Shandong’s crude imports hit an all-time high in December, as some independent refiners tried to use up their quotas for 2018. About 12 million metric tonnes of imported crude reached Shandong in December, which doubled the province’s monthly import in the third quarter, JLC shipping schedules show. The biggest buyer was China National Chemical Corporation, taking in 1.40 million mt of crude oil. Dongming Petrochemical ranked second with about 1.3 million mt of imported crude in December, including two 260,000-mt cargoes of Upper Zakum crude, the shipping schedules indicate. The company also bought a 270,000-mt cargo of Castila crude from Colombia, and shipments of Mandji, Napo, Urals and Kissanje crude, respectively. Hongrun Petrochemical took about 1.16 million mt and Chambroad Petrochemical received about 800,000 mt. Other noteworthy buyers included Lijin Petrochemical, Landbridge Petrochemical, Hulian Petrochemical, and Changyi Petrochemical. As cargo arrivals peaked in December but independent refiners’ consumption was […]