Japan's second-biggest oil refiner, Idemitsu Kosan Co, restarted the 100,000 bpd No.2 crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Yokkaichi refinery in central Japan on Dec. 3
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked fuel traders to increase their imports to compensate for the shortfall "to ensure sufficient fuels for the local market until the end of the first quarter," the government said.
In the first half of 2022, geopolitical tension with Russia, culminating with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, contributed to crude oil price increases.
Oil prices tumbled 4% in volatile trade, pressured by weak demand data from China, a gloomy economic outlook and a stronger U.S. dollar.
U.S. oil producer Chevron Corp plans to export this month its first cargo of Venezuelan crude to its Pascagoula, Mississippi refinery following a U.S. license granted last year, according to shipping documents seen by Reuters.
After increasing 68% from January through June, the energy component of the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) ended the year 10% higher than the first trading day of 2022.
Oil prices edged up and were on track to post a second straight annual gain, albeit a meager one, in a year marked by tight supplies due to the Ukraine conflict, a strong dollar and weak demand from the world's top crude importer China.
Canadian pipeline operator TC Energy Corp said it had completed a controlled restart of its Keystone crude oil pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma, safely returning the pipeline to service after a 21-day outage.
Poland is prepared for a Russian ban on oil sales to countries implementing a price cap, the climate minister said, with the country having cut its intake of Russian crude and secured alternative supplies from producers such as Saudi Arabia.
U.S. oil refiners were working feverishly to resume operations at a dozen facilities knocked offline by a holiday deep freeze, a recovery that in some cases will stretch into January.