January BFOE minus $1.40 for a Nov. 21-26
Forties cargo.

SWAPS

* Contracts for Differences (CFDs) narrowed further along
the curve as follows (previous day in brackets):

9-13/11 Jan -138 (-152)

16-20/11 Jan -124 (-135)

23-27/11 Jan -108 (-117)

30-04/12 Jan -92 (-100)

7-11/12 Jan -76 (-83)

14-18/12 Jan -60 (-66)

NORWEGIAN OFFERS

* Norwegian state-controlled oil producer Statoil offered
just two cargoes on Wednesday, including a cross-month cargo,
suggesting the bulk of November shipments had been sold:

- Oseberg loading cross-month Nov/Dec at dated plus 80
cents, down from plus 85 cents on Tuesday;

- Gullfaks loading Nov 29-30 at dated plus $1.30, down from
dated $1.35 cents.

REFINING MARGINS <REF/MARGIN1>

* Complex refining margins for North Sea Brent in Rotterdam
narrowed to around $2.60 per barrel, from $4.10 per barrel on
Tuesday and an average of the past five days of around $3.70,
according to Reuters models.

BRENT MARKER

* The ICE set its afternoon one-minute marker for Brent at
$78.98 per barrel, up from $76.59 on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Christopher Johnson; editing by Keiron Henderson)