*As with South Korea (MEES, 15 October), the key feature of Taiwan’s crude import stats for the first nine months of 2021 is a continued slump in volumes from the Middle East, both in absolute terms and as a share of Taiwan’s overall imports.
*At 557,000 b/d for 9M 2021, Mideast volumes are down 3% in absolute terms, whilst the region’s market share is on track for the lowest annual figure in over two decades. At 71.8% for 9M 2021 the Mideast share is well down on the two-decade nadir of 73.9% set last year whilst the Opec market share of 70.2% is also a multi-decade low (see chart). (CONTINUED - 294 WORDS)
