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Asia/Pacific

Idemitsu restarts Chiba naphtha cracker

TOKYO (Reuters) — Japan's Idemitsu Kosan said on Wednesday it restarted the 414,000 tpy Chiba naphtha cracker after works to increase its capacity to process propane were completed.

S.Korea's SK Innovation to build new desulfurization unit by 2020

SEOUL (Reuters) — The owner of top South Korean oil refiner SK Energy said on Wednesday that it would spend about $897.8 MM to build a new desulfurization unit by 2020, part of a push to churn out cleaner shipping fuels.

Asian imports of Iranian oil hit highest in 6 mos

TOKYO (Reuters) — Imports of Iranian crude by major buyers in Asia rose in September for a third straight month to their highest since March, boosted by a surge in purchases in China and South Korea.

China's Sinopec mulls US oil projects ahead of Trump's visit

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — China's state oil major Sinopec is evaluating two projects in the United States that could boost Gulf Coast crude oil exports and also expand storage facilities in the Caribbean, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump set to visit Beijing next week.

S.Korea's S-Oil expects strong refining margins for next 2 yr

SEOUL (Reuters) — South Korea's S-Oil corp said on Monday that profits from refining crude oil would stay strong for the next couple of years due to a tight outlook for supply.

Iran's crude, condensate exports to tumble to 19-month low in Oct

TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Iran's total crude and condensate exports for October are expected to tumble by nearly a fifth from the previous month to a 19-month low, dented by production issues, a person with knowledge of the country's tanker loading schedule said.

India HMEL may halt naphtha exports from 2021–2022

NEW DELHI (Reuters) — India's HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL), part-owned by steel tycoon L N Mittal, may halt naphtha exports from the 2021–2022 fiscal year when it starts its $3.1 B cracker, the chairman of Hindustan Petroleum Corp said.

Ecuador seeks renegotiation of China oil sales, loans

QUITO (Reuters) — Ecuador is seeking to renegotiate oil deals with Chinese firms to get higher prices for its crude exports and reduce the amount it has to send the Asian giant, the head of state-owned Petroecuador, Byron Ojeda, said on Tuesday.

IEA sees Southeast Asia oil demand growing until at least 2040

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Southeast Asian demand for oil will keep growing until at least 2040 as emerging nations there rely on the fossil fuel to transport their rapidly growing populations, ship goods and make plastics, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.

Vopak launches concurrent bunkering services at its Singapore terminal

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Vopak, the world’s largest independent storage tank operator, has launched a new service that allows tankers docking at its Singapore Sebarok oil terminal to refuel while simultaneously loading or discharging cargoes.