German January-November oil imports fell by 2.8%

German January-November oil imports fell by 2.8%

FRANKFURT- German crude oil imports for the first 11 months of 2020 were down 2.8% year on year after the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns hit industrial activity, official data showed on Monday.Oil volumes reaching Germany totalled 76.4 million tonnes for the January-November period, down from 78.6 million for the first 11 months of 2019, monthly statistics issued by the BAFA foreign trade office showed.Russia accounted for 34.1% of Germany's oil receipts in the period, followed by 21.6% from the British and Norwegian North Sea while imports from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) contributed 16%.The rest was shared among other sources, including the United States.Germany spent 21.2 billion euros ($25.58 billion) on crude imports, 36.7% less than the same period of 2019, when market prices were much higher.Average oil prices paid on the border were down 34.9% at 276.98 euros a tonne. ($1 = 0.8288 euros)(Reporting by Vera Eckert Editing by David Goodman) (([email protected]; +49 30 2201 33654; @EckertVera;))