The Malta-flagged ‘Santa Marina’ arrived at China’s Lanshan Port on 19 September carrying just under 2mn barrels of crude from Yemen’s eastern Masila basin, according to Marine Traffic shipping data. Operator of Yemen’s blocks 10 & 14, PetroMasila has maintained regular output of around 50,000 b/d from the Masila basin since restarting production in 2016 (MEES, 15 September 2017). Most is exported to China from the Ash Shihr terminal on Yemen’s coast. China received 32,000 b/d of Yemeni crude in 2017, but the cessation of Chinese import data in March and lack of Yemen export figures have obscured estimates. Thailand and India have also received shipments of Masila crude this year.
A vessel also departed this week from the Bir Ali terminal carrying crude from the S2 Block operated by Austria’s OMV. It is the second shipment since OMV resumed operations there in April (MEES, 3 August). The first was delivered to Japan in August (MEES, 24 August). (CONTINUED - 153 WORDS)