Tanker Carrying Russian Crude Oil Arrives at Facility in Japan

Tokyo, May 5 (Jiji Press)–A tanker loaded with Russian crude oil docked at a pier connected to Taiyo Oil Co.’s refinery in western Japan on Tuesday, officials of the Japanese oil wholesaler said. This marks the first Russian crude oil import to Japan since the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transport waterway in the Middle East, was effectively closed earlier this year amid the fighting between the U.S.-Israeli camp and Iran, according to the trade ministry. Taiyo Oil procured the crude oil at the request of the ministry. The oil came from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East region, which is outside the scope of Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The crude oil will be refined to gasoline and other petroleum products at the Taiyo Oil facility in the city of Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. The tanker arrived in waters off Imabari on Monday. The berthing had been postponed, however, due to strong wind. The Japanese government is accelerating efforts to procure crude oil from areas other than the Middle East as supplies from the region have been disrupted due to the lingering tensions there. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]