China’s Saudi oil imports rose 38% year-on-year in April, while Russian oil rose 4%

Article content

Imports crude oil from China

Supplier Saudi Arabia rose 38% in April from a year earlier,

Accordingly, hit the highest monthly volume since May 2020

Reuters’ calculations are based on official Chinese customs data.

Saudi shipments last month amounted to 6.93 million tons,

Equivalent to 2.17 million barrels per day (bpd), according to

Data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs.

Fat purchases, most of which are done

Compare February, March with 1.61 million bpd and 1.57

Article content

Million BPD a year ago.

Imports from Russia, the second-largest supplier, rose further

4% modest, cargo booked last month from a year ago

Before Western governments tighten sanctions on Russia

Invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Russian oil arrivals in April totaled 6.55 million tons,

Or 1.59 million bpd, the data shows, slightly higher than 1.5 million

Bpd in March and 1.53 million bpd a year ago.

China’s overall crude oil imports rose about 7% last month

In the year, the first increase in three months, though extensive

COVID-19 Lockdown reduces fuel demand and dampens refinery

Output

Friday’s data showed zero imports from Iran in April.

However, Customs is expected to report in May next year

Article content

About 2 million barrels of oil are being imported from Iran

It was released this week at a reserve base in southern China.

Despite US sanctions on Iran, China has maintained them

Iranian oil, usually goes as supply from others

The country import level is equivalent to about 7%

China’s total crude oil imports.

Iranian oil prices are often lower than competing grades

Pressing out rival supplies from such producers from Brazil

And West Africa.

Customs reported zero imports from Venezuela as state oil

Fearing a downturn, companies dropped purchases by the end of 2019

Secondary US sanctions afoul.

Imported from Malaysia, often used as a transfer point

The last two years, for oil from Iran and Venezuela.

Article content

The year jumped 84% to 2.165 million tons, the second highest

Recorded.

Separately, the data also showed China’s Russian imports

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) rose 80% in April from a year earlier

Earlier it was 462,975 tonnes, the highest monthly volume among the six

Month, the country’s total imports despite a sharp decline

Fuel

Last month, China’s overall LNG imports fell from 34.5% to 4.35

Million tons, the slowest since March 2020 as importers

Expensive worldwide spot supply is avoided.

Below is a detailed breakdown of oil imports, including volume

Million Tons:

Country April and / and January-April and / and

% Change% change

Saudi 8.932 38 30.4 3.5

Russia 6.551 4 25.61 -7

Iraq 4.089 -8 18.85 4

Angola 2.781 -10 11.69 -10

Brazil 2.435 -13 8.79 -25

United 0.748 -19 3.27 -43

States

Malaysia 2.165 84 6.23 21

Iran 0 0.26

Venezuela 0 0

Oman 2.975 16 14.98 0.1

United Arab Emirates 3.096 66 12.22 21

(Tons for crude oil conversion = 7.3 barrels)

(Reporting by Chen Aizu; Editing by Kim Kogil and Richard

Dragged)