Products take cue from crude. (Products market).(Russian fuel oil markets)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)

* Russian product prices weakened, driven lower by losses on crude futures. Fuel oil was cushioned by interest in moving cargoes to Asia, which helped bolster the Rotterdam barge market.

* The prospect of a flood of Russian supplies hitting the market in the first half of June lowered prices for high-sulphur cracked fuel oil. But up to 600,000t of this is expected to go to the Asia-Pacific region, although arbitrage remains closed for the time being, reducing the impact of increased supplies on European prices. Several traders were loading VLCCs at Rotterdam to take east over the next few weeks. Healthy demand levels from bunker fuel blenders in Rotterdam is also …