LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - West African crude differentials remained under pressure on Thursday from competing grades and elevated freight rates.

• "Cargoes are moving gradually, although there is pressure from competing grades and high freight," a trader said.

• Another trader mentioned that there was a slight overhang in the market.

• West African grades continue to receive firm competition from Latin American supply, namely Guyana and Brazil, traders said this week. High freight rates and persistent backwardation have also impacted the market.

• Dangote Petroleum Refinery's crude distillation unit (CDU) and gasoline block were back online and running at the plant’s 650,000 barrel per day capacity during 72‑hour performance tests carried out with Honeywell, the refinery said late on Wednesday.

• With the CDU and MS block fully restored, the plant is positioned to deliver up to 75 million litres of petrol daily, the company said.

• In wider news, Libya awarded oil and gas exploration blocks to foreign oil companies in its first licensing round in nearly two decades, and Nigerian oil company Aiteo won the M1 licence in the southern Murzuq basin, representing a rare entry by an African independent into the country’s upstream sector.

(Reporting by Seher Dareen and Alex Lawler; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

((seher.dareen@thomsonreuters.com))