A Chinese mega-refiner is snapping up barrels of Middle Eastern crude in a rare bright spot for a market hampered by dwindling import quotas after a buying spree earlier in the year.
Rongsheng Petrochemical Co.’s Singapore unit has purchased at least 7 million barrels in the spot market so far this month for delivery in December and January, according to traders who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The company is buying up crude to feed a trial run operation of its expanded refinery in Zhejiang province this quarter.
Chinese crude imports rose in September for the first time in three months as companies sought oil for new and expanding plants. Inbound shipments may struggle to reach June’s peak through the rest of the year after independent refiners used up most of their quotas. The processors, known as teapots, played an outsized role in supporting oil prices this year after a buying frenzy following a rapid recovery from the pandemic.
