India steps up fuel imports amid shortage; Asia's pool of supplies shrinks

Rush to import petrol and diesel has already led to a surge in regional refining margins

Global energy markets that have thrown up plenty of anomalies in 2022 as flows get rerouted and prices jump just saw a fresh quirk: India, typically Asia’s leading petrol and diesel exporter, has been forced to step up imports of the fuels.

Petrol imports are set to rise to about 37,000 barrels a day in the first half of July, an eight-month high, according to preliminary data by Vortexa Ltd. Diesel imports, meanwhile, are set to surge to the highest since February 2020 at about 69,000 barrels a day in the period. Refiners such as Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp recently sought to buy diesel for delivery in June and July. The rare uptick has been driven by a need to cover local shortfalls even as India has emerged as a top buyer of shunned Russian crude following the invasion of Ukraine, and its refiners go all out to produce fuels.

Elevated international product prices have prompted India’s private refiners to boost exports, creating a shortage that state processors are now rushing to address with extra imports. The heightened import activity from India is shrinking Asia’s pool of fuel supplies at a time when China, which is also a key shipper of diesel and gasoline, has been cutting back. Planned fuel volumes from China for July have been reduced following refinery maintenance this month, according to industry consultant OilChem.

India’s rush to buy petrol and diesel has already driven a surge in regional refining margins for both fuels, according to industry consultancy FGE, which said there have been fuel shortages in the states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The country is expected to keep importing more fuel in the coming months, FGE said in a recent note.

Surge in shipments
 

• Petrol imports are set to rise to about 37,000 barrels a day in the first half of July
• Diesel imports are set to surge to the highest since February 2020 at about 69,000 barrels a day
• The heightened import activity from India is shrinking Asia’s pool of fuel supplies