TEHRAN: Essar Oil’s crude imports from Iran declined nearly 16 percent in August compared to the previous month, ahead of a month-long shutdown of its Vadinar refinery from mid-September for maintenance, according to tanker arrival data obtained from sources and assessed by Thomson Reuters Oil Analytics.
Essar shipped in about 109,300 barrels per day (bpd) oil from Iran in August, an increase of 5.6 percent from a year ago, the data showed.
Essar imported about 104,400 bpd from Iran in January-August 2015, a decline of about 13 percent from a year earlier, the data showed, as the average for the first half was dragged down by Indian refiners skipping purchases in March to meet the last fiscal year’s target of 220,000 bpd.
India, Iran’s biggest oil client after China, lifted an annual 27 percent less oil from the OPEC member in August, the data showed, with Tehran’s share in India’s overall purchases during the month declining to 4.8 percent from 7.5 percent a year earlier.