Crude exports from the Gulf of Mexico are picking up at the worst time for American refiners. Rising production and falling freight rates are behind a surge of overseas shipments of Mars crude, a medium sour oil produced in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This comes as sanctions on Venezuela and OPEC’s production cut agreement are limiting the availability of similar types of oil that U.S. refiners are optimized to process. At least 6 million barrels of the crude will load in February for shipment to South Korea and Europe, according to people who asked not to be identified because the shipment data is proprietary. This compares with about 2 million that left for foreign markets this month, they said. Canada also produces comparable crude but production plans implemented […]