Chinese Refiners Snap Up Iraqi Oil as Gulf Supply Routes Fracture

Chinese refiners are buying Iraqi crude, with recent purchases of 8 million barrels of Basrah Heavy and Basrah Medium for prompt delivery, Bloomberg has reported, citing unnamed traders. Oil has continued flowing via the Strait of Hormuz—Iraq’s main export channel—despite the Iranian blockade, but the blockade has reduced these flows to a fraction of what they once were. For the week to August 17, Marine Traffic reported a total of 95 vessel crossings, down from 118 the previous week. Some tankers have found a way around that…