Asia/Pacific
India gov't favors petcoke import ban, US would be biggest loser
NEW DELHI (Reuters) — India’s government is in favor of banning imports of petroleum coke to curb air pollution, according to a government affidavit filed with its top court, which could be a big blow to US refiners who export heavily to the country.
Hanwha Total petchem to invest $331 MM to boost polyethylene output
SEOUL (Reuters) — Hanwha Total Petrochemical Co Ltd said on Monday it plans to spend $331.29 MM on a new factory in South Korea to increase polyethylene output by 400 Mtpy by 2019.
Vietnam fuel distributors to shift to ethanol blend this week
HANOI (Reuters) — Vietnam's biggest fuel distributors said they would complete a shift to an ethanol-blended product by Friday as part of a government program to promote a more eco-friendly fuel.
Shell says fire extinguished at Singapore refinery-petchem plant
SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Royal Dutch Shell said a fire at its Singapore refinery-petrochemical site was extinguished on Sunday and no one was hurt in the incident.
Saudi Arabia to supply full Jan crude volumes to several Asian buyers
TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, will supply full contractual volumes of crude to five North Asian refiners in January, unchanged from the previous month, five sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday.
Mauritius turns to Saudi fuel cargoes after court bans Indian supplies
PORT LOUIS/NEW DELHI (Reuters) — The island-nation of Mauritius has started buying fuel from Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco after a court ordered a ban on Indian fuel supplies because of a dispute between the country and a shipping firm.
Sinopec's Jinling plant ships first bitumen cargo to Hawaii
BEIJING (Reuters) — Sinopec Corp’s Jinling refinery in eastern China shipped a cargo of bitumen, a heavy oil product used mainly in road paving, to the state of Hawaii for the first time, according to a report on Friday on the website of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).
China's Nov crude imports rise to 2nd highest on record
BEIJING (Reuters) — China’s natural gas imports in November rose to a record as domestic demand surged while crude imports were the second-highest ever, as refiners ramped up output to cash in on strong profits as fuel prices soar, customs data showed on Friday.
Vietnam signs crude oil supply deals with SOCAR, Glencore
HANOI (Reuters) — Vietnam's state-run Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co (BSR) and state oil marketer PV Oil have signed non-binding term agreements with two western trading companies to buy crude, BSR officials said on Friday.
South Korean refiners conclude 2018 gasoil, jet fuel term contracts
SINGAPORE (Reuters) — South Korean refiners Hyundai Oilbank and GS Caltex have concluded their 2018 term contracts to sell gasoil and jet fuel, traders said on Thursday.

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