Vietnam's Dung Quat Refinery Buys UAE's Murban Oil for First Time, Sources Say

SEATTLE (Oil Monster):  Vietnam's Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical has purchased its first cargo of Murban crude oil produced in the United Arab Emirates as it diversifies import sources for its Dung Quat refinery, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The 300,000-barrel cargo will be delivered in December, one of the sources said.

This will be the refinery's first trial of a high-sulphur grade, he added. The plant typically processes low-sulphur, or sweet, crude.

The seller and price of the cargo were not immediately known.

The company, also known as BSR, declined to comment.

The Dung Quat refinery is now processing 32 types of crude oil, including nine domestic grades and 23 types of imported crude oil, the company said earlier this month.

"Diversifying sources of crude oil to blend with Bach Ho crude has helped BSR to have opportunities to buy crude oils that are cheaper than domestic ones," it said in a statement.

The refinery has processed 100 million metric tons of crude oil since it began commercial operations in 2009, it said.

Courtesy: www.reuters.com