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China's CNOOC stockpiles Russian oil at new reserve base, traders, tanker trackers state

Staterun China National Offshore Oil Co, among the nation's top importers of Russian oil, has in current months been pumping shipments of ESPO blend from Russia's Far East into a recently launched reserve base, according to traders and tanker trackers.

This is the very first time stockpiling of Russian ESPO blend crude at CNOOC's brand-new reserve base has been reported. CNOOC did not have an immediate comment.

The stockbuild, estimated at more than 10 million barrels by tanker tracker Vortexa Analytics, helped raise China's seaborne imports of the flagship Russian export grade to a record high in March, supporting rates of the ESPO mix despite warm need from independent Chinese refiners.

Though less than China's unrefined intake in a day, the stockbuild cements Russia's position as China's leading oil supplier and comes as sales to India, Moscow's No. 2 oil customer because the war in Ukraine, slowed due to western sanctions-driven problems over payments and shipping.

CNOOC began pumping the Russian crude last November into the 31.5 million-barrel storage base it has integrated in east China's. Dongying port, according to trading sources and Vortexa.

ESPO discharges into Dongying started surging ... after the. port put into use 3 new berths able to dock Aframax. vessels, said Emma Li, Vortexa's senior China oil expert. Each. ESPO cargo has to do with 100,000 metric heaps or 740,000 barrels and. the oil is typically carried in Aframax-sized tankers.

Vortexa did not specify whether the 10 million barrels were. part of CNOOC's business stockbuild or for China's strategic. petroleum reserve, however two senior traders who carefully track ESPO. circulations said Beijing has actually been improving its emergency situation stockpile.

This becomes part of what the federal government has repeatedly called. for, which is to hold the bowl of energy security firmly in our. own hands, one of the traders stated on condition of anonymity. provided the level of sensitivity of the matter.

China, the world's biggest petroleum purchaser, tightly guards. details on its emergency federal government stockpile and personal. estimates of China's strategic reserve differ commonly.

Vortexa put China's strategic reserve levels at 280 million. barrels, while consultancy Energy Aspects pegged them at 400. million barrels. By contrast, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum. Reserve stands at approximately 364 million barrels.

Russian oil arrivals into China, including by means of pipelines. under long-term contracts, increased one quarter last year to a. record 2.14 million barrels per day (bpd), making Moscow its top. supplier for a second straight year, ahead of previous top. provider Saudi Arabia's 1.72 million bpd.

China's National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration. did not respond to a ask for comment.

' SAFEGUARD NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY'

Total, about 29 million barrels of ESPO mix were. released between November and March into Dongying port, of. which 19 million barrels were sold to independent refiners understood. as teapots while the rest was stockpiled, according to Vortexa.

At 10 million barrels, the stockpile would occupy. one-third of the capacity at the CNOOC-built Dongying storage. website, which started operation in February 2023. China processes. approximately 15 million barrels of crude oil a day.

The 6.4 billion yuan ($ 885 million) tank farm is a tie-up to. collectively secure national energy security, the Shandong. provincial federal government said last year when the storage site was. launched.

The site, situated near CNOOC's overseas oilfields, also. assists CNOOC market its own production to Dongying, home to 32. independent refineries.

Before last November, the Dongying site was used primarily to. shop overseas crude and fuel oil, Vortexa's Li stated.

China's general seaborne ESPO imports struck a record 28.7. million barrels in March, information from analytics firm Kpler revealed.

Of that, CNOOC acquired a record 8.5 million barrels in. March, of which 7.4 million barrels were imported at Dongying,. Kpler information showed. This compares to 5.2 million barrels. imported at Dongying each in January and February, 3.7 million. barrels in December, and 1.4 million barrels in November when. ESPO imports to the site started.

Lower demand from India triggered more Russian oil sales to. China as really there are not many countries that can take. Russian oil now, an ESPO dealer stated.