India permits crude oil import in Iranian tankers, amid tight western sanctions

06 Jul 2012 Evaluate

Shifting from a decades-old policy that required state-run refiners to transport oil in vessels owned by local shipping companies, India has started buying crude oil from Iran in tankers owned by the Islamic Republic.

Amid European ban on insurers and re-insurers from covering shipments of Iranian oil, Iran’s top Asian customers are facing difficulties in importing oil, which will result in huge dips of Iranian oil exports to half the average shipped in 2011, while Japan and South Korea has paused all imports this month.

Indian refiners are scheduled to lift about 300,650 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude oil in July. India has allowed state refiners to import Iranian oil, with Tehran arranging shipping and insurance, from 1 July. Private refiners do not require such permission.

The state-run Hindustan Petroleum is reported to import crude oil in a suezmax tanker belonging to National Iranian Tanker Company. Indian Oil, the country’s biggest refiner is not scheduled to lift oil from Iran this month. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals is reported to buy an additional 600,000-barrel cargo from Saudi Arabia in July to partly offset the decline in Iranian volumes.

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