According to
the website, the 'VLCC Eneos Breeze' was scheduled to arrive at Iran's Kharg
Island Monday.
A JXTG
Nippon Oil & Energy spokesman confirmed Monday that it is resuming its
Iranian crude oil loading in February. But the spokesman declined to comment on
the specific scheduled loading by the Eneos Breeze.
JXTG Nippon
Oil & Energy is the fourth Japanese refiner to resume Iranian oil loading,
after Showa Shell, Fuji Oil and Cosmo Oil resumed crude oil loading from Iran
in January -- the first in four months -- totaling around 4.9 million barrels,
IRNA wrote.
With other refiners
planning to resume imports in February, Japan is expected to load about 14
million barrels over January-February, according to Platts calculations based
on market information.
That would
put Japan's average Iranian oil imports at 78,000 b/d during the 180-day
waiver, down 49% from 153,000 b/d imported over May-October 2018, according to
Platts calculations.
Japan is
among eight countries with the US' 180-day waivers allowing them to keep
importing Iranian oil through May 4. Confusion surrounding shipping, insurance
and banking rules under the US sanctions kept some of the countries from
resuming imports for months after the US granted waivers on November 5.
All
transactions under the US State Department's current 'significant reduction
exemptions' must be completed by May 4.
Fresh
waivers would start May 5 for countries that the US determines have met their
promises to significantly reduce Iranian imports in the previous six months.
President of
the United States Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal of JCPOA on May, but
immediately the other signatory states of the agreement, namely, Britain,
France, Germany, China and Russia, condemned the country's withdrawal from this
multilateral international agreement and emphasized that they are committed to
supporting their businesses with Iran.
The United
States has now been forced to exempt Italy, Taiwan, Turkey, Japan, China, South
Korea, India and Greece from Iran's sanctions on Iranian oil imports.
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