India June Oil Imports Lowest In Nearly Nine Years On Low Demand, Monsoon

India’s oil imports fell in June, hitting their lowest since October 2011, as refiners curbed purchases as a result of upkeep turnarounds and weaker gasoline demand, knowledge from trade sources confirmed. India, the world’s third greatest oil shopper and importer, acquired 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd) oil in June, a decline of 0.four per cent from May and about 28.5 per cent from a 12 months in the past, the info confirmed. Last month, India didn’t import oil from Venezuela for the primary time since June 2009, the info additionally confirmed.

Refiners together with Indian Oil Crop, the nation’s prime refiner, Reliance Industries, operator of the world’s greatest refining complicated, and Bharat Petroleum Corp plan to close items for upkeep. Indian gasoline consumption, a proxy for oil demand, usually tapers through the four-month monsoon season from June as rains hit building and transportation.

In the primary of half July, India’s gasoline demand slowed in contrast with the earlier month as a result of excessive retail costs and renewed coronavirus lockdowns in elements of the nation.

Private refiner Nayara Energy, half owned by Russian oil main Rosneft, final month imported a cargo of Khafji oil from Neutral Zone, whose manufacturing belongs to each Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, making it India’s first buy from the area since September 2015.

In June, Iraq changed Saudi Arabia as prime oil provider after a niche of two months, whereas UAE and Nigeria retained the third and fourth slots, the info confirmed.

The United States was in fifth place, a place held by Venezuela in May.

The share of oil from the Middle East in India’s imports rose to a seven month excessive of 67.12% in June, whereas imports from Latin America plunged to their lowest in 11 years as India didn’t import Venezuelan oil which is dealing with U.S. sanctions.

Nayara has halted imports from Venezuela whereas Reliance has obtained permission from the United States to renew imports from the OPEC member in trade for diesel.

OPEC’s share of India’s oil imports surged to a five-month excessive in June though the group’s general share of imports in April-June, the primary quarter of 2020-21, continued to be the bottom since at the least 2011.

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