EU to crack down on fuel imports from India

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, has said that the bloc will act against the importation of Indian petroleum products that use Russian oil, in rare explicit criticism of India’s role in helping Russia evade Western sanctions amid the war in Ukraine. India has emerged in the past year as a top buyer

Rotterdam launches study on ammonia cracking

A group of 18 companies led by the Port of Rotterdam Authority has launched a study into the feasibility of establishing a large-scale ammonia cracker to enable imports of around 1m tonnes of hydrogen annually for the decarbonisation of industry and mobility. A large part of the hydrogen for North-West Europe will be imported, including

Crude oil imports in China fall in September

China’s crude oil imports in September were 2% below their level a year earlier, data showed, as independent refiners curbed throughput amid thin margins and lacklustre demand. However, state-run refiners lifted fuel exports to the highest monthly volume since June 2021 to cash in on robust export margins, according to data from the General Administration

Indian crude oil imports from Russia increased

India’s close ties with Russia have seen it ramp up purchases of bargain commodities in the two and a half months since the invasion of Ukraine began. Data from S&P Global Market Intelligence shows India’s seaborne crude oil imports surpassed 4.8m barrels per day in April, the highest on record, with higher Middle East and

Japan to ban Russian oil imports

Japan will ban Russian crude oil imports “in principle,” as part of a Group of Seven (G7) campaign to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after an online meeting of G7 leaders. “For a country heavily dependent on energy imports, it’s a very difficult decision. But G7 coordination is most important

Russian diesel imports to Europe down

European diesel imports from Russia are set to fall in April but will still exceed those from other regions, highlighting the challenge European governments face as they contemplate new sanctions on Russian oil. Diesel deliveries from Asia, the Middle East and the United States are set to hit their highest in almost three years in

US refiners import Middle East fuel oil

The United States last year imported about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) of different types of fuel oil and other feedstocks that mostly went to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries to supplement heavy crude oil, according to market research data. Russia last year accounted for just under half of U.S. fuel oil imports, Mexico for 20%

Saudi Arabia is China’s top crude supplier

Saudi Arabia regained the spot as China’s top crude supplier in the first two months of 2022, having been leapfrogged by Russia in December, while Russian shipments dropped 9% as a cut in import quotas led independent refiners to scale back purchases. Arrivals of Saudi crude totalled 14.61 million tonnes in January-February, equivalent to 1.81

Russian crude cargoes lucrative for Asian importers

Lucrative offers for Russian spot crude cargoes may look attractive at first glance, but Asian oil importers appear reluctant to close deals as they cautiously weigh shipping risks, bandwidth to absorb incremental supplies, and risks to sensitive bilateral relations with key trading partners. Although crude oil above $100/b makes any kind of discount attractive to

Germany to push ahead with two LNG terminals to reduce Russian gas dependence

Germany has decided to accelerate work to build two LNG terminals in the country to help reduce dependence on Russian gas imports, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Feb. 27. In an address to the German Parliament, Scholz also said Germany would look to increase its gas stocks by 2 Bcm through the use of long-term storage