UPDATE 1-S.Africa May crude imports from Iran down slightly m/m
* May Iran imports at 285,524 T vs 286,072 T in April
* Total crude imports at 1.95 mln T
(Adds details, background)
JOHANNESBURG, June 29 (Reuters) – South Africa’s crude oil
imports from Iran fell marginally in May to 285,524 tonnes from
286,072 tonnes the previous month, customs data showed on
Friday, as Pretoria continued to cut shipments to avoid U.S.
sanctions.
Africa’s biggest economy used to import a quarter of its
crude from Iran, but has come under Western pressure to cut the
shipments as part of sanctions designed to halt Tehran’s
suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.
South Africa imported a total of 1.95 million tonnes of
crude in May. The main suppliers were Saudi Arabia, Angola and
Nigeria at 572,635 tonnes, 530,140 tonnes and 412,732 tonnes,
respectively.
Even though the United States granted South Africa an
exemption from financial sanctions after the cuts in Iranian
imports, Pretoria may still face problems because of sanctions
from the European Union, which does not provide any waivers.
Talks with Brussels on the matter are ongoing, the
department of energy said earlier in June.
The United States will also be watching to see if South
Africa continues to keep imports from Iran low.
When comparing monthly averages over a six-months period,
South Africa imported around 266,762 tonnes of crude from Iran
per month in the December to May period, compared with 466,503
tonnes in the preceeding six months.
Some South African refineries are designed to treat
Iranian-type crude only, and analysts say refiners will be
hard-pressed to replace those supplies with other products.
Any disruption to crude imports could hit fuel supplies in
South Africa, which has suffered shortages in the last year
because of strikes
Category: Africa News
