Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWHY ARE REFINERY AND FUEL DEPOT WORKERS STRIKING? Middle distillates such as diesel and gas oil are primarily used in freight transport, manufacturing, farming, mining, and oil and gas extraction. The French refinery outages are tightening European supplies and reverberating through global markets. Meanwhile, northwest European diesel barge profit margins hovered near record highs hit on Monday. read moreUncertainty over how long the French strikes will last has lifted European diesel spreads relative to crude just as Western sanctions against Russia are driving prices still higher.

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