SINGAPORE, Sept 29 Reuters Record volumes of refined products were shipped from Singapore to Mexico in the third quarter on lower U.S. exports to the Latin American country caused by peak summer demand and slow shipping through the Panama Canal, industry sources and analysts say.

The trend could continue into the fourth quarter, especially for gasoline, drawing down Singapore stockpiles and providing a floor for Asian refiners39; margins, the sources added.

Singapore39;s exports of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel to Mexico were at 178,000208,000 metric tons on average per month between July and September, shiptracking data from Kpler and LSEG showed, a level unseen over the past four years.

Around 80 of the exports were gasoline headed for Mexico39;s Pacific coast with state energy firm Pemex PEMX.UL as the main receiver, the data showed.

In contrast, Mexico39;s refined products imports from the U.S. fell from 2.2 million tons in July to 1.75 million tons in September, Kpler data showed.

There is a combination of U.S. Gulf Coast gasoline supply tightness as well as a comparatively soft Asian market causing this, said Sparta Commodities analyst Philip JonesLux.

U.S. summer driving demand was robust while its output was affected by refinery outages, he added.

Gasoline from Singapore has been 4050 a ton cheaper than supply from U.S. Gulf Coast in the past two months, JonesLux said.

Pemex39;s refineries are operating at barely half their capacity in August with…