China imported record volumes of Saudi crude in Q3 as the kingdom consolidates its reinstated dominance in the world’s largest crude import market. The 1.74mn b/d that China received last quarter from Saudi Arabia accounted for 17.6% of its total imports, the highest share since 4Q 2013. Last year’s No.1 supplier Russia was way back on a still substantial 1.43mn b/d.
For September, Saudi supplied 1.744mn b/d in line with the Q3 average versus 1.541mn b/d from Russia. Imports from Iran were just 131,000 b/d, a new multi-decade low. (CONTINUED - 217 WORDS)