China boosts imports of fuel oil blended from Russian barrels

China boosts imports of fuel oil blended from Russian barrels

SINGAPORE - China's independent refineries are ramping up imports of discounted fuel oil blended from Russian barrels to use as low-cost feedstock amid a shortage of government crude oil import quotas for some of them, according to trade sources and data.

Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the looming Feb. 5 embargo and price cap on refined products, have been pushing Russian fuel oil barrels eastward into Asia at attractive discounts since last year.

These have been flooding the ship-to-ship transfer hubs of Malaysia and United Arab Emirates' Fujairah since the second quarter of 2022. Traders blend these barrels with other oils to rebrand the fuel oil's country of origin, clearing the way for ship insurance and financing that would otherwise be banned under the sanctions, trade sources said.

Discounts offered on these fuel oil cargoes help to improve margins at Chinese independent refiners and replace crude that some companies are unable to import without quotas, the sources said. The trade also provides a way to get Russian oil to market and bring much-needed export earnings to Moscow.

"We've been looking at Russian fuel oil since December. It is cheap and does not require (crude) import quotas," said an executive with an