Declining Chinese oil imports in September; Shopping from Iran at the lowest level of the year

Reuters’s energy reports, despite the annual growth of China’s crude oil imports in September, declined compared to August, reaching the lowest level from the beginning of the year.
The Chinese Customs Bureau data shows that the country imported 3.5 million tonnes of crude oil in September, equivalent to 3.5 million barrels a day, which is an increase of 4.9 percent compared to the same period last year. This growth came to the highest level this year with the rate of exploitation of Chinese refineries.
According to Oilchem’s consulting firm, atmospheric and vacuum distillation units in China’s refineries in September have worked at 4.9 percent, up 4.9 percent compared to August and 4.9 percent compared to last year. Governmental refineries were at a forefront of 4.9 %, while independent refineries or TPats raised their exploitation rates at 4.9 percent.
In total, the refineries were maintained in September, two less than August, with a total capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year. Despite the increase in refinery activity, the supply of products such as gasoline and diesel has still surpassed demand.