“Oil exports from Russia rose to a five-month high in December, as the end of seasonal maintenance at refineries boosted supplies of key fuels.”, — write: epravda.com.ua
Exports of petroleum products from Russia rose to a five-month high in December, as the end of seasonal maintenance at oil refineries helped increase supplies of key types of fuel, Bloomberg reported. Seaborne shipments of petroleum products totaled 2.24 million barrels per day last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg based on analysis by Vortexa Ltd. That’s up 12% from revised November volumes and the highest since July. These flows are one of the key indicators for assessing the country’s crude oil production, as Moscow has classified official production data. Crude oil production in Russia fell below the OPEC+ level in December, according to sources familiar with the Energy Ministry figures. The level of refining at Russian refineries in December hit a 17-month high in the middle of the month, spurring growth in fuel production. The largest increase in exports fell on diesel and petroleum gasoline, Vortexa data show. Despite this, total exports of refined fuel in December were about 10% lower than in the same period of the previous year. In addition, average export volumes for 2024 were about 12% lower than in 2022, when Europe was still importing Russian oil products. Exports of diesel fuel and gas oil increased by 17% compared to the previous month, reaching a five-month high of 899,000 barrels per day. Shipments to African ports rose by 33%. Turkey and Brazil remained the top buyers of Russian diesel last year, but exports to Africa also increased, including to Libya, Tunisia and Egypt.