Asia-Pacific refiners are preparing to scale down operations to confront a collapse in global fuel demand. As storage fills up, they will have to reduce the amount of crude they process, but not at the expense of competitive feedstocks from the Middle East. Soaring freight rates are rendering long-haul crude shipments from the Atlantic basin too expensive to Asia-Pacific, so it is North Sea, US and Latin American grades that face the biggest challenge, while west African cargoes and short-haul Russian supplies may remain competitive.
Host: Alejandro Barbajosa, Argus VP, crude & LPG - Middle East & Asia-Pacific.